State of the Estate

Ok, I admit it, I swiped that title from Andy... It was tool cool sounding not to use!

The tomatoes are really starting to take off. I'm thinking there's no way I plan to pot them up to larger size pots, and they're going to have to just tough it out in their cups. Probably. We'll see. There's about 90 of them potted up in these cups...and while I accept many will find loving homes with friends and coworkers (I, of course, get first pick!)...I don't want to go through the work of REpotting them before they go out in the garden!


South side of the house. Even with all the tulips, daffodils, a few shrubs and some irises or lillies it's looking bare. I put a rose in the other day. Need to get some other stuff in here sometime!


Don't you almost expect to see a windmill turning in the background? And me clogging?


This is where blueberries come from!


The mint known as "Raida" hasn't failed me yet! Looking forward to many tasty dishes with some Raida in them!


This little Japanese maple was a freebie incentive with an online order. I transplanted it today and was surprised to find no visible new root growth...and yet the top appears to be leafing out. I gave it a thorough watering with diluted fish emulsion after transplanting it, and hope that gives it a kick in the pants. Where it used to be now sits the biggest of the three asian pears. I planted two of the three today - they each also got a good drink of fish-juice. Stinky!


At least one of the el cheapo burning bushes from last year survived!


The Serviceberry is pretty...I need to see if I should be pruning it to promote side growth.


Strawberries, raspberries and garlic...mmmm, good combo!


Onions in the background, and the kale that survived winter and strawberries from Vanessa last fall have been interplanted with broccoli (emergency store purchase) and lettuce transplants (grown in the basement from seed). These have all gotten some good shots of fish juice as well.


The first of the lettuce transplants are starting to take off. I'll need to thin these out some. Not much of the parsley planted between the rows did very well, but some of it's growing.


On the right, spinach that came back after winter (and tasted so good on my sandwich at lunch today!). On the left, spinach that I seeded awhile back. In the left foreground is a new variety I'd never heard of before. I think it's something like Crimson? Supposed to have red veins - cool!


I'd say maybe half of the peas I initially planted came up... In my next post you'll see what I did to hopefully help the sugar snap peas and sweet peas I planted this afternoon have a better chance...


Lettuce, coming up from seed, with broccoli planted in between.


Uh oh - here come the radishes. I'm really not a big radish eater, but it seems you just have to have them in the garden. 'Sides, Linda (Brett's mom) loves them, so I enjoy passing a bunch off to her.