Welcome to my Garden Journal. Let's see how the garden looks at the end of April 2018
April got off to a slow start here in North Central, MO, United States. Zone 5.
We had colder than normal temps, setting 3 record lows in the first half of the month. Along with a couple of snows.
So now I'm trying to play catch up with my garden.
I am working on trying to establish my lawn, vegetable garden, fruits, shrubs and flower beds. We really like butterflies and birds, so will keep that in mind as we go forward...
In case you missed it, we recently moved back to the family homestead (I'm 5th generation). The old house was bulldozed out and we moved a doublewide in for our home. The home place and garden had grown up into quite the brier patch with scrub brush, multi-flora rose and a few trees. The bulldozer took out a lot of that, but I'm discovering many roots as I till in the garden.
Things I'm focusing on this year in the veggie garden include:
Already posted about this year - New additions and work done :
Beware: Commencing photo overload
I'll start you out front and walk around to the garden.
First are some bird feeders by the dining room window.
Then this azalea.
Also on the west side of the front:
Looking to add rocks and other decorations, and some shade loving flowers.
Transplanted shrubs, roses, daylilies, iris, hibiscus
Added a new dwarf cherry tree and a rugosa rose.
I know, I know... Gotta work on that skirting. It's just something I threw together in sub-zero temps to block the wind...
Added a bed of the shorter sunflower varieties behind the daylilies.
Looks like the roses made the move.
This is one of my prized possessions. Grandpa had several tiger lilies that grew beside the front porch. I dug around as best I could and only found one bulb to salvage before the bulldozer moved in. It is growing! Woohoo. I will be propagating this later in the year.
South a little bit by the old cistern I found 2 tulips I had planted 20 some years ago. I thought they were Red Riding Hood species tulips, but those have striped leaves. Hmmm As you can see, they are in a high traffic (dogs) area and will need to be relocated...
Out by the driveway is where they put the electric power pole. I figured they wiped out my red peony I had planted there, but LOOK!!!
Out by the mailbox are some iris I planted 20 some years ago, when I lived here in the old house.
South of these toward the garage are some surprise lilies. I'll be dividing these, since they are the only ones I've seen this year. They used to be in about a dozen places around the yard.
Trixie and Brutus - always willing to supervise my work haha
This is standing in the cellar house looking out. In the cellar is the old well pump. We hooked up to rural water instead. I may try to get that going though for a cheaper way to water the garden.
On the left is my new raised bed of peas.
The long metal raised bed has all the cabbage family + onions in between those.
To the south of that is my potato hill and then the rest of the onions.
Between the long metal and the 2 round raised beds is reserved for hills of zucchini.
The left round raised bed is strawberries.
The right round raised bed is asparagus.
On the far right, are my 5 transplanted goji shrubs.
Behind those will probably be my fruit area. Still trying to decide where to put them. Apples, pears, peaches, kiwi, grapes. At least that's what I'm planning.
Here's a few random pics of the garden so far...
Tomatoes are my favorite vegetable to grow. I'll let it warm up a bit more before putting them out.
To the left of that picture is my new sunflower bed. These are the gargantuan kinds. The birds should love this!
The mulberry tree planted in 1900 split and nearly wiped out the white pine I planted 25 or 30 years ago.
I've transplanted some shrubs around that tree. Yellow twig dogwood, forsythia, hopefully a lilac and rose of sharon, and a couple more I'm not sure of. I added a row of sunflowers behind these.
This is a great plant. You can just snip a branch of this and stick it in the ground and within a couple of years will have a nice plant. They are very easy to grow, have nice flowers and look good in the winter landscape.
To the left of those along the fence are these peonies Grandpa planted. I'm really not remembering what colors they are. Guess we will know soon enough.
I'll never run out of things to do or places to plant.
@simplymike's contest.What a great idea to get people creating a journal of their gardens!!!
@WizarDave |
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