Saturday Gardening Thread, March 16 [KT]

Hello, gardeners and garden observers. Wow. We still have some weather in the USA. But although the Sierra snowpack is very, very high in places, in other places people are reporting the start of the "Super Bloom" of wildflowers due to the increased precipitation this winter. One of those places is Anza Borrego, which my cousin and his wife visited a few weeks ago. The photo above and the ones below are from the badlands, not from the areas which now have sheets of bloom. Maybe you would like to try identifying the flowers.

You can also check out flowering cover crops in wineries'' if you prefer wineries to wilderness.

Stuck at home in the snow?

Here's our approximately annual pick-up of a piece about re-growing veggies from the store or garden. Some of these seem more worthwhile than others. Ever tried this?

Gardening Legal Liabilities

If the neighbor's tree falls in your yard, who pays for clean-up? You do.

Hmmm.

Critters

Jake Holenhead sent in the following:

While visiting my mom in Spokane, WA I took these of the bird feeding area in her garden. The first one was in January and it was a busy day for birds. There are four feeders; two for sunflower seeds, a birdseed feeder, and suet cake holder. This day besides the normal songbirds, quail, doves, northern flickers, a pair of downy headed woodpeckers, and a tree rat (squirrel) in the right side feeder, there were several dozen redwing blackbirds and robins (six are at the birdbath gossiping) feeding on mountain ash berries.

Every few years when there's a lot of snow, such as now (it snowed 30" in February), turkeys and pheasants will show up. The turkeys will fly up into her crab apple trees if they're really hungry. Occasionally a falcon or hawk will fly through hoping to get a snack, and sometimes they do.

This brings us to a couple of hawks that By-Tor photographed on his trip to Utah recently:

A Sharp Shinned Hawk with Prey

and a Juvenile Red Tailed Hawk

Gardens of The Horde

Summer Snowflakes and a plant I.D.

Le Vieux Garde send in a photo of some Summer Snowflakes, from Alabama, where they evidently bloom before summer.

Leucojum aestivum is a member of the Amaryllis family. They are tolerant of heavy, clay soils, even when damp, and are a good choice near ponds or streams. They are deer tolerant and can be planted near black walnut.

After flowering, the fruits develop flotation chambers but remain attached to the stem. In England, it has been recorded that flooding causes the stems to break and the fruits to be carried downstream and stranded in river debris or on flood-plains. The bulbs can also be transported during heavy floods and deposited on river banks.

Here is a photo of a Hairy-footed Flower Bee approaching some of the flowers.

There are also Spring Snowflakes. They bloom at about the same time as Snowdrops. They also tolerate damp soil.

Ran across this cool chart of flower bloom times while looking up these plants.

By the way, these also bloomed earlier in Le Vieux Garde's neighbor's yard. Care to identify them?

Peaches, Nectarines, Rosemary, Bees and a Cat

Back on February 8, when there were threats of frost in the low desert, Wee Kreek Farm Girl wrote this about her peach tree:

My peach tree is already starting to bloom. This tree is four years in the ground. It produces a ton of peaches every year. I do have to pick them before they are quite ripe or the birds get them, however they do ripen nicely inside. I included a picture of just some of last years haul. I end up having to freeze them for smoothies because they all tend to ripen at the same time.

Any chance of keeping the tree short enough (summer pruning) that you could cover it with one of your chicken wire shelters to protect it from birds? Throw something over the top to protect from late frost, too.

Later update:

My Peach is in full bloom, I will take some pictures and send. February was one of the rainiest months we have had, we had almost 4 inches which for us is a lot. Many of the yards here appear to have grass growing but no it is just weeds and some of them are over a foot and a half high. It will make for a very brown and ugly summer when they all dry up but for now it is pretty.

Oops.

So I didn't realize in the freak winter storm we had on February 23rd when we got over 2 inches of rain on Thursday and then Friday morning the 23rd we woke up to snow.

Snow in the low desert! Unusual.

My neighbor took a close up picture of my lovely peach blossoms in the snow.

I thought they had done alright as they looked okay for the next week and paid no more attention to it. When I went to inspect this morning the damage became clear. I am not sure if you can tell from my pictures but most of the blossoms are drying up and falling off. There are a few healthy ones on there but VERY few. I am hoping it will try to push out a few more blooms otherwise my peach harvest this year will be extremely sad.

Gardening is full of risks. In this case, I don't know if the problem was the snow or brown rot blossom blight, which is a big deal for stone fruits around here. Precipitation during bloom makes it worse. Often treated with a copper spray, more dilute than during dormant spraying. At least in Calidornia home gardens.

Some of her other fruit trees fared better. More on those later.

My Arctic Star nectarine bloomed about the same time as Wee Kreek Farm Girl's peach tree. It is an early variety, recommended also for some desert climates. Moderately low chill. One of the Zaiger high-sugar, low-acid nectarines. This variety is earlier, with a lower chill requirement. If you live where frosts are common, you would probably want a higher-chill, later blooming one.

Nectarines are susceptible to more pests that peaches, partly because the fuzz on peaches protects against some insects. The climate range for nectarines tends to be more limited than that for peaches, too. A lot of them are grown here in the hot-summer San Joaquin Valley.

Jack of Spades, a favorite Gardening Thread Garden Kitty, helped me take the photo. It rained quite a bit soon after this photo, which was probably not good for the blossoms.

Our rosemary blooms at the same time as our early nectarine, pluots, apricot and aprium, attracting bees for pollination. It was one of the first things we planted when we moved to the edge of town, because gophers don't eat it. Some of the plants are pretty big now.

A while ago, Gordon sent in a story about Fresno as the capital of Russian beehive thieves. Big heists. The almond blossoms are mostly fallen for this year.

The last time I remember a story about Russian agricultural thieves, it was trucks full of walnuts. Don't know why Russians would be particularly attracted to this line of crime.

Crocuses

Diogenes has sent in another photo of his crocus. Did that first brave one back in February see its shadow?

After a month of snow and freezing temps...the crocus are really getting into the spirit of almost Spring.

Thanks for the beautiful photo, Diogenes. It may give hope to some who are currently facing weather similar to the weather you faced recently. Still wondering if that brave first crocus last month was one of the "snow crocuses". These look like Dutch hybrids to me.

Weeds

There were some great comments about weeks in last week's thread. I am personally in the weeds. I will be working on foxtails and annual nettle this week. How about you? If you have any week expertise, please share it in the comments.

We will be looking for answers.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:37 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Beautiful photos!

Spring is just around the corner... or so I've been told. I'm simply waiting for the snow piles to melt.

Next week I will be attending a plant expo - hoping to see new and exciting things to plant and grow come May. In the meantime, I'll live vicariously through everyone else's garden chatter.

Posted by: Ann at March 16, 2019 12:45 PM (NDO5Q)

2 On the liability of falling tree limbs (& trees), the lawyers invariably tell us at the conferences that they can tell us what the law was when they left the office, but maybe not now.
Most "tree" law is case law, not statutory law, so court cases dictate the latest fad.
Generally, you can prune a tree that comes over your property... but you can't wait 40 years, then decide it's time. You can also be held liable if you hurt the tree by pruning (inviting oak wilt by pruning in spring, e.g.).
BUT- if your neighbor has a hazardous tree, and you document that you warned them (as in registered letter) then your insurance company may go after them... IF the price warrants it.
All pretty vague. Generally, pick it up if it's in your yard, and call it good.

Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 12:47 PM (zo8qG)

3 And I'm SO ready for spring. Love seeing flowers.
Throwing clover today. Too wet to work it in with the disc or harrow. Let next week's rain do it.

Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 12:49 PM (zo8qG)

4 Hi ho, hi off, it's off to Idaho....seriously, heading north for a few days.

Twin Falls..just as the weather here turns decent.

Trees are showing buds/leaves, which is great.

Hoping to convince Mrs. Blake that we can deal with the cooler weather of ID over the commie insanity of CA.

Not much to report, as I won't be putting in flowers for another couple of weeks, as I won't be around to water them. Though, if I get ambitious, I might pick some up and try to get them in my new planters during the week.

See ya'll 'round the blog!

Posted by: Blake - used bridge salesman at March 16, 2019 12:51 PM (WEBkv)

5 Gotta leave. I'll check back later.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at March 16, 2019 12:52 PM (BVQ+1)

6 Yay pretty garden pictures. We had the warmest blizzard ever on Wed. Ideal because it did get cold enough to snow instead of staying rain so the outdoor animals had a nicer go. I swept up the dog's spilled dry food and tossed on the porch to supplement the Russian olives, especially for our robins. Those olives are the mainstay for birds during snowstorms and when snow is on the ground. The birds prefer what they find on the ground when its open but they utilize the olives to get through the snows.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at March 16, 2019 12:53 PM (pAkRe)

7 Re the fallen tree, I have been assured (by my staff arborist) that IF you have filed a formal complaint with your neighbor about a potentially dangerous tree that might reasonably be expected to fall on your property and incur damage or be life-threatening, you are not liable for the clean-up.

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at March 16, 2019 12:55 PM (f3oO4)

8 Uh oh, did I break the blog with my boring blather?

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at March 16, 2019 12:55 PM (pAkRe)

9 We have hyacinths blooming. I regret not taking a photo as proof.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - wrong it hat say bullets interpretation means nothing. at March 16, 2019 12:56 PM (xyung)

10 Whew. Congrats to those who have blooms.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at March 16, 2019 12:57 PM (pAkRe)

11 List for spring
Get seeds started
Fix tractor gas line
Clean leaves up from fall
Turn over garden soil adding compost

Have cleaned up tree that came down a few weeks ago, its cut up and piled for um, disposing.

Posted by: Skip at March 16, 2019 12:57 PM (BbGew)

12 What a great garden thread this week. I love Jack of Spades!

Daffs are already blooming here and branches are budding. We should have Peak Cherry Blossom around April 3-6.

I will stay in my neck of MD to bask in their pink glow instead of going down to D.C., where I hear the Cherry Trail is crammed with folks with their selfie sticks.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 16, 2019 01:03 PM (kQs4Y)

13 Commissar Hrothgar

True, but who's gonna sue for $800? (As an example).
Probably a single limb is less than your deductible, so your insurance co. will decline to get involved.
Small claims, maybe,.
Now, a whole tree on the house, and you warned them? They be in trouble.

Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 01:05 PM (zo8qG)

14 KT, Thanks for the thread and all those GORGEOUS photos. They are simply uplifting.

We've had a few warm days and most nights are above freezing so things are developing. A few trees are blooming, the lilac and saplings in our yard survived the winter (always a matter for doubt) and are showing some green on their buds.

Posted by: JTB at March 16, 2019 01:06 PM (bmdz3)

15 Sure sign of spring: the neighborhood little ones are stomping around in my little garden pond. (Only 6 inches deep because little ones stomping. . . . . )

Posted by: Tonypete at March 16, 2019 01:06 PM (Y4EXg)

16 Oh and take all compost in bin and turn over

Posted by: Skip at March 16, 2019 01:08 PM (BbGew)

17 Out working the tractor since 5am.

Rototiller after that!

Posted by: RBG at March 16, 2019 01:10 PM (zcOyX)

18 1,000s of painted lady butterflies in north hills / L.A., look like peewee size monarchs. used to see more of those.

Posted by: adobe juan mariposa kenobe at March 16, 2019 01:11 PM (W+jH2)

19 I regret not taking a photo as proof.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - wrong it hat say bullets interpretation means nothing. at March 16, 2019 12:56 PM (xyung)

I have my regrets too!

Posted by: RBG at March 16, 2019 01:11 PM (zcOyX)

20 To my amazement, the chives and some herbs are coming up through the cold, cold soil in the Earth Boxes. In fact, we'll be able to clip a few chives for meals next week. (Finely minced chives on fried eggs sounds pretty good right now.)

After all the wet this winter, I thought any surviving plants would be doing the backstroke.

Posted by: JTB at March 16, 2019 01:17 PM (bmdz3)

21 KT,

Thanks for posting my photos.

Posted by: Jake Holenhead at March 16, 2019 01:18 PM (TDyHc)

22 Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 01:05 PM (zo8qG)

True dat. But if you are reasonably afraid of your neighbor's tree potential for serious damage, you might want to put something in writing. Short of serious damage, tree work is usually expensive enough to hurt, but not enough to get a lawyer involved.

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at March 16, 2019 01:19 PM (f3oO4)

23 the onion thing is great....it was featured in a korean drama my daughter and i are watching......you can do it with pineapples too....

Posted by: phoenixgirl at March 16, 2019 01:21 PM (0O7c5)

24 Gardening Sponge

Posted by: FIRST!!!!! at March 16, 2019 01:22 PM (C1NyB)

25 I find chives easily last through a winter being basically a grass, my chives might but we're getting smaller year by year barely coming up last year.

Posted by: Skip at March 16, 2019 01:23 PM (BbGew)

26 Harking back to an ancient garden thread from about a year ago, it looks like my Resurrection Lilies have made it through another winter and their shoots are up almost 6-7 inches.

I still have no idea how they got where they are and never remember planting anything there

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at March 16, 2019 01:23 PM (f3oO4)

27 FWIW, our wonderful Texas governor, Greg Abbott, was paralyzed from the waist down by a falling tree. He sued the homeowner and settled for something in the neighborhood of $10 million. I don't know the specific facts, but I'm guessing that the homeowner must have had prior notice that the tree was dangerous to justify that size of settlement.

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at March 16, 2019 01:25 PM (S+f+m)

28 nice to see all the blooms. a few 2" tall daffodils and a little green in the grass here, that's it. Stark's sent my 2 replacement trees, on schedule I guess, but early. Ground is thawing and wet. Dug a hole and it filled up with water twice ... found some dry soil to plant the trees, so as not to pack the bare roots in mud.

spring ... soooon.

Posted by: illiniwek at March 16, 2019 01:26 PM (Cus5s)

29 Does shoveling snow count as gardening?

Posted by: Ha at March 16, 2019 01:29 PM (zcOyX)

30 Finally got a couple of hours of pillow time this morning I borrowed them from NaCly Dog. How much do I owe you bud? I stepped out on the porch with a cup of coffee 45 degrees snow's melting and I watched a pilated woodpecker banging his beak on a tree for about 10 minutes that is a sure sign of spring on the way round here. My attitudes about a hundred eighty degrees in the right direction from where it was this morning if I get my snow shovel out I might be able to plant some spuds tomorrow on St Patty's Day

Posted by: Sock monkey wanted: organ grinder, willing to train at March 16, 2019 01:39 PM (Srwpw)

31 Info for Rickl, if you are still here......Bux-Mont Transportation Services- 215-659-1313. This company serves your area. Rates are posted on there web site.

Posted by: arieswoman at March 16, 2019 01:39 PM (yDOue)

32 I am both jealous and happy for you Hoarders in the warmer climes who are enjoying that green stuff popping up through the ground spring is such a glorious time

Posted by: Sock monkey wanted: organ grinder, willing to train at March 16, 2019 01:49 PM (Srwpw)

33 Good work as always KT. Thank you.

Posted by: Le Garde Vieux at March 16, 2019 01:50 PM (swldI)

34 Just watching CNN (ik, ik) and even in their visuals on the cheating scandals, the schools like UT are highlighted in their colors while schools like Yale, GT and UCLA are in B/W.

THEY. NEVER. MISS. A. BEAT.

fucking bastards

Posted by: REDACTED at March 16, 2019 01:52 PM (RZ6R1)

35 29 Does shoveling snow count as gardening?
Posted by: Ha at March 16, 2019 01:29 PM (zcOyX)

Do I look like Johnny Appleseed ?

Posted by: REDACTED at March 16, 2019 01:53 PM (RZ6R1)

36 One of the vegetables that is hard to grow is parsnips. I learned from a Steve Solomon book that the seed has to be very fresh. One year, I had some parsnips from the store that started to grow leaves. I planted them and they went to seed that year. When I finally get relocated, I'm going to do it again. Great way to get seed.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 16, 2019 01:56 PM (Lqy/e)

37
I gotta neighbor who doesn't care when his trees become a danger to my property. When they get bad I just cut 'em down and use the firewood myself.

I'm nice about it. I'm not sending certified letters or anything. Just a ''You gotta bad tree that looks like it's going to fall on my driveway soon. I'd rather take it down now when the weathers good then in the middle of winter. You okay with that?''

Of course he is. He's wealthy as hell, too. They're always the cheapest. How they got that way, I suspect.

Posted by: Newest Nic at March 16, 2019 01:58 PM (jYje5)

38 Posted by: REDACTED at March 16, 2019 01:52 PM (RZ6R1)

Almost like the dogma is strong in these news sources!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at March 16, 2019 02:02 PM (f3oO4)

39 25 ... Hi Skip,
Our chives came back last year as well but we planted more to maintain the supply. But given my less than stellar gardening luck and skills I'm always surprised when something like that works.

Posted by: JTB at March 16, 2019 02:06 PM (bmdz3)

40 No that I closed on my house it's time to get the family home fixed up. The back neighbor has a huge tree that is horrible. When Dad replaced the fence, he built it around the tree. My mission this year is to get that guy to cut down the tree. I'm on a 1/3 acre lot and that tree would hit the house. I think the roots are why there is a leak and sink hole in the irrigation pipe in the back yard.

Just need to figure out how to be tactful about it.

Posted by: Infidel at March 16, 2019 02:08 PM (9L2du)

41 Just need to figure out how to be tactful about it.
Posted by: Infidel

Dunno if you're in the position, but start with offering to pay half. Generally works from what I've seen.

Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 02:14 PM (zo8qG)

42 A few months ago I got new hearing aids and it was like having a thick bag taken off my head. One of the delights is being able to hear bird song the last week or so as they sing for mates and gather nesting materials. What a simple pleasure in the morning.

Posted by: JTB at March 16, 2019 02:14 PM (bmdz3)

43 Oh, that case law and trees?
Shared tree is shared liability and asset. You have half the right to do something! Ha.

Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 02:16 PM (zo8qG)

44 Just finished cutting the grass for the first time this year.
Had to put my long johns on because the temperature dropped to 56.

Posted by: freaked at March 16, 2019 02:16 PM (UdKB7)

45 JTB
That must be a true thrill. Hearing is taken for granted. I'll try to remember this spring to not take it for granted.
Thanks!

Posted by: MarkY at March 16, 2019 02:17 PM (zo8qG)

46 Still a good 8" of globule warming in the yard but it' melting. Weeds will be the usual suspects. Knap, knot and bidweed. Cheatgrass and who knows what else? I let my tobaco reseed this year so it'll be interesting to see what happens. Birds abound with eagles everYwhere. The Sandhill Crane festival is next weekend.

Posted by: Winston, dreg of society at March 16, 2019 02:17 PM (ij385)

47 Had to put my long johns on because the temperature dropped to 56.
Posted by: freaked

56 degrees, plus physical labor? That's shorts weather. Long johns are for ice fishing with negative temps.

No lawn mowing until the snow melts, here. So it'll be a while.

Posted by: mikeski at March 16, 2019 02:21 PM (P1f+c)

48 My yard has not really dried out at all since at least October (and I think it was wet even before that)! The only plants surviving appear to be alien species of non-grass! The leaves are still glued to the ground and can't be raked or mowed without destruction of the few remaining blades of grass!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at March 16, 2019 02:22 PM (f3oO4)

49 The tree is on his property, encroaching the utility easement. Dad had a huge Catalpa tree planted out in that corner. Dad enclosed the utility "boxes" way back when there was just sheep pastures back there. According to the easement docs, any utility access has to come from the neighbors yard. Well, a few years back, the upgraded and replaced the utility boxes, a huge spring rain/wind storm blew down the Catalpa tree. Asplhund (sp) paid to cut it up and haul it off.

Maybe I can get him to remove the tree if I agree not to ask for reimbursement for repairing the broken pipes and sink hole.

Posted by: Infidel at March 16, 2019 02:22 PM (9L2du)

50 the flowers in the grape rows look really cool. When I get my life together one day, I'll have to try that.

Grass is easy, and on slopes, probably better at holding the soil, and for walking. But the ambiance is more important to me than the actual fruit, so some ground cover with color would be groovy. Spraying is still required every couple weeks or so, but tiptoeing through the tulips, or mustard, would be easy enough.

thanks for the link KT.

Posted by: illiniwek at March 16, 2019 02:22 PM (Cus5s)

51 I've never been to Anza Borrego or a similar place, so I don't guarantee these identifications. The white flower in the first picture is an Oenothera, perhaps O. deltoides, and the pink one in the third possibly Abronia villosa. The yellow one in the second is a DYC, i.e., "damned yellow composite." There's a guide with pictures here:

https://borregowildflowers.com/index.html

Posted by: Don at March 16, 2019 02:23 PM (2odZQ)

52 'Long johns are for ice fishing with negative temps. '

Those words make no sense to me. Why would you fish for ice?

Posted by: freaked at March 16, 2019 02:26 PM (UdKB7)

53 DYC, lol, the river guides on hikes used tell the tourists when they asked "what kind of flower is that?" They would say LOF's. Little orange flowers.

Posted by: Infidel at March 16, 2019 02:26 PM (9L2du)

54 The tree part that came down a few weeks ago onto neighbours fence was green and seemingly fine, was vey heavy wind gusts that brought it down.
I cleaned it all up and dug away on his side leaf piles he had against it. It only took out 1 section and hoping nothing else comes from it.

Posted by: Skip at March 16, 2019 02:27 PM (BbGew)

55 30 Sock monkey wanted: organ grinder, willing to train

We're good. Glad your attitude is sunnier.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 16, 2019 02:37 PM (u82oZ)

56
The tree thing that annoys me is how Asplundh will trim the trees on the side of the street where the wires are, yet ignore the other side of the street. Near 100 foot tall trees which are leaning over so far that it's inevitable they're gonna topple on the wires.

It's some small satisfaction to me in predicting trees where this will and has happened which is then tempered with the couple days the neighborhood goes without power.

Keeps me out of the 'wall of shame' count, anyway.

Posted by: Newest Nic at March 16, 2019 02:45 PM (jYje5)

57 We've had a bit of a cold snap this weekend in central Texas, but spring is definitely underway. Lots of action on my two hummingbird feeders and the wildflower seeds that we've been sowing for two years along the front edge of our property are finally growing, in particular the bluebonnets.

Got three of the planters weeded and mulched this week and that felt like big progress. I'm planting gulf muhly and grey santolina this year, so we'll see how well both hold up to the deer, the heat, and the dryness.

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at March 16, 2019 02:57 PM (S+f+m)

58 Le Vieux Garde's mystery flowers seem to be daffodils. Am terrible with the divisions/varieties, but it looks like tazettas or jonquils.
Daffs are peaking here, we've been so cloudy and wet, most of their heads are hanging, so it's not much a show this year. Per my years' worth of garden journals, the redbuds should be starting in next week. It never ceases to amaze me that regardless of the weather, things pretty much bloom at the same time, every year. It seems to me like the amount of daylight has more effect on bloom time than the weather and temps.

Posted by: Red-headed 'ette (Tammy) at March 16, 2019 02:58 PM (MjNHF)

59 Windy and 40 degrees is not my kind of yard clean up weather.

Might hit close to 50 tomorrow.

Posted by: Infidel at March 16, 2019 02:59 PM (9L2du)

60 We have a wood pecker that rat a tats on out metal chimney cover every morning and afternoon. He nests in the palm in front and hits ot suet. Love is in the air!

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at March 16, 2019 03:02 PM (9oE3U)

61 My Girlfriend regrows the green onions in a glass of water like that. she leaved them rubber-banded together and suspends them with a chop-stick through the bundle The regrown bits seem to have a more delicate taste.

There is this thing in the stores about "microgreens" which are sprouting beet, lettuce and chia seeds on a damp medium for fresh greens during the winter. I haven't done that one yet.

I have a tendency to plant hairy carrots and wilted sprouting turnips in the compost heap. They don't grow, but the leggy potatoes seem to do just fine.

If nothing else, they make the compost heap look less like a compost heap.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 16, 2019 03:04 PM (mUa7G)

62 Nood pets

Posted by: rickb223 at March 16, 2019 03:04 PM (Mb5QW)

63 I have 8 ft. drifts of globull warming. Had to hire someone to move enough snow so that I could get to the road. It will be a mess around here for awhile.

Posted by: Ronster at March 16, 2019 03:10 PM (KEcGI)

64 Hey Kt, we have lived here 15 years and never had snow so I am hoping the blossom drop from the cold is a one off. Keeping the birds off the peaches is another story. Me and Mr. Wee Kreek are learning to weld, so we might be able to weld a structure around the peach to keep the birds at bay and wrap it in bird netting or chicken wire. Sometimes I feel we may have to build a chicken wire dome around the property...

Posted by: wee kreek farm girl at March 16, 2019 03:20 PM (SSB1L)

65 So much to comment on.

Always wondered about starting garlic like that.

Wouldn't think you would have to do the whole sweet potato. Cut the eyes and roll. Probably not the best variety, regardless.

Celery leaves are the best for stews and soups. Might have to try that.

I have never seen Rosemary bloom. Sweet.

Sorry about the peaches.

Thanks KT and contributors.

Posted by: golfman at March 16, 2019 03:21 PM (OE84+)

66 Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 16, 2019 01:56 PM (Lqy/e)

Steve Solomon is the greatest for gardening books.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 16, 2019 03:26 PM (mUa7G)

67 hiya

Posted by: JT at March 16, 2019 03:53 PM (AQ0Rq)

68 Jake Holenhead at March 16, 2019 01:18 PM
Thanks for sending in the photos. Love the pheasant.

Posted by: KT at March 16, 2019 06:44 PM (BVQ+1)

69 From Idaho's Treasure Valley:
4 Blake, if you look upon CA as a commie insanity, as we did, then please do move to Idaho, to help me and my friends counteract the tendency of some new arrivals to try to make their new home here, exactly like their old home (though they will complain if they succeed). The cold winters don't bother me as much as I thought they would when I moved up here about 5 years ago; though I will be honest and say I have some trouble with the hot summers.

I do have a friend who's trying to grow celery from - what do you call them, celery butts?

Her crocus were all open when I visited today - gorgeous in white purple, and the white striped with purple. The photos above remind me of hers. All I've got is a few blue hyacinths starting to bloom behind the kitchen - no sign of any daffodil buds yet.

I did check my own midget yellow crocus this afternoon - we have flowers!, about 8 or so. They were just planted this past fall. I hope to plant more this fall, too.

Though we've had some light morning frosts, the next week is supposed to have lows all above freezing, and highs in the 60's - time to get out there and turn the soil in the raised beds! I've tried on some beds, but there were still frost clumps, so maybe by the end of next week I'll have better luck.

I did get the final asparagus stalks from last year cut down - no evidence of any new stalks coming up yet. I put those stalks on the burn pile, which my husband burned today while I was out.

Still raking and trashing leaves...

I do have some poblano pepper seeds that sprouted, indoors - and some chives sprouts outside. My 4 overwintering spinach now have one dead, one questionable, and 2 actually growing! I should be able to pluck some leaves by the end of the month.

Posted by: Pat* at March 16, 2019 10:24 PM (2pX/F)

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