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Plans For The Long Weekend (Updated)

Posted on May 22, 2009 at 9:24 AM

A three day weekend is upon us and the weather is forecasted to be gorgeous and warmer.   HURRAH!   I have lots to do in the garden but I also have some other things planned for the weekend as well.    Garden work will largely be focussed on some maintenance and clean up tasks and the first preserving effort of 2009.    The spring planted spinach patch is ready for a hard harvest and I will be blanching and freezing the produce.   I think I will set up a new web page this weekend to keep a running tally on the 2009 season preserving efforts.    This new page combined with the Seed Starting Schedule and the 2009 Harvest Tally pages should provide a nice recap of the 2009 garden season once they are completed.

The following is what I am hoping to get done this weekend:

  • Clean the greenhouse panels (remove pollen, dirt, etc) (Done)
  • Use the Weedwhacker to tidy up the walkways (Done)
  • A little weeding here and there (Done)
  • Reseed a few corn plants that did not survive the planting out (Done)
  • Direct seed some Runner Beans (Done)
  • Harvest the spinach patch and freeze the produce (Done)
  • Continue filling in potato trenches to keep the plant stems covered (Done)
  • Water container plantings and newly seeded beds (Done)
  • Spray the cole crops (particularly broccoli) with BT solution (Done)
  • Start a new web page - 2009 Preserving Tally (Done)

That's pretty much it.   The garden is growing fast now and it will not be long before the heavy harvests will start occuring. 

 

 

Categories: Garden Beds, Greenhouse, Preserving

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8 Comments

Reply jillpete
11:21 AM on May 22, 2009 
Hi there,

Beautiful weather predicted here in Idaho as well. As a child, my family would always camp over Memorial weekend...and we were always rained on. This is rare to have no rain predicted.

What is BT solution?

Jill
Reply Judy
02:13 PM on May 22, 2009 
Oh I can't wait for the weekend either!!!! 3 days off to just play and work in the garden... HEAVEN! I hope that you get alot of your TO DO LIST accomplished. Have a great weekend.
Reply Jim G
07:54 PM on May 22, 2009 
Very nice...
I plan on growing those tomato seedlings further, mowing the lawn, and drinking beer. In that particular order. My broccoli zoomed in growth in the last week...good to see. I cant tell the difference now between the Feb 20 seeds and the March 20 seeds...that's kinda strange.

I cant believe there is NO rain on the radar for about 7-10 days...unreal.
Reply Dan
10:13 PM on May 22, 2009 
We had our 3 day weekend last week. I am still not sure why it was last weekend because it usually is around May 24th. Enjoy your break!
Reply kitsapfreedomgardener
10:26 PM on May 22, 2009 
jill - BT is Bacillus Thuringiensis which is a naturally occurring bacterium common in soils throughout the world. Bt acts by producing proteins that reacts with the cells of the gut lining of susceptible insects (mostly leaf eating caterpillars) paralyzing the digestive system, and the infected insect stops feeding within hours and then dies. It's the only way to grow worm free cabbages or broccoli short of covering the bed from seeding to harvest with reemay. Sun exposure kills the bacteria, so it needs to be periodically applied through the growing season.

Judy - right back at ya!

Jim G - sounds like a great plan for the weekend. I had the same thing happen with my two crops of broccoli - they are at roughly the same place despite a month difference in age. I think the first planting had to deal with such cold and unpredictable weather that they just did not grow to their potential from the start.

Dan - even if your weekend is not a long one, I hope you have good weather and get some time in your garden.
Reply Annette
10:59 AM on May 24, 2009 
Any tips for planting a bed covered with plastic mulch? I put the mulch down yesterday with the goal of planting later this weekend, but now I'm not sure how to proceed. Maybe I should have dug holes first. But then the soil from the holes would have been under the plastic. It just seems like it might be challenging to cut holes and then dig and plant through the holes. Any tips before I get started and make a mess of things?
Reply kitsapfreedomgardener
09:28 PM on May 24, 2009 
Annette - I only use plastic mulch for larger items (like squash, peppers, and tomatoes) so cutting holes and planting is not too daunting or messy. I mark out where I want the plants to go - so that they have correct spacing in the bed and then use a pair of sharp scissors to cut a large square where the plant will go. I throw away the cut away plastic leaving a large hole and the underlying soil exposed. I then just use my hand spade to dig into the soil putting the spade full of dirt just next to the hole but still inside of the cut away area (or alternatively you can place it temporarily in a small bucket). I then plant the item and fill the dirt back in. You may get a little dirt on the top of the plastic - but just brush it back into the planting hole area.
Reply Sinfonian
11:36 PM on May 26, 2009 
Boy were you productive in one day. Bravo. I bet you were tired that evening. I worked myself ragged with the folks, so little gardening got done. In fact, the lawn isn't mowed today even, as I'm too sore to do it. Tomorrow, rain or shine, hehe.

Your to-do list reminded me of something so I stopped reading and went out and sprayed my broccoli with BT. Hehe. Been seeing holes, so gotta nip that in the bud.

When I use plastic mulch for my tomato SWCs, I cut a small X where they go and thread the plant through it after I plant it. Smaller hole that way, but not practical for your operation.

I sure hope I can get out this week because next weekend's painting.