Today, changed the rabbit boxes and made more rabbit manure tea. I have not been reporting rabbit chores as part of the garden, but I should since they are part of all this. They have been getting their nails trimmed. I have about half of them done, some shedding bad and they got brushed and they have been getting to play in the pen, but I need to build another one. I watered all the peppers, basil, eggplant, tomatoes, flowers and brought the peppers and eggplant back in. I decided to leave the basil outside under the plastic. I have a few out there and they are okay. DS and I made a straight row for the onions. It is ready to plant in tomorrow and from there I can make the next row straight. I filled in the crooked part and planted about 35 more onions and was thinking they looked kind of small and not as many roots. I just realized that I had planted some other onions and not all Ailsa Craig, so I got them all mixed up again, but I will be able to tell what they are when they are ready to eat. Helped DS move things out of the way and pick up the yard so he could mow.
Today DD6 and I worked in the front bed, planting some new hostas, astilbe, heucheras and ornamental grass I had ordered from Jung's. And also some maroon colored annual vincas that she talked her daddy into buying for her on their last trip to Wally World. The front landscaping is really coming together nicely. When it grows up a bit more here in a couple of weeks I'll post a pic.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to get a chance (no wind) to spray the perimeter of the big garden with Round-up where the evil quack-grass is moving in. I need to kill it before DH tills so it won't spread anymore.
Thanks for the advice @Ridgerunner and @baymule! I'll have to remember to get some purple cauliflower seeds the next time I place an order from Baker Creek. Purple cauliflower would probably sell great at market too.
This morning, I sowed a large bed of small sunflowers today and planted probably enough okra plants to feed a starving village (it wouldn't take that many okra plants). This is over at the empty end, opposite of the peas. I hilled up the sides of the sunflower bed to try to direct more water in there (I can see it getting pretty dry this year), the okra I'm not worried about. Over the weekend I'll be setting out all of my transplants and direct sowing some beans and scallop squash (found some seeds at a small shop in the area).
I take a day off and DH, who is now interested in my gardening, thinks of projects. He says, we should put mint inbetween the DISH satellite and the lamp-post. So, Wednesday, day off, I dug out the weeds, put in a new rose bush, and dug out some chocolate mint. There were two maple saplings that were growing in amongst the mint, anyway. I just shoved them in clumps in the ground around the rose. Next day they were bright and chipper. Just like with my Magnolia tree, I surrounded the patch with bricks.
Well this wasn't strictly today that I did all of this, some of it includes the past couple of days. I got a large area of bush beans and a large area of cowpeas planted. About five different varieties of cowpea (I'm going to let them cross and get a landrace started) and I lost track of how many different varieties of bush beans I planted. I know for sure that I need to work on planting in straight lines (bush bean rows were tilting and getting closer together at the right end). I transplanted a few eggplants out (Rosita). So far I have nearly half of the garden planted and nearly half of it mulched down with straw. The peas and tomatoes are doing great so far, bad part is that I have flea beetles on them already (the peas take it a lot better). I sprayed them down with I-forget-what, so hopefully that will take care of the problem. The bumblebees are all over the place, so looking forward to some interesting crosses by next season.
I started a lot of Litchi tomatoes (not actual tomatoes), planning on planting them in the unfenced strip of ground. I don't think that these plants will need protection from animals, they're very spiny. That and the plants get huge, larger than big tomato plants, the'll need to be staked. Here's a wikipedia article, I'm guessing that many of you have never heard of a Litchi tomato.
Planted some glads in the flower corner, yesterday.
The cabbages and broccoli went out after 2 neighbors admitted to not having seen a rabbit this year. Yay! (I think that the coyote got them .)
Before those plants went in, I had to till because the tractor guy had left so many weeds on the surface in the new garden extension. Fairly speedy since he did get fairly deep. Layout this year will depend less on what transplants come to hand, when .
I can't think of anything else I can set out. It's 39°f this morning despite being a very pleasant 68° yesterday afternoon. A day of wind & rain, clearing at sundown - still, freeze . . ? I guess killing weeds with the tiller is about the best thing for me.