Expect the Unexpected

This month was very busy in the garden. The weather swung wildly between warm and freezing, with surprise snows, wind, and rain. The bulbs continue to grow but have not flowered yet, and the Hellebore has five gorgeous buds preparing to open. The blooming Snowdrop is my first marker that Spring is near.

March 2nd 

Three of the English lavender are sprouting. I am soaking two more Butterfly Pea seeds to plant in the cells where nothing is growing. 

Four Zulu Prince Daisies are also sprouting. 


March 3rd

 Planted two more Butterfly Pea seeds in the empty cells.


March 5th

It was a big planting day today. I replanted one Lavender (Tall English) that never grew. There are mint, Cilantro and Dill sprouts. 

Today I planted:

Vegetables

  • 6x Leek  – American Flag
  • 6x Onion – Flat of Italy
  • 6x Onion – Ringmaster
  • 6x Onion – Yellow Sweet Spanish Utah
  • 2x Pepper – Aleppo (Organic)
  • 2x Pepper -Pueblo
  • 2x Pepper – Datil
  • 2x Pepper – Sweet California Wonder
  • 2x Pepper -Early Jalapeno (planning on planting 2 more two weeks from now) 
  • 2x Endive – Olesh Tres Fine – see above – will successively plant 

I did not plant any Alma Paprika

Flowers

  • 6x Pansy – Got the Blues
  • 6x Pansy – Swiss Giants Blend
  • 6x Snapdragon – Cherry Twist
  • 6x Snapdragon – Oriental Lantern
  • 6x Sweet William – Black Adder
  • 6x Viola – Antique Laeta
  • 6x Viola – Cool Summer Breeze
  • 6x Viola – Corsican Violet
  • 6x Viola – Johnny-Jump-Up
  • 6x Viola – King Henry
  • 6x Viola – Laeta Fire
  • 6x Viola – Tiger Laeta

Stratified Bells of Ireland and Marshmallow seeds by throwing the packets in the fridge.  


March 10th 

I purchased a large metal trellis for peas and beans (our wooden one has warped so much over the years and the mesh is gone) and 5 additional 15-gallon grow bags, after some of the ones outside were shredded by squirrels for bedding material. 

At a local botanical garden last year, I saw these gorgeous plants with red and green nesting, papery bells. In one of the ubiquitous flower catalogs I receive this time of year, I came across the very plants I saw. 

One day this week I set my phone timer to go off every hour. I drew a scaled picture of the beds on grid paper and put a piece of tracing paper on top to mark the movement of the sun and then the shade over the beds during the course of the day. Then I calculated the hours of sun on the beds. 


March 12th 

I purchased enough compost to cover the beds with 3” – both to amend the soil and to use as a mulch. I used this handy calculator to figure out the number of cubic feet I needed to buy: https://helpmecompost.com/compost/basics/compost-calculator/ 


March 17th 

I soaked the Lupine seeds.

March 18th

I stratified the Orlaya – White Lace seeds by placing them in a wet paper towel inside a tupperware in the fridge.

I planted the following flowers:

  • 6x Ageratum 
  • 6x Bunny Tails
  • 6x Celosia – Chief Red Flame
  • 6x Celosia – Flamingo
  • 6x Celosia – Wool Flower
  • 6x Lupine – Russel Blend
  • 6x Milkweed – Common/Showy (undifferentiated collected seeds)
  • 6x Salpiglossis – Grandiflora Mix
  • 6x Scabiosa
  • 6x Tweedia – Heavenly Blue
  • 6x Bells of Ireland

Herbs:

  • 2x Chives – Common
  • 2x Lemon Balm – Limoncello
  • 2x Marjoram
  • 2x Oregano – Common
  • 2x Parsley – Flat Leaf
  • 2x Thyme – English
  • 2x Mexican Tarragon

I succession planted:

  • 2x Jalapenos
  • 2x Endive

I directly sowed 3x Tatsoi and 3x Winter Choy (Chinese Yellow Heart) under greenhouse plastic and cloches crafted from empty gallon jugs. 

March 19th

I prepped one of the front yard beds with compost and planted

  • Columbine – McKana’s Giant
  • Coreopsis – Double Sunburst

I thinned the dill, coleus and other seedlings planted last month, planted some more cat grass and two Paprika pepper seeds.