Last summer's tomatoes

were a bust in my garden. I didn't have a single good tomato among my 5 plants. It is the first time anything like that ever happened in my garden and I was initially perplexed. From the outside, the tomatoes looked perfect. But when I cut them open, they were white inside, and tasteless. Fortunately, the tomatoes were OK cooked, so I could use them to can spaghetti sauce.

My understanding is that the cause of this problem was a potassium deficiency. Apparently extremely high temperatures during ripening makes some tomato varieties susceptible. I'm not the only person in the area who had this happen last summer. The curious thing was that people who planted some of my tomato seedlings in their gardens had tomatoes that were just fine. What that tells me is that my soil is probably deficient in potassium.

This year seems like a good year to get a soil test at the U. I'd like to make sure that never happens to me again. I'm going to try some new tomato varieties this year as well and maybe that will also guard against an entire crop going bad. My order includes: Container Choice Hybrid from Parks, and some heirloom varieties, Stupice, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Black Krim, Mortgage Lifter, Kelloggs Breakfast, and Opalka. Maybe I'll find a few winners among them. I chose some of them just for the colors - I've been seeing beautiful tomato salads in cookbooks, but you need some color variation in order for them to really look spectacular.

I'm also looking ahead to the Como garage sale this spring. I love to plant seeds, and this year, I plan to include a lot of the excess plants in my sale. I have a suspicion that heirloom varieties might be popular in this area and they aren't always easy to find in garden centers. I guess we will see.

January Blahs

We are not quite to the middle of January and I'm already so sick of winter I could scream. I hate the following:

-having to wear long underwear just to sit at my desk at work
-walking the dog in the cold
-walking the dog in the dark
-knowing that I will have to go out and shovel almost every night after work
-having to be extra careful where I step so I don't fall and sprain or break something
-painful frozen fingers
-gloomy weather most of the time
-having to spend any daylight hours inside at work, except on weekends

I guess there is nothing I really do like about winter. The only two things that make winter tolerable for me are looking forward to vacations to someplace warm (I've just returned to Minnesota after a visit to San Diego,) and planning what seeds I'll be starting indoors. Since my vacation is over, I will have to rely on seed starting to cheer me up. So far, here is my shopping list, all from Park's, at this point:

Pepper, Mohawk
Snapdragon, 'Chantilly Deep Orange'
Zinnia, Zahara Double Fire
Zinnia, Dreamland Yellow Hybrid
Cosmos Cosmic Collection
Zinnia 'Sunburst Mix'
Salvia Blue Queen
Petunia Aladdin Nautical Hybrid Mix
Tomato Container Choice Hybrid

I plan to continue with the blue and orange color scheme in my garden. I really like it, and so do the birds and butterflies.

I'm trying to hold off on sending off my seed order for the time being. Every year, as soon as I hit the "checkout" button, I realize that I intended to get one other item which can only be had through mail order.

For instance, as I look at my current list, it lacks cucumbers for the pickles I plan to can, zucchini, and tomatoes that aren't intended for growing in containers. I'm sure there are more things I've had on my mind and I hope to remember them before I place the order.

The golden time of year

This past 5 days or so, I've had a hard time concentrating on anything but the garden. I have been so busy with work and other commitments, but my mind always goes back to the garden. Specifically I'm concentrating on what will go in containers, getting the first mowing accomplished, and on dandelions!

The best parts about gardening in this time of the year are that the days are getting longer - I'm able to stay outside until after 8PM - and there are no mosquitoes or gnats out yet. An added bonus is that the weather is perfect for working outside, it's warm enough to be out with just a sweatshirt, and regardless of the work, it is hard to work up a sweat. In fact, the only downside is the dandelions.

Right now, they are blooming like crazy, and for some reason last Friday, I decided to start picking the flowers off to prevent them from going to seed. I have a couple of sections in my garden that seem to be magnets for the seed and I'm constantly digging them out. It is now Tuesday night, and I have removed 1,000's of flowers, and at least several hundred plants. Will they come back from whatever little piece of root is still left, or have I taken care of some of them for good? Who knows; time will tell.

The hardest working man in the garden

Last week I visited the garden of my friend, Roger. I don't know any gardener who spends more time in their yard than he does. Any time I've visited his garden over the past 15 years or so, I've rarely seen a weed. This, in a garden that is about 4 times as large as mine. I don't know how he does it, but the work he puts into the yard is evident. In the suburbs, he has to deal with deer, which are more destructive than rabbits. Right now, he has a gorgeous tulip display on his hill. I'm sure I'll have more to say about his garden as the season progresses, but for now, take a look.

The life of a rabbit

As much as I hate the damage that rabbits do in my yard, it was sad, (and a bit fascinating) to see a baby bunnie hunted down by a sparrow hawk just feet away from my back porch last night. Granted, there is no shortage of rabbits in this neighborhood, and the hawk has to eat.

In fact, I've often wished for a fox that would move into the neighborhood for the same purpose, to curb the rabbit population. A hawk probably won't have a big impact on the numbers, but if it hangs out in my yard, it just might scare a few of the rabbits away.

I planted some Hyacinth beans tonight - they are supposed to attract hummingbirds. I also tossed some lettuce and radish seeds around the garden, figuring that will be up and ready to be eaten before I plant the rest of the annuals later in the month. Last night I over-planted grass seed to fill out the bare spots in the lawn. At this point, it seems likely that we will escape further frost this spring. Rain is expected every day this week. This is great for the seeds I've just planted.

No sign of the thyme...

I was lucky enough to have a day off today and it has been gorgeous. I have been bouncing around different parts of the garden, seeing a plant coming up here, mourning another eaten by the bunnies, and just enjoying the day outside. It does seem like the thyme, which I thought was a perennial, is dead. Same goes for the oregano, but the area still smells wonderful.

Cannas will be appearing in the garden for the first time, at the suggestion of a gardening friend who told me about Horn Canna Farm. A couple of the most interesting varieties I'm trying are 'Pretoria' with a striped green/chartreuse yellow leaf, and 'Wyoming' with a burgundy foliage. Those just went in the ground today and after my break, I'm headed out to plant some Gladiolus and Liatris. We are expecting some rain later in the week, so it's always good to take advantage of the free water.

It feels like I have already pulled out a couple of bushels of dandelions and creeping charlie - I don't think that battle will ever end.

Basking in the sun

Today was a wonderful day to be out in the yard - sunny and warm, but not too hot. I finally turned off the lights and moved all of the plants outside and to the back porch. There's no guarantee, but it is unlikely that it will freeze again this spring. For the next week or so, I haven't seen any forecasts lower than the forties.

The annuals are looking great, so if they make it through the hardening off process, there will be a ton of plants to share with family and friends. I'm starting to think about what goes into the containers this year, but I don't have any great combinations in mind for sure yet.

The daffodils and tulips are starting to bloom, so things are looking good. It won't be long before I need to get the mower out! The rain barrel that filled up last week seems to be working great so far.