gardening 2015

[Lady's Human]

Yeah, it's early.

However, it's bloody cold and I need happy thoughts, so here it is.

We ordered seed for this year's garden, and saw an oddball in the catalog. A giant squash that "they didn't know how to classify so we put it in with the hubbards". Anyone from down south ever have a "Georgia Candy roaster"?

We're going to try it, why not.

The Calendar is telling me it's time to go down and get the tiller's oil changed and get it ready to go, but with 2 feet plus of snow on the ground and nothing above 20 expected for at least another week, the weather is telling me otherwise.

We were talking about gardening at work last week, and one of the guys (who lives far north of me) was saying that St. Patrick's day is the right time to plant peas. I looked at him in puzzlement and asked "With what to till, a jackhammer?"

[Karen]

Hmm, remember the pumpkin/butternut monster that grew at Bummy's one year? Wonder if it will be like that! For those who are curious, it was huge, orange as a pumpkin but without any ridges - smooth like a butternut squash, and solid like one, too - our grandfather had tossed some rotten squab of both sorts over by a stone wall, and we discovered this late that summer, growing without any human help - it was so heavy it had to be moved with the tractor!

[Karen]

Also, a haiku set I sent to my gardening buddy at church the other day ...

A few degrees rise
Makes all the difference in mood
Spring seems possible

Snowbanks sigh, weeping
Puddles of despair at their
Diminishing bulk

A sure sign of Spring
Seed orders have been placed and
Hopes of planting grow

Gardens lie sleeping
Beneath thick blankets of snow
Stone and soil as one

But in the mind’s eye
Growing things sprout, flower
Vivid, verdant green

[Lady's Human]

Sigh...

Got an ad for Hostas in my email the other day, which included instructions on making sure your Hostas thrive.

I've never liked hostas, and frankly, every time I've had to remove them it's been a multi- season effort to make sure the suckers were completely removed. Care instructions for hostas? Should be wave roots near occasionally moistened soil and prepare charges of C-4 to remove them once they start to take over.

We also are going to try a new squash from Burpee this year, it's supposed to be basically an acorn-type squash with edible skin so you can roast and eat the whole squash. Should be interesting.

[Karen]

I can actually see a large enough patch of grass to sit in outside my sliding glass doors to the hard left .... that's progress, right?

[Lady's Human]

So, we started our Okra and Bok Choi seeds in the mini-greenhouse in the living room three days ago.

We haven't seen any sprouts yet. Should I dig up the seeds and see what's wrong?