Summer's Coming.

Because it is starting to get real warm outside. Humid more like it. But the rain has been pretty consistent so that's always good as it means less watering. But it is coming so be aware.
Peas are almost over my rudimentary fence so it will have to built up this weekend.

Tomatoes, maters, whatever you want to call them. Stakes are desperately needed so that's a plan for one evening or weekend work as well.

Squash has really taken off and is trying to squeeze out some of the corn. 

I cut out some of the lettuce this past week

This is half of the harvest. 

There's more to cut. I am considering getting the cabbage plants out. I just can't seem to stay on top of the bugs that attack these plants!

The mini sunflowers on the front porch are blooming out nice and my carpet of snow is really starting to bloom out. 

WOF of the Week. My youngest was playing around with his blanket (actually named "Woobie", which has a big hole in it) when he decides to make the dog look like someone out of one of the Star Wars movies. And of course she just sits there and takes it. 

Anyway, hope things are well in your garden. 

How Do You Pronounce Nasturtium?

I must say that I probably butcher the name Nasturtium. Add that with a hillbilly drawl and I'm sure it's not a pleasant sound to say the least. Which brings me to my main topic, one batch of my Nasturtium's have bloomed and look really good. I believe that this is the Alaska Mix.

Some of the bottom leaves are yellowing but I believe this is from over-watering/rain. Mostly rain as I leave them out. I have moved them from the side of the house to out front. And they do smell good too!

I did take a few shots of some other growings in the flower- related arena. Here is a smothering of some kind of perennial wildflower stuff that I threw in this bucket. it now has some nice little purple flowers blooming out on it.

I honestly do not know what this stuff is so it's a guessing game right now.

I also snuck around the corner of the house last evening and saw that my Carpet of Snow is starting to bloom. There are white and pink blooms intermixed together in this area and they get beat by the rain falling off of the roof here. I have one spot that is devoid of flowers.

And I got a shot of the front landscape as of yesterday evening.

As for the veggy beds, everything's doing great at the moment. Peas have started their climb skyward and everything else seams to be right on track.

Still need the green bean trellis built before they get too crazy. Hmmmm, Bob Ross just popped into my head. "Happy Greens." "Let's go crazy." Trying to save a couple of hot pepper plants in the pot on the far left and a cuke in the green pot on the bottom left. German Johnson tomatoes are going strong now. 

Peppers in front and corn/squash in back. Nasturtium running up the right side. Just water and weed.

Tomato bed looking good. I am trying to save  Roma plant I found. It is right behind the front middle plant. I may even go to the length of (gasp) buying a couple more Romas for the other bed as the Cherry tomatoes don't look that good.

Onions, potatoes, everything doing good here except 2 of the 3 cherry mater plants. If the 2 don't start picking it up, they'll be let go in the draft. I am cutting the lettuce tonight and getting it into the crisper so they plants can spread out some before the hot weather hits. 

That's the tour this week. I am considering some SWC to try. I am intrigued by their design. In any case I will be starting some San Marzano seeds about the first week of June to replace the Romas when they're done. And if I'm able to parley some more containers there will be a lot more tomatoes for fall canning! That and beans are my 2 main crops for this year. Also plan on making squash relish. 

WOF of the Week. Comes to us from yesterday's garage purge that I was doing. Of course she had to lay on the piece of carpet I threw in the driveway. And she looks perturbed as if the say, "Really, another picture? Can't you people just leave me alone?" 

I got a few more but they're for later posts.

In any case good gardening to you and think Happy Trees.

Pinehurst #6.... If You Can Find It.

OK, Pinehurst #6 will not be found if you are not looking for it without the help of gps tracking stations. It is not  in the main complex/resort of Pinehurst. Don't go there! But if you have the desire of a guided tour of the village of Pinehurst, I would be glad to accommodate.

After arriving at the course I had to walk backwards from hole #9 just so I could find my son's group in their practice round. Caught up with them playing #6 so it wasn't that bad. Course was in great shape and definitely a step up from Course #1 that they played last year. This course also has the famous underground bathroom. Pictures are here and I really don't know what picture is of what but I will guess.

Green of Par 3 7th looking back down from way to 8th.

No sure which hole this is.

 Hole #16, downhill par 3.

Famous underground bathroom under the 15th tee box.

 Hole #13, downhill par 3.

Hole #11, downhill par 4.

That's it for my pictures! My wife went down today for the Regionals tournament and my son shot a 78, missed out on making state by a shot or two. It was him and another player from his school that went this year. Hope to get more from the team down there next year! Be up to them as he ships out one week after graduation. Proud no matter what.

Now I need to get out myself! Haven't played since October of last year. Hopefully soon.

More Catalogs and Progress

Received Seeds of Change and Territorial Seed Company catalogs Thursday and Friday of this week. Quite a selection from both and adds to my growing collection that also includes Johnny's, Burpee, and Gurney's. Too many to choose from but I have to pick one to order some more seeds from for my summer tomato plantings. I have some Roma Vf going right now but they should be done by July, which is about the time my new ones will go in. I want some more paste varieties so we can do a lot of canning this fall. Anyway I will have to sit down tonight and make my "wish list" for those plus anything else that strikes my fancy that I can use for canning/storage over the winter. Any good recommendations?

Finally got the pea fence up. Doesn't look the greatest but function over form for me.

Will have to add more to the top more than likely. It took some time to get them untangled from each other and train them to go up. They put up a fight but in the end they saw it my way. Now I have to get one done for the green beans, and start tomato stakes. 

Peppers in front and corn in the back are starting to take form. I planted some Nasturtium, Empress of India up the right hand side of this bed. 

Tomato bed looking pretty good. Actually found out that i had a Roam sitting in the garage not being used or given away so I planted it here to see if it would take off. That's Nasturtium up the left. Previous post I said right and I profusely apologize.

Had some leafy greens (lettuce) from the garden for lunch today. Good overall taste if at all. I mean, come on, it's lettuce. Potatoes are going like crazy. I mounded around them but looks like I need more. Checked on the onions but still no where ready yet. 

Redid the front of house planter some. Took out an ugly bush and planted a few flowers, some Sparaxis that I started earlier, and got a yard sale bargain of a long planter that I put my Sweet Peas into. Now I have to find a trellis for it to climb up.

While doing this work there was a small, very angry bird waiting for us to finish. Apparently it had a nest nearby or we were bothering it's work. I got it on top of our roof.

Side view were I got some Carpet of Snow going plus my Morning Glories. Rain runs off of the roof here and I end up replanting this every week until i get some mulch on them.

Replanted my Marigolds into permanent containers so now I hope they really take off. 

forgot my added 45 degree quick planter.

WOF of the Week comes as a blast from the past. A short time after we got her my wife came downstairs in the morning to find her here.....

What she was doing here is beyond us but that's what makes her special. Anyways, happy gardening or whatever you are doing. Maybe a post tomorrow night as we'll (oldest son and myself) will be at Pinehurst for his practice round. Sneak phone/camera onto course and hopefully get some good shots. Till then..

Things Aren't As Easy

OK, this getting old crap is for the birds. Had my wisdom tooth taken out yesterday and after a failed attempt at numbing (about flew out of the chair when he hit a "hot spot'), I have discovered that my recovery will not be as fast as it was when I was younger.The pain medicine I was given, Hydrocodone, is supposed to be addictive but I don't see why someone would want to feel this way all of the time. I've never been one to take pills anyway. Anyway, with the help of my WOF I'm sure I'll be feeling better in no time.

Another shot of the clown cup! They follow us everywhere.

Got to start planning for my fall garden. I want more roma tomatoes or the like in the ground for canning this fall. Anyone have any other good tomatoes that they can? Also I hope the beans grow good this year so we can put a lot of those back too. Storms heading this way but hopefully it won't be as bad as the last ones. Still cleaning up after those. 

Easter and Wisdom.

Happy Easter to all.

Got a lot done this weekend somewhat. Redid the area around the mailbox and got new water lines run in the new bed.

Before and after pictures from the mailbox area. Got some marigolds and some 'mystery' flowers I started a while back, thought I killed but came back to life. I have to look around to see what package they came out of. I also spread some wildflower mix in the dirt so hopefully they will come up good. Need to find a good border to put around this. 

Porch flower pictures as promised. Nothing in bloom yet but everything is growing good. See my shadow in the bottom one. Always follows me...

New bed with the new water lines running through it. Still not what I want. Need bigger sprinklers but those can wait. 

Peas, green beans are really on the move. The German Johnson tomatoes are really starting to take of now. 

Tomato bed from afar. Nasturtium is on the right side. Also there's the much coveted clown cup. We now have two and are on the lookout for more. You don't get to see the back bed as I was in my socks and tired. 

WOF of the week comes from this afternoon. She got stuff left by the Easter Bunny, then we went for a small walk. Somewhat warm today so she decided to take it easy the rest of the day. 

Wisdom tooth started bothering me this afternoon and has progressively gotten worse to the point of PAIN. Can't get into dentist until tomorrow. Put this off too long and now I'm paying for it. Sucking on green tea bag and ibuprofen and that seems to help. 

I hope all is well with you. 

Storms Came and Went

As I sit here typing this, I have to reflect back on the events of this past Saturday. Damaging storms with tornadoes sprouted up all the way south of our area, straight through the middle of town, and continued northeast at 55 miles per hour. Numerous touch downs of tornadoes, unheard of in the greater Raleigh area, destroyed trailer parks, homes, one college campus (they shut down for the rest of the year), and felled one hundred year old trees in a matter of ten minutes. I personally have never had up close experience with this phenomenon and don't wish too. It came close to the house and I took the precaution of covering all of the plants to protect them from the hail storm accompanying this storm, and my wife and I ushered the kids into the downstairs bathroom. Thankfully all we got was hard rain. Some of the pictures from that day look like a war zone. One of the trailer parks had a mother, her 6 month old daughter,  9 year old son and two other young children she was watching. She did her best to move them into the interior closet of the home but a tree fell killing three of the kids, leaving her and the 6 month old. She protected it as best she could and the child was taken to the hospital into intensive care. Upon logging into the local TV station's website to get some photos, the headline read where the 6 month old had died. Sorry, but this really makes me angry.

I took some pictures of the garden's progression last night....

Potatoes really coming up now.

I planted some Nasturtium on the left side of this planter and it is now looking good.

Not much has changed here in the new bed. This weekend is the added sprinkler piping. 

Looking at this makes me want to get started on the trellis. I know I say this but nows the time.

No pictures of the flowers this time so those will be next time. Still have a few to get in the ground around the new mailbox planter this weekend. I also have a few plants left if someone needs them. 

WOF of the week comes from our (my) recliner. She's either using the force or wants low paw. Your guess is as good as mine.