Yard Progress

The pics below are a combo of pics Q took last night after we finished some yard work and a few I took a few days ago. Yesterday I transplanted the squash, melons and cucumber starts from their tiny cells into the bed where they belong under the long, low cloche at the front of the yard. I know such plants don't like having roots disturbed but I figured all that would be wasted trying was some seeds. We'll see if they make it. They were lovely little plants before my abuse. Right now there are Banana Pink Jumbo, Mesa Queen Acorn, Sugar Pumpkins, Sweet Dumpling Squash, Black Beauty Zucchini, Yellow Crookneck, Wautoma Cucumbers, and Tigger Melons. Worst case scenario, I replant seeds directly into the ground when they all die. :)


The tall cloche over the bed is protecting the other starts that I'm trying to have get used to outside life. Notice all the white dots of strawberry blossoms in that bed. I need to get more netting so we don't share with the crows.

Mint is trying to take over the world. That bed can't really contain it and it keeps sneaking under. We're considering moving the 8 foot bed it's in over in front of another 8 footer and putting another 4'x6' where it is currently. (We'll lose a bit more grass, but it's a funny shape anyway right now.) The mint would get rooted out and put into a huge pot, where its chances of escape are reduced. Q had this idea partially because our current configuration unintentionally created a tricky spot to maneuver with a wheelbarrow. The front bed not covered by a cloche contains the overwintered garlic and three rows of peas, 2 Alderman shelling and 1 snow peas. We're going affix string to the PVC frame and attach it to nails on the bed frame for trellis.


The blueberries (far left) are getting lots of new growth and have already flowered but the fruit isn't recognizable yet. I don't know if I'll need to net them. I can't imagine birds won't be interested...
Those irises are terrifying in their tenacity. I take no care of them - they've never been separated and I covered them with cardboard and two feet of dirt over the winter to try and kill the grass growing among them. They came up right through the cardboard.

For comparison, look here to see what the yard looked like at this time last year.

Here's a close-up of the newly wired grape arbor. The tall plant at the back is the new raspberry.

Here's a close-up of a newly leafed out grape. All four have gotten new growth since transplant.

We'll get blooming lupines soon.


We'll get garden salads soon.

I'd totally forgotten this columbine that I planted out last year after it was given to me as a gift - and then it suddenly bloomed. I need to get a few more for that bed. They'll serve as a nice bit of color for this time of year between the bulb and the lupine blooms.