Spring Plant & Yardwork Day

On Sunday, Kate and I finally rolled up our sleeves and got some work done in our small yard and gardens.  She was determined to try tomatoes again so we got some cages to attempt to save them from the squirrels.  And we're just waiting for better eyes to form on the potatoes until we try planting them.  Some plants for pots and various other yardwork rounded out the day.

First, the gardens, clockwise from top left:  Parsley plants on either end with rows of green onion, lettuce and radish seeds in between.  To the right is two cherry tomato plants in some inexpensive cages from Amazin'.  They have tops, a zipper door on one side, and are staked and have a couple pieces of wood on the flaps on either side for more support.  Still, I may be looking to weigh them down better come windy weather.  Below that are the raspberries, now with the fencing removed.  To the left of that are a jalapeno and bell pepper plants with the space between intended for potatoes.  We tossed in a fresh bag of mulch in between and that was it for the gardens that day.

This is going to get long, so I'll put the rest after the break.  See you there!

Next, in the stump area I began by removing the old small cages around the 3 new bushes.  I trimmed some of the dead stuff off the middle one, because amazingly it does seem to be coming back.  I then created 3 more appropriate sized cages to put around them.  (Damn rabbits.)  Next, we put a bag of soil on the rotting tree stump and added the seed and cover crop and dirt mixture.  Last year's wildflower seeds were simple, open the pouch and spread.  This time it was a process that started about 6 weeks ago.

These happy little guys popped up a few days before in what would be just out of shot in the lower right of the above picture.

Sticking to the back, the lilac is nearing full bloom.  Might be happening now as all pics are from Sunday but for the mushrooms and later the sunflowers.  Now I have to remember to go check after I get done with this...

The tiger lilies have filled out the porch flowerbed nicely.  Along the back the alium are getting ready to bloom their purple puff balls.  And a random tulip here and there.  They've been hard to remove to move and it's been several years since we tried.

And now in front we have a similar plant in the pot as we've had the last couple years.  Not the exact same, but in the same family for sure.  A new hanging flower for by the front door, a nice burst of color.  My wife also wanted some plants for pots on the front steps, and I like the added color but I worry about critters.  Kate cleaned up the lower right corner yesterday, removing the litter and replacing it with a red mulch we had.  She tried to dig up the bulb but it was just way too deep, she found.  Anyway, it looks much better now.

There's probably a picture here last year of the middle border timber along the garage at a bad angle last year.  I pulled that timber back and dug out a whole lot of lily of the valley.  Now it sits flat, and it's good to knock them back now and again.  On the outer edge of those timbers I pounded in a plastic edging to keep them from escaping, but a few have made it into the lawn.

And I found a whole lot more unused chicken wire in the garage than I thought I had.  And I had just bought a 25 foot roll last weekend.  I think some of our older fencing and cages may get tossed soon, out with the old and in with the new.

Finally, I just took this picture of the sunflowers sprouting.  I noted 13 so far.  Now, how tall before I plant them outside?  The length of the tube they're growing in?  When 2 leaves become more?  Hm, more research needed but I'll take any suggestions.