Corn and Saskatoons

The corn I planted a few weeks back has finally started to germinate. This is very exciting. The stuff that is up is an heirloom variety with jewel-coloured kernels. I also planted some peaches and cream corn last week, which is still thinking about coming up.

The asparagus bed is not really yielding much asparagus but there is a huge bloom of something. I though arugula but it doesn't look right. Facebook gardeners suggests poppies. That was one of my guesses, although I can't imagine how they ended up there and so thickly. I did dump a bag of commercial manure in the bed. Maybe it came in with that?

Out front, the yellow-flowering ground cover is spreading nicely. I finally called it and chopped down the crab apple tree that has been doing poorly for a long time.

The saskatoons are setting berries and looking pretty good this year. The potatoes are also up out front.

I'm hopeful to get a first cropping of spinach off this week and then maybe I'll seed in some more lettuce and cilantro. The melons and squash seem to be doing alright in the heat. I'll be happier when the tomatoes start to look a bit bushier. Some are doing great. Some are not.
 

Tulips and cherries

We had a nasty weekend of smoke from the forest fires (air quality was an 11+ on a scale of 1-10) so I didn't get out much. As things improved, I finished seeding and putting in the last of the flowers. I also cut out the dead raspberry canes and passed on some suckers to the neighbour.

One of the bright spots has been the tulips we planted last year, which have been really doing well and adding some interested as the perennials are still filling in.

The cherry tree we planted in the back flowers like crazy the spring, which is good sigh. There are a small number of baby cherries tucked in among the flower clusters. I'm hopeful we'll get a taste of what these will be like in future years come summer.

The rest of this week has been given over to fighting with some ants and weeding the vegetable beds. t looks like the crab apple tree in the front yard has finally given up so I may also go and cut that down and clean up around it. I've been looking for a spot for a a plum tree. Perhaps this is it?

Asparagus, apples and corn

Most of this past week has been filled with weeding, watering, and planting out a few more things. The biggest surprise was the appearance of some asparagus, which I had written off for dead. So far, only one of the four or five crowns has shot up but I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The tulips we put in last fall out front have come up and are blooming. This is a very nice shot of colour while the rest of the flower border starts to come in.

The hot weather has put all of the flowering plants into bloom a bit early. The apple trees are showing blossoms and I'm hopeful there are bees around to help them set fruit

Out front, I decided to plant the corn in the north bed. It is a bit early but the soil is warm. I ut in some ornamental gem-coloured corn in two the beds. I'll need to get some new seed for eating corn in the third.

Most of the plants we started inside have survived the transplant. I just need to find a few cantaloupe starts somewhere and some flowers.

Early planting

We've had a very warm start to May (two days over 30 degrees in the first week) and there is no real risk of frost in the forecast. The garden has reacted to the heat by jumping up. The garlic was just barely up last week and is now four or more inches high. The onions and spinach have also emerged.

Jess headed off to Banff on Saturday so we decided to plant out the tomatoes before she left. They were just on the cusp of being leggy. We put in 30 plants keeping a few back (more for lack of space)

I need to get a few more tomatoes cages before the rest (and the peppers) go into the ground. I filed in behind most of the tomatoes with scarlet runner beans that can climb the trellis.

Spring has been so sudden that the bulbs are just starting to flower. Looking forward to seeing the tulips we planted out front.

I went out tonight and put in some peanuts, cilantro, lettuce, and beet seeds. I' going to wait a few ore days before putting out the melons and squash. We also bought a few flowers at a garden shop.

The cherry tree is full of buds ready to make flowers It is probably a bit early to expect a crop, but I wouldn't say no. The peas are also up.

I think this week I''ll start the corn germinating. Should be ready to plant out in late May. I also need to start working my way through the freezer to clean out what is left from last summer.

Rhubarb and tomatoes

It was a busy week in the garden but I don't have much to show for it, picture-wise. The big news was that the rhubarb returned after dying back very early during the extended heat wave and drought we had last summer. 

We continued working with transplants, moving some melons, squash and cucumbers from the heated tray to an interim home as they germinated. I expect to move the rest this weekend and then get the corn in to germinate. I also thinned the tomatoes and tied them to their stakes as they have gotten a bit leggy.

Out in the yard, I weeded a lot (while the soil is moist and loose) and put in the carrot seeds. I also added a few errant strawberry plants to the strawberry tower. As I was walking out this morning, I noticed the first of the garlic has just come up.