[Magdalen] Garden report

[Jay Weigel]

Our problems are more in the line of creeping charlie, crown vetch, and a
nasty little $#@ which I have just learned is commonly called "stickywilly"
although I had previously referred to it as "hitchhiker" for its nasty
habit of clinging to your socks and pants, and to your gloves and sleeves
when you try to pull it out. And in our lower flowerbeds, poison ivy and
the ever-present "creeping Virginia", otherwise known as Virginia creeper
(Parthenocissus quinquefolia). which look pretty much alike in their early
stages. The violets are all in the grass. We can't have tomatoes because of
black walnuts. I have tried to grow them in containers on the upper deck
but they haven't done well so I've given up. I do have a couple of pepper
plants up there, otherwise the crops are pretty much limited to greens and
herbs.

On Sun, May 24, 2020 at 4:11 PM P. Dan Brittain <pdan.brittain at gmail.com>
wrote:

> On Sun, May 24, 2020 at 3:00 PM Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I have a front yard full of violets...and buttercups...and
> > dandelions...and clover. Oh...and some grass! But I live in the country,
> > and as long as it’s green, it can grow, and I now from time to time.
> >
>
> I do the same in the city (town/village, we're not in a big place) - as
> long as it's green, it stays.
>
> >
> > Got a little start on some actual gardening this afternoon. I put in 4
> > tomato plants in 5gallon buckets with cages around them and started
> > “seasoning” 2 straw bales for additional planting. I should have gotten 4
> > more. I did some straw bale gardening several years ago, and it really
> is a
> > great system. I should have started preparing these bales a couple of
> weeks
> > ago, though.
> >
>
> I've used straw for potatoes but that's about all. About 1/3 of my tomatoes
> are in pails/tubs/grow bags. I managed to start all my own this year and I
> had filled many of the tubs with compost from my pile - ended up with a lot
> of tomato volunteers, we'll see what they turn out to be.
>
> d
>
> >
> > > On May 24, 2020, at 2:02 PM, P. Dan Brittain <pdan.brittain at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Sweet Violets. No not the song, and not so sweet. My onion bed is
> > infested
> > > with violets. I have to pull 1-2 rows of violets a day to keep up and
> > it's
> > > easy to get behind. Starting Tuesday, we have about a week of rain, so
> > more
> > > work to do. At least we discovered that violets are edible. We've been
> > > adding them to out salads daily along with fresh spinach and fresh Red
> > > Russian Kale. Have also started freezing spinach and kale.
> > >
> > > 31 tomato plants in the ground. Potatoes in bags and a potato bin - and
> > > doing well. 5 plantings of green peas, 1st row blooming profusely, 2nd
> > row
> > > starting to bloom. Green beans above ground and carrots. Squash is
> > starting
> > > to peak out of the ground.
> > >
> > > Peach trees are loaded - 1 thinning done and another to start. We'll
> get
> > > apricots this year for the first time. Apples will be light this year -
> > > didn't thin enough last year, so the main tree didn't bloom much this
> > year.
> > >
> > > Hope everyone is finding something to do.
> > >
> > > Dan
> > >
> > > --
> > > P. Dan Brittain
> > > Harrison, Arkansas
> > >
> > > Transcriptions, Arrangements and Original Compositions
> > > Wind Band, Brass Band, Choir, and Ensembles
> > >
> > > http//:pdanbrittain.com  Or  at Sheet Music Plus
> > > http://tinyurl.com/yb9fl39r
> >
>
>
> --
> P. Dan Brittain
> Harrison, Arkansas
>
> Transcriptions, Arrangements and Original Compositions
> Wind Band, Brass Band, Choir, and Ensembles
>
> http//:pdanbrittain.com  Or  at Sheet Music Plus
> http://tinyurl.com/yb9fl39r
>