Squash and Corn Bed. 5.30.15

Fig, corn, and squash bed.  5.30.15

The original plan for this bed was to plant bee forage.  I have plenty of those.  I needed a place for squash and corn.  This is the warmest, sunniest part of the  yard, south of the house.

I also planted two rows of Asclepias syriaca, Common milkweed / Butterfly flower.  Those are for honeybees and local bees.  As perennials, they may not bloom until next year.

The fig trees on the left look healthy.  They do not need the space yet.  The small fig trees will not shade the annual crops, which are on the south side of the fig trees.

Gardening this area saves some mowing.  This has always been a difficult spot.  A fence, to the neighbor's field, is directly adjacent.

Chamomile for tea (tisane). 5.30.15

German Chamomile in garden bed.  5.30.15

Harvested chamomile flowers.  5.30.15

In 2012 I bough 2 plants of German chamomile and planted in a vegetable bed.   They grew too large, so I moved them to another location.  New plants self-seeded last year and this year.  I left them in place, thinking I could eventually dry the flowers for chamomile tea.  Since chamomile tea does not contain tea leaves, it is technically a tisane.  I drink chamomile / ginger almost every evening, with some honey, to settle my stomach.  Since I already use it, I might as well dry my own, fresh, local, free, organic chamomile flowers for that purpose.

I cut the flowers.   They will go into the food drier for a day or two.  I think that should do it.

Geranium (Pelargonium) shrubs. 5.31.15

Overwintered Geraniums.  5.31.15

These are the geraniums (Pelargoniums) that I overwintered for the 2nd or 3rd winter.  The front (right) box was overwintered in sun-room, and stayed green much of winter with blooming.  The back (left) box, less visible, was overwintered dry, in the garage.  Those geraniums have filled in and starting to bloom.  Nice big, full, Pelargonium shrubs.

The center box contains new plants.  Two are purchases, and one is a cutting from the back box, rooted in water after I cleaned up and pruned the plants when brought outside from their winter dormancy.

Overwintered Geraniums.  5.31.15

Growing Degree Days, Battleground WA

This information is from Western Regional Climate Center.

Trinity SE Sweetcorn need 1,190 heat units  Based on the info below, if I understand correctly, adding to May (now) 559 growing degree days, +1,190 = 1759 which occurs in August.  But I don't know that I understand this table correctly.

Pawpaws require 150 frost free days and 2200 growing degree days, which I am thinking we get here in Sept or Oct. Might be OK.

Station:(450482) BATTLE GROUND
From Year=1928 To Year=2012
Growing Degree Days for Selected Base Temperature (F)
Base	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
40 M	62	96	168	275	456	584	747	756	607	375	153	69	4348
40 S	62	159	326	602	1057	1641	2388	3144	3751	4126	4279	4348	4348
45 M	16	27	63	142	302	434	592	601	457	226	59	18	2938
45 S	16	43	106	249	551	985	1577	2178	2635	2861	2920	2938	2938
50 M	2	4	16	57	165	285	437	446	308	105	13	2	1840
50 S	2	6	22	78	243	528	965	1411	1719	1824	1837	1840	1840
55 M	0	0	2	17	72	150	284	292	171	33	1	0	1023
55 S	0	0	2	19	91	241	525	817	988	1021	1023	1023	1023
60 M	0	0	0	3	26	62	148	152	71	6	0	0	468
60 S	0	0	0	3	29	91	239	391	462	468	468	468	468
Corn Growing Degree Days
50 M	16	44	88	153	258	334	456	465	373	215	61	16	2479
50 S	16	60	148	300	559	892	1349	1814	2187	2402	2463	2479	2479

I bolded the bottom line.   That seems the most relevant.

Interpretation of the table:

"M = Monthly Data
S - Running sum of monthly data. 

Growing Degree Day units =  (Daily Ave. Temp. - Base Temp.) 

One unit is accumulated for each degree Fahrenheit the average temperature is above the base temperature. Negative numbers are discarded. 

Example: If the days high temperature was 95 and the low temperature was 51, the base 60 heating degree day units is ((95 + 51) / 2) - 60 = 13. This is done for each day of the month and summed.

Corn Growing Degree Day units have the limitations that the maximum daily temperatures greater than 86 F are set to 86 F and minimums less than 50 F are set to 50 F. "

Persimmon and Pawpaw Progress Report. 5.19.15

Flower Buds on Nikita's Gift Persimmon.  5.19.15

Last Remaining Flower on Sunflower Pawpaw.  5.19.15

All but one of the pawpaw flowers fell  off.  The one that remains is on Sunflower.  It takes a close look to see the developing ovary.  I don't know.  It might give a couple of pawpaws.  This one flower is the last chance for this year.

Saijo Persimmon had some flower buds but they fell off without opening.  Nikita's gift started growth much later, compared to Saijo, the growth is much thicker and stronger, and there are a few flower buds.  The tree is only about 3 feet tall.

Yates American Persimmon is also growing strong, and has some flower buds.  This is first leaf for that one.

Ember Plum on Hollywood Rootstock.  5.19.15

 The grafts are growing like crazy.  A couple of container apples on salvaged rootstock are not growing, but everything else is really growing.

Most of the bud grafts from last summer have about the same amount of growth as whip / tongue grafts from this late winter.

Hanska Plum, Top Grafted Onto Unknown Plum.  5.19.15

I've started removing some of the wrappings.  It doesn't seem to be girdling anything yet.  From the couple that I removed, doing so does not appear to have caused harm.

LaCrescent Plum Top-grafted Onto Unknown Plum.  5.19.15

Hollywood Plum Grafted Onto Toka.  Bud graft from 2014.  5.19.15

Fedco Apple Grafts.  5.19.15

Corn and Squash Seedlings. 5.19.15

The corn seedlings and many of the squashes were ready to be planted outside. 

I planted next to the fig row where I had covered with black plastic for 2 or 3 months.  The grass was dead, there were no significant remaining roots, and the soil was moist and easy to work.

I watered with diluted fish emulsion, and sprinkled some old blood meal / hot pepper powder around each to repel rabbits.  I don't know if that will work.   It's too much to fence each plant.

Effect of trimming tree seedling roots, ginkgo biloba. 5.19.15

The ginkgo seedling on the left, is the same age as the other two.  I was unable to dig it up with intact roots, last fall.  It had almost no roots.  I kept it potted, and did not prune the top.  The other two were smaller, and I was able to dig the roots intact.

The two with intact roots are growing fast, with elongating main stem and large leaves.  The one with almost no roots, survived, but growth is very limited.  The limitation of roots has resulted in limitation of leaf size and stem elongation.  It will be interesting to see if it catches up, this year or next year.

Bearded Irises. 5.19.15

Mixed Irises, mostly historic.

Mixed Irises, mostly historic.

Mixed Irises, mostly historic.

Lorelei

Accent

Edith Wolford

Bearded Irises were not a total loss this year.   I think the change that I need to make, is keep them mulched with a loose wood chip mulch. 

Presprouting Beans. 5.17.15

Ning wants some Chinese beans. He has old packages of seeds.  I dont know the age.  Some packages are unopened.  They are made with a plastic-impregnated paper, and have bern in a cool place.

To give them the best chance I can, I am pre-sprouting them on moist paper towels, in zipper bags, on the seed sprouting warming mat.  I used seeds from 6 different packets.  I also did the same with some 1-year old corn seeds, to test before actually planting them.