Memorial Day Weekend 5/28/23

I’ll start right out with this monster racoon that I’m apparently hosting at the Not So Seekrit Lair these days. I am calling it Racoonzilla.

In other news, in keeping with my motto of doing a little a lot instead of a lot at once, I did a few things in the yarden today. I weeded the three raised beds I’m using this year and seriously, if you stay on top of it, it goes very, very quickly. The southeast bed is now a permanent strawberry and asparagus bed. I planted ten new crowns on 5/4/23, so says my garden journal, and they’re sending up fronds like crazy! I won’t harvest from the new plants next year, but the year after I should have a ton of asparagus, which is a happy problem to have. I’ve been steadily picking the flowers off the strawberries and they’re dutifully sending out runners, and I think if I stay on top of the weeds this is going to be a very good pairing.

In the southwest bed, I’m down to one Sugar Baby plant, despite netting them. C’est la vie. The celery is untouched, and so is the tomato, so that’s not all bad. I started peas on 5/11/23, my Mardi Gras mix of purple, gold, and green pods, and they’re shooting up. I planted a second batch today! The northeast bed it empty this year, and the northwest bed has peas, two very happy cucumber plants, and one canteloupe plant, down from two plants.

I’m trying to use up seeds, so I planted bush 8 Ball zuchinni in the top of my blue barrel planter, and interdeterminate Italian zuchinni in the side holes. We will see how that works out. The seeds are old and moldy bc they got wet, so nothing lost if they don’t work out. Better to try than to toss them, and the blue barrel is independent of the raised beds so there’s no contamination if it turns out the mold is a bad thing.

The Great Lettuce Transplanting project was an abject fail, so I started new seed in my raised planter. Left to right, I have a row each of Black Seeded Simpson, Dynamite, Little Gem, radishes, and Grand Rapids lettuce. That last one is an heirloom variety from the Mendon Public Library’s seed exchange, so I’m interested to try it!

I started seeds for San Marzano and Midnight Snack tomatoes on 4/11 and I think that was much too early. They have their first two leaves, but they never made their true leaves. I am starting fresh seed tomorrow in hopes I can still get them in for this year. I’m pretty excited about Midnight Snack, my friend who sent me her seeds says they are beyond prolific and delicious.

At Mardi Gras this year, one of the groups I hang out with had a farm-themed gathering. Of course, everyone gave out seeds. I have many, many packets of flower seeds and will be sorting out the shade lovers and casting them into the front yard. It will be interesting to see what I get next year from that potluck.

I planted three new perennials in the front perennial bed today. Orange and yellow coneflowers, purple speedwell, and orange and yellow tickseed. I’m trying to find plants that will create a nice mix of colors! I also laid down the soaker hose today, with weather in the 90s forecast this week the heat will loosen the kinks in the hose.

I’ll close with a video of this week’s interaction with my jerk deer. This was shot with no zoom at all, so you see how little they’re concerned about me.