The plan for today was to seed those all my tomatoes and my one eggplant. In addition I needed to get the bok choy and the Fun Jen into the garden as they were all hardened off. For the rest of the day I could just rest. My body aches. This morning my husband asked me if something was wrong. He claimed I was walking funny. I just don't heal up like when I was younger. I'm getting old (now quit laughing Granny).
Well anyway that all happened. I got my tomatoes in. I have Amish Paste (from Emily), Cherokee Purple (from Dan a year ago), Black Cherry (as I didn't like the chocolate cherry last year even though I did the year before), Heinz 2653, Market Miracle, Sungold, Sungold F4 (to be named GabrielleAnna as I'm only growing one), and last but not least Purple Calabash. The last one was all listed as Pruden's Purple on my planting sheets. I haven't a clue why. Emily sent me Purple Calabash not Pruden's Purple. And we can't forget Galine Eggplant. It is a varitey I'd never heard of before. Fedco described it as good tasting as Rosa Bianca but a lot less fussy and one that produces well in our short season. It isn't as pretty as Rosa though since it is an all black eggplant.
Then it was lunchtime. I figured it was time to go out and pick my first spinach. I went out basket in hand the first time this spring. And stopped short on my doorstep. I had a package. My blueberries from the St. Lawrence Nurseries had arrived. These are all bareroot dormant plants that should be planted right away.
Scott (my townhouse mate) was leaving with his wife to go somewhere and I asked if he was free to help plant this weekend. He said he was free Sunday. So we made plans for Sunday morning. I went in to open up the package and get the roots a bit of a soaking before putting them in the basement.
I just couldn't do it. I soaked the roots really nicely. But some of the buds were starting to open on a couple of the plants. They were crying to me to be put in the ground. So I just had to. Now I know this is the second time in a week I've told you that my plants were talking to me. I'm not crazy, I'm just a gardener.
I went out again, shovel in hand and planted all 15 of them. There are six Northblues, six Northskies, one Northcountry, one Friendship and one Patriot. The first three kinds are hybrid lowbush/highbush blueberries. So they grow between a foot and two feet tall. Northcountry can get a bit bigger. They will surround the currently nonexistant dwarf peach trees.
Doesn't it make my front yard so pretty. OK yes you can't even see them. All you can see is where I watered, but they will grow. It is a step up from the bamboo stick garden I had marking the spots where the blueberries would be planted.
I really did have the best of intentions to rest today. I won't get to tomorrow either as I'll be out walking with some friends. I guess I'll have plenty of time to rest when I'm dead, but now it is gardening season.
I agree- we will get plenty of rest when we die! That is a lot of blueberries! I purchased 2 new ones this year- and we planted 2 last year. I still don't know if they survived well or not. I'm hoping to get some honeyberry- they are extremely hardy! I planted out some lettuce today. They are under a tunnel (not double) and my plan is to cover 6 of them with upturned pots and leave the other six- we'll see what happens!
ReplyDeleteDid your lettuce make it?
Thank goodness you didn't get high bush. That would be A TON, but not for another decade. I have 4 highbush and eventually they'll feed my family for about 9 months a year, but not until my preschooler is in college. hehe.
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing amount of tomatoes. No pics? Are they seedlings, potted up? Seeds? Mine are transplantable. ROFL
That's a lot of blueberries for you guys! Guess, you really really love blueberries!lol!
ReplyDeleteGood job on the gardening front! I haven't started anything in the outdoors yet! Still cloudy and a bit cold.
Oh, how I know the feeling. Hey, I'm not going to rest until I'm dead, either! I got a full day's work done outside today too, lovely weather. I need about a week of it to really catch up.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the blueberries! I've gone blueberry crazy and planted way too many! In fact, I had to give a few away (Sinfonian can attest to this).
ReplyDeleteI think your garden layout is beautiful and am very impressed with what you have done with your space.
Wow! You're garden is so full and so organized and beautiful. Your harvest will be amazing! We don't know how you do it. But we do know we're glad to hear that berries are on your and other people's mind. We have 20 raspberry canes and 3 blueberry bushes on order.
ReplyDeleteGood one, Daphne....there's no time for dying right now - too much gardening has to be done...
ReplyDeleteI never heard about Galine eggplants before in any of our local seeds catalog. Curious how it looks like. So looking forward to see them growing in your garden.
ReplyDeleteIt's supposed to rain today and tomorrow, maybe you can rest now? LOL! I would have planted the blueberries right away as well. The weather is perfect and they need to get themselves established as soon as they can. Along with fruit production, Blueberries make really nice shrubs. Ours turn a bright fiery red in the fall.
ReplyDeleteYour new garden plots are looking so good. I like where you planted your berry bushes and have no doubt they will thrive there, can't wait to see them in a year or so all leafed out and surrounding the peach trees.
ReplyDeleteI keep trying to imagine where I might plant blueberries. Of course, our yard is already chock full of the native New England wild blueberries but they are small (yet very tasty) and the birds get most of them before they ever turn dark blue and sweet. Hybrid blueberries would be a natural for us but for finding the space. I haven't yet given up on the idea yet.
ReplyDeleteThere is no rest during the garden season because things just have to be done when they need to be done! I would have not been able to wait to plant those plants either. That portion of your landscaping is going to be both beautiful and productive when the blueberry bushes fill out and start producing.
ReplyDeleteTessa, oh yes my lettuce is doing fine. All except some of the red sails. It has massive sunburn. I hardened them off just fine, but the plants were so smashed together that a lot of the leaves couldn't see the sun when they were outside. Just the tips could.
ReplyDeleteSinfonian, the tomatoes got seeded up on Saturday but nothing is up yet. I've got a couple of days before that happens.
RandomGardener, yes, but they are short and won't produce as well as the larger ones.
Annie's Granny, today I got a day off gardening, but I had a 3 mile walk with a friend so it really wasn't relaxing. It was fun though. It was a walk for affordable housing and we had a band and clown on stilts walking alongside.
Sandy, I can't imagine having too many blueberries. I'd just freeze them and eat them on my cereal all winter long.
Jody, Wow I think I have six? maybe raspberry canes coming. Some day I'm sure they will show up too.
EG, I'll say. I wish I could do it all on my schedule, but a garden always works on its own schedule.
Malay, I hadn't heard of them before either, but Fedco is good for my cold zone. They sell seed that does well up here.
GrafixMuse, we didn't get any rain, it was pretty sunny most of the day. I hope it rains on Tues-Wed as they predict right now. We need more rain.
Mr H, I can't wait either, but they will take a while to fill in. Right now they are so tiny and the tree will be small too.
mediaOrganic, I might have to throw over netting when they ripen. But I don't have to worry for a couple of years.
Laura, I hope they fill out soon. I'm guessing it will be a few years though before the landscape starts to really fill in.
I LOVE Blueberries! Daphne, you are such an inspiration for an aspiring gardener as myself :D
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading your posts and felt compelled to comment today! Hope you feel better soon.
Anywho, have you heard about Yes to Carrots Seed Fund? Stumbled across it while I was at Whole Foods and thought of you! I guess they teamed up and they're giving away grants to help schools build gardens! Love it!
Envy envy~~
ReplyDeleteI've tried to plant blueberries twice, but they all die on me, I think our area is too hot for them. Right now I have one small plant in container just to test out for location, if it survives the heat and regrow next year then I know where to plant the berries.
This is so something I would do.
ReplyDeleteMac- not too hot! I have them in my garden!
Ooh I got blueberries this year too! I planted them a few weeks ago! Only 3 though, we'll see if they can keep up with my kiddos! They eat them by the box full! Mine practically look like sticks too! I can't wait for them to produce!
ReplyDelete