Cool Weather Gardening

It was another beautiful day in Bogieland. It got up to the 50's and was sunny so I did what the day demanded of me - I repotted plants and started some seeds.

First, I went to Agway to pick up some potting soil and a larger pot an existing plant. When I got home, I started off repotting the pepper seedlings into larger containers. This, I did indoors in the kitchen; I didn't want the seedlings catching cold at their tender age. Then I repotted a coleus which was in dire need of a larger planter.

The planter I got for it is technically a strawberry planter. The planter looks something like this, although it is made of glazed clay (glazed with various shades of blue, of course) and only has 4 smaller planter spouts on the side. I placed the coleus in the larger opening, then I planted begonia seeds in the smaller areas. If the seeds don't come up, then I will take some babies off my spider plant to fill in the voids. The coleus is a plant that lives on the deck during the summer, then is brought inside during colder weather. For now it resides in the living room bay window.

Next, I decided to plant seeds in outdoor containers. Getting to the containers was quite a chore as they are stacked underneath the deck, along with patio and deck furniture. I had to lug up the two chairs and table that go on the deck; a major undertaking as I was tramping thru about 5" of sucking mud (except where I was walking on 5-6" of ice). While bringing up the table, I stepped in one spot and for an instant thought I was going to have to learn Chinese!

Actually, bringing up the table and chairs was beneficial in that the table gave me someplace to pot outside, and one of the chairs held the bag of soil. I finally managed to get to a couple of the planters I wanted to use, so I was in good shape.

Then I went thru my seed stores, kept in the fridge, and found seeds that were designated as "start indoors or out shortly before the last frost". True, it isn't shortly before the last frost (that would be May 31), but what the heck - I have adventure in my soul.

I planted pansies, mixed with trailing lobelia, in a hanging basket. In regular planters went violas, baby's breath, pompas plume celosia, more pansies, tithonia, and petunias. Actually, I'm not sure where/when the petunias are supposed to be planted because those were seeds I harvested off of last year's petunias. But I figured since I have about a zillion of the seeds, I could afford to take a chance.

To round off the afternoon, I took the dogs for a walk. We went further than we normally do since it was early afternoon and there wasn't much traffic yet. We crossed 149 and went several hundred feet up Wolf Hill Road. WHR is a dirt road, that looks like it should be an extension of our road, but isn't (I have no idea why it has a different name). We came back down the hill, passed the house and went to the first bend in the road before turning back for home. Of course, I interspersed leash training with the walk, so it took much longer than just walking the road would normally take.

it was an idyllic day, with just enough activity to start gearing myself up for the frenzy of yard work we will be doing this summer. I could get used to this!

Comments

[Cop Car]

You're making good progress, Bogie--particularly considering that you are weeks away from last frost date. Last frost date is breathing down our necks. It is only DAYS away, here. I've been spading and pulling weeds. Need to get some topsoil trucked in for between the houses. Want to put tomatoes there this year. The bleeding hearts are in bloom (not the fern-leaf, but the broad leaf kind) and are gorgeous! Also the redbuds (although our trees are still small). Peach blossoms have fallen off, as have pear blossoms, but the cherry blossoms haven't come out, yet. Oh, yes, the plums have bloomed. The dandelions and henbit have a bumper crop this year due to our mild winter. Don't let those holes suck you down to China. We want you here in for the wedding!

[bogie]

Yesterday, I climbed the mounds of snow and cleaned out the flower gardens next to the front of the house (yes I'm serious about the snow mounds). With the overhang from the house, the flowerbeds don't accumulate much snow, plus get some heat from the house, so thaw out faster than it seems they should.

I also cleaned out the lilies around the perimeter of the fence. Found masses of weeds and grass trying to invade, so spent quite a while pulling those out.

Then I raked the leaves out of the flower beds below the fence. The rest of the flower beds are still frozen and/or covered with snow, so it will be a while before I can clean them out.

[Cop Car]

They serviced our sprinkler system last week, so we are already into sprinkling mode. HH has mowed twice, already, and should have done it more often. It was awfully long, both times! I forgot to tell you what wonderful chipmunks you have. Most of us have to plant all of our own bulbs.