a plan of action

The garden blogger’s dilemma. When it’s raining there’s nothing to write about but lots of time to write. When the sun is out, there’s everything to write about and no time to write. Like the farmer across our field who is also a painter who says when he’s working the farm he sees all these beautiful landscapes to paint and when he’s painting sees all the farm chores yet to be done.

So the newly revised garden plan is outlined above.

Those "tomatoes in waiting" aren’t actually lying in the pathways. I just didn’t want to have to paint all those little red dots again. Timing the tomatoes is trickier this year because I will be away for 5 days next week and can’t decide whether to put them in ground before I leave or after I return. The wind has been fierce, and I only have wall-o-waters for six plants.

The big change this year is the sweet potatoes. The slips arrived on Monday, and I put them in the ground on Wednesday. It’s probably never warm enough to plant sweet potatoes in New England, but I’m showing a daytime soil temperature in the high 70’s. I think they like 80 or above. My plan is to keep the vines trimmed so they stay inside the 4x8 bed. This could mean trimming twice a day. All new territory this crop.

My one year old apple trees are infested with tiny green caterpillars that are eating their leaves. I need to get some Bt out there right away. This is my first year with apple trees, and I need to be more vigilant. Any readers out there have a spraying regimen they follow that I can learn from?

And of course there is the yearly "artichoke experiment." The one I over wintered did NOT make it. I started 12 seeds in February, and I have three plants to show for it. I have planted them in the ground, not in beds and they are so marked by the letter "A" on the garden plan.