Posted on Mar 12, 2010 by DaMan
After a brief dry spell, I was able to get about 22 new Strawberry Plants in the ground. These are some new plants that I picked up from the Henrico Extension 4-H event that they have every Spring. I literally put the 21st plant (out of 25) in the ground with hardly any light at all. This morning, I woke to find a very light sprinkle working the land, so it was not a moment too soon.
The remaining strawberry plants (only about 4) were healed in with 4 new blueberry bushes that I also picked up from the 4-H club. I used one of my rooting bins to heal them in for the time being.
I had planned on putting some peas on the ground before this rain, but the recently plowed land needs to be disc'd before I can proceed. It was really rough. My tiller would not be able to break up those clods at this point.
Posted on Mar 08, 2010 by DaMan
After all of the rain that we have been hammered with these past few months in Richmond, Virginia, gardening has been nothing short of a nightmare. Regardless, a the last few days have seen 60+ temperatures and some high wind in central Virginia. Although not completely dry, this weather has gone a long ways towards drying out the land enough to do a little planting.
The primary news from the weekend was that I was finally able to plow new Veggie Garden. It was a tad wet, but I am hoping it was not too bad. The main problem with plowing a piece of land when it is wet is that the soil will turn to brick when the exposed wet areas dry.
I was also able to start a couple of vegetables in my raised beds. Two packets from T&M were started, namely Green Hearting Mix Lettuce and Medania Spinach. The spinach had a respectable number of seeds, although the lettuce seemed to be a bit short of seeds. I also planted a few rows of onions. All of these went into the same raised bed with rows much closer together then what I normally do in the plowed garden. The thought is that the spinach will spread to cover the lower parts of the onions, creating a bit of a weed cover. We'll see how this works out.
As to transplanting, I moved more of the plants from 1699, including several Hydrangeas and another Sedum (red hybrid of Autumn Joy).
Posted on Feb 27, 2010 by DaMan
This past weekend, I pruned nearly all of my fruit trees, continuing the strategy of opening up the center and encouraging strong side branches. As always, I used a bleach solution to sterilize the pruners between trees. I should have some blooms on some of the trees this year, although it is next year that I expect to get my first decent crop. February is one of the best times to prune fruit trees in the Richmond, Virginia area. Next month, I will start my oil spray schedule to deal with possible pests. But, I do not think that I will have much of a problem since I have not pulled any fruit off of these trees yet.
I also moved the last of the apple trees from 1699. I probably have close to a dozen apple trees now, so I will hopefully find some good cultivars that I like. This year will focus on moving items from 1699, so this is just the start of this kind of journal entry.
On a more discouraging note, both of my blue cypress (one being the Arizona Cypress on the Backline) have partially uprooted thanks to the wind of the past month or so. I have read that fast growing trees like this have weak root systems, but had not personally experienced it at either of my gardens in the Richmond, Virginia area. I sort of wonder if this is more a factor of the fact that these plants were purchased as potted plants and didn't get a good purchase like one that started its life in these spots. I hope to propagate these cypresses this year or next year. If successful, I will be able to get the trees in the ground at a younger age with a better chance to develop a strong root system. If these also become a problem, I will probably have to remove them altogether.
Finally, on a more positive note, the Japanese Cryptomeria remains strong and upright. This tree has proven to be quite a winner. It has grown fast and has great form (and a thick trunk.) Cryptomeria is definitely a tree that I will try again, if I find other cultivars.