I know it's not spring everywhere...
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It is now!
Housemate bit off more than he could chew with his garden. I've already moved all of his potted plants on the left side to under the apple tree that's on the lot past the porch.
This made the entire side of the porch nothing but grass. I don't have to weed between the pots.
Maintenance weed wacks the line of grass leading to the concrete porch clean.
This also gives my neighbor's more room. This happens to be the narrow bit of ground. The width between my carport and the mobile home on the the other side is surprisingly long.
The park was laid out in 1973 but at some point the land area was doubled. The line between the old and new sections is a field with transmission lines.
I live in the newer section and the lots are larger. The original section seems claustrophobic to me.
There are still plants in pots running down the grass off the carport. They are seasonal and I don't know anything about them.
My aloe vera plant is an exception. It's in a blue ceramic pot on a stand. The only other plant that's technically mine is a cactus in small yellow pot.
I've taken all of this over because housemate decided he didn't want to do the work.
My problem is the rock beds in the front. The plastic was disintegrated when the place was bought. I have been pulling weeds every year.
It's repetitive, inefficient, and dumb.
I have a quote from the park maintenance man with a handyman business on the side that seems a little high to me.
I have other projects I want to do first but I don't want another rainy season of being on a weed pulling treadmill.
There's a second handyman in the park I could hire who is doing the same kind of work next door. I might talk to him to see if I can beat the first quote.
I could do it myself as a last ditch effort but I'm not good at this kind of work.
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Over 90 F for 3 days then 88 today, then 86 tomorrow, and finally a 1 day break of 71 the day after. Humidity not high. Unfortunately wind low.
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Gurney's isn't leaving me with great vibes about the place. I figured they'd ship my seeds within 24 to 48 hours. Nope. When I got the order confirmation it said they'd ship some time between 4/18 and 5/02!! I need to plant the seeds asap so I called them and had them remove the seeds from my order. I'll still accept the seed potatoes and strawberries because I don't need to start them right away.
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I didn’t have very good luck with Gurney’s. Potatoes were ok, not great, and quite expensive. I ordered a red gooseberry bush and it arrived broken and dead, one of the worst plant purchases ever. But their customer service people were very responsive and I got a prompt refund for the gooseberry.
I’m going to local garden centers for spuds and got my gooseberries from a small grower in Indiana. Now I can make more plants from cuttings!
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Been out working in the yard for the last few days. Weather is decent, with cool temps ideal for transplanting some things that I needed to move. Am mixing up soil to put in various raised garden beds. And trying to rabbit-proof a few things. There are a lot of the little beggars out there and soon to be more.
My neighbor is getting rid of some large limestone stepping stones and also a really nice chunk of decorative rock that was in his garden. I schlepped the rock over here yesterday and am going back later this week for the steppers.
Am also trying to reduce the number of spring and fall maintenance tasks around the yard. I'm not getting any younger...
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Ammonia fumes work better than soaking. Put grates in something like a Rubbermaid tub or small covered trash can, then pour maybe 1/2 cup of plain ammonia on the bottom. Cover and let it sit some 24 hours.
Wipe off with a paper towel.
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Nothing in our yard is flowering yet, but we really enjoyed the neighbor's cherry trees! Those are done now, but now the red buds are out in force. Maybe I'll share some photos, even though unlike the rest of you, none of this is anything that we had a hand in...
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The French tarragon is coming back beautifully (second year). The oregano will come back if I let it, but it's about 4 years old and taking over too much...think I'll dig it up. The rosemary came back last year, we'll see it if does this year. I'd like to cut the old ugly woody stems back and see it if comes up fresh from the root, but I don't know if it's safe to do that. This is the third year for the sage, which is a large-leaf varietal, and it grows too profusely, like a pest. Will definitely plant 2 or 3 flat-parsley plants. I want to try something more exotic like summer savory or more obscure herbs.
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The French tarragon is coming back beautifully (second year). The oregano will come back if I let it, but it's about 4 years old and taking over too much...think I'll dig it up. The rosemary came back last year, we'll see it if does this year. I'd like to cut the old ugly woody stems back and see it if comes up fresh from the root, but I don't know if it's safe to do that. This is the third year for the sage, which is a large-leaf varietal, and it grows too profusely, like a pest. Will definitely plant 2 or 3 flat-parsley plants. I want to try something more exotic like summer savory or more obscure herbs.
@RealPlayer I'm going to try sorrel this year. It's a bit unusual and I don't see it in grocery stores. Sorrel soup is very tasty!
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The French tarragon is coming back beautifully (second year). The oregano will come back if I let it, but it's about 4 years old and taking over too much...think I'll dig it up. The rosemary came back last year, we'll see it if does this year. I'd like to cut the old ugly woody stems back and see it if comes up fresh from the root, but I don't know if it's safe to do that. This is the third year for the sage, which is a large-leaf varietal, and it grows too profusely, like a pest. Will definitely plant 2 or 3 flat-parsley plants. I want to try something more exotic like summer savory or more obscure herbs.
Your climate must be more benign than mine. The only two herbs that survived the winter are garlic chives and teragon. No sage, no rosemary.
I’ll plant again but it’s discouraging.
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Your climate must be more benign than mine. The only two herbs that survived the winter are garlic chives and teragon. No sage, no rosemary.
I’ll plant again but it’s discouraging.
@Steve-Miller In our areas rosemary is treated like an annual. Technically it's a tender perennial but unless the winter is very mild, chances are the cold will get it. I've tried bringing in a potted plant but it never does well inside for me.
You should be able to grow other perennial herbs like sage, oregano, and thyme outside in addition to the tarragon.
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Your climate must be more benign than mine. The only two herbs that survived the winter are garlic chives and teragon. No sage, no rosemary.
I’ll plant again but it’s discouraging.
@Steve-Miller Yes, the coastal area around NY City, including coastal New Jersey and Long Island, is in a warmer climatic zone. I don’t think we’ll ever have rosemary hedges like they have in California, but I’ve seen a small bush in a neighbor’s yard.
Where my rosemary is planted, it’s protected from wind on two sides by the garage and house, so that may help.
People grow fig trees here too. One place has a front yard of cacti!
and that is exactly what's happening here as white blackthorn hedgerows flower with yellow daffodils underneath.
