Thurs. April 25, 2019: Almost Time to Mow

Thursday, April 25, 2019
Waning Moon 3rd Quarter Capricorn
Jupiter Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Celtic Tree Month of Willow
Sunny and pleasant

Slowly, too slowly, I’m replanting the tomatoes into the pots in which I hope they’ll grow and thrive all summer.

A lot of rain this past week, which means I haven’t been able to do much yard work. Yesterday, I managed to rake out and cut back part of the terraced bed. I got about half done. Lots to do, because of the invasives. Cut back the roses some more.

I can see how the roses grew and overwhelmed castles and cottages in fairy tales. I feel like we’re on the cusp of it here.

In order not to get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, I decided that this year, I will listen to the yard, instead of watching what the neighbors do. What demands attention first? I’ll prioritize from there.

The rain means the grass looks good. It also means I need to start mowing soon. I might get a chance to do a bit this afternoon, maybe at least one section. But there’s a lot of raking I need to do before I can mow everything.

Last year, I ditched the gas mower that was always trying to kill me and went old school with a push mower. Best thing I ever did.

I still don’t enjoy mowing, but it’s a much better experience, which means I can stay on top of it more.

Where are you in your planting/gardening for the season?

Advertisement

Thurs. April 18, 2019: The Weather Works Against Me

Thursday, April 18, 2019
Day Before Full Moon
2nd Quarter Moon in Libra
Jupiter Retrograde
Celtic Tree Month of Willow
Rainy and cool

I’m trying to remember what got done since last Thursday. The days I’ve been free to do yard work have not coincided with the weather, unfortunately. What were supposed to be a string of sunny days weren’t.

I started work on the side yard, and I got the front beds raked out. Cut back a lot of invasives. Got one load of yard debris to the dump, and am accumulating another.

Bought six-packs of Romaine lettuce (grow your own; avoid e-coli), Buttercrunch, and Boston lettuces. Got a six-pack of parsley. They are all happy in their new pots. Got the pansies into the hanging baskets out front, and in the barrel.

Yesterday, finally started replanting the Cherokee Purple tomatoes in big posts. Got some of them in; will get in more today, and then start replanting the Romas and the Eggplants.

Then I can move forward some of the other tomatoes, in smaller pots, closer to the windows.

The lettuce and parsley go out on the deck during the day on good days, and come in at night, because it’s still cold. The tomatoes are still too fragile to go out.

The forsythia and white Rose of Sharon are out on the deck; the hydrangea, lilac, and large Rose of Sharon will go out soon.

I need to put teak oil on the wooden furniture as it goes out on the deck, repaint the white plant stand, and decide if I want more pansies in the little teacup planters.

Again, I don’t know how much I’ll get done this weekend because of rain.

I’m posting most of the in-process photos on Instagram, where you can find me @devonellingtonwork.

Hope you’re having fun with your gardens, too! Drop a line or a photo or an Instagram link. I’d love to see how it’s going.

 

Thurs. April 11, 2019: Growth & Sunshine

forsythia in the garage

Thursday, April 11, 2019
Waxing Moon, 1st Quarter Cancer
Celtic Tree Month of Alder
Sunny and pleasant

The forsythia is blooming in the garage. I’ll have to get it out on the deck this weekend. It’s a little bit ahead of the forsythia planted outside.

The maple tree in the backyard is starting to bud. It’s always such a pretty tree.

I finally planted my last four kinds of tomatoes last weekend: the Principase Borghese, the Purple Cherokee, The Gardeners’ Delight, and the Moneymakers.

By the end of the month, I hope I can plant the peas, beans, zucchini, and cucumbers outside. But it’s all dependent on the weather. It may well be later in May before I can.

The Roma and Chocolate Cherry tomatoes, and the eggplants are growing like gangbusters. It’s such a delight to come down each morning and see how well they’re doing.

Today or tomorrow, I will plant the first of the mixed greens, the spinach, and the kale. I might get some basil and marigold plants (if it’s not too early) to go with the tomatoes that need to be transplanted to their big pots, and some pansies for the outside hanging baskets. I also have to get some hardware to fix our lovely wind chimes. I also have to get more potting soil.

The weather is supposed to be pretty decent this weekend, so I intend to do a few hours each day of yard work. Raking leaves, cleaning out beds. I think it’s a little too early to mulch, but most people are already mulching. I’ll have to see.

There’s a lot of work to be done. So much of it depends on weather. Unfortunately, good weather is also coinciding with me being on tight deadlines, so it’s a balancing act.

I’m on Instagram, by the way. You can find me @devonellingtonwork over there. I share posts on Twitter and Tumblr, but not necessarily on Facebook.