Taking care of those rose bugs !

Tuesday, May 29 - Another hot day here in South Jersey. Again the temperatures were in the 90's and when I entered my car on the way home from work, the outside temperature gauge showed me 100 degrees !!! Tonight and early tomorrow morning, we are anticipating severe thunderstorms with hail and strong winds.

With the extreme heat conditions, many of my flower leaves have become bug eaten. Especially my knock out roses, there seems to be more leaves which have been eaten than ever before. I stopped by Lowes on the way home and purchased total rose and flower care. It is a concentrate you mix with water.

My vegetable garden is handling the heat with mixed results. The tomatoes are enjoying this weather and many of my plants are almost as tall as their cages. Also, one of my grape tomatoes is beginning to turn yellow, which makes me think that I will have a red tomato by the weekend.

The eggplant and peppers needed to be watered again tonight. The heat had begun to wilt these plants. I am hoping I watered in time where I did not lose any plants.

We had a pleasant surprise with a tree located in our back yard. For the first time since we lived here, we found this tree to be of the bing cherry variety. My wife picked a colander full of this fruit after dinner tonight.

I also picked another 2 quarts of strawberries and some snap peas. It appears that both of these products are at the end of their cycle. If it does rain as predicted, my strawberry picking days may be over.

Memorial Day - A day of Reflection

Monday, May 28, Memorial Day - It is 6:30am and I have started to water my gardens due to the intense heat we have had and will be having over the next few days. It is also Memorial Day, a day which has been created to honor those who have died serving our country under military times. Also, it is thought by many to be the first day of summer vacation and is found to fall the last Monday in May providing many a long weekend to spend time with family, friends and loved ones.

It is a day when I begin my gardening that I will think of my father who served in the army during WWII and also my son, who is graduating from college this year and will be commissioned in the marines to fulfill his marine ROTC scholarship.

I am thankful for those who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy. I am proud of those who have chosen to give of themselves so we as a country can continue to enjoy the lives that we have.

As I do my weekly maintenance gardening, these will be my thoughts today. I do hope everyone will remember the importance of this day in whatever they will be doing. Thank you to our veterans, living and dead for all you have done !!11

Early Morning Gardening

Saturday, May 26 - It is 7:30am and I have finished gardening for the day. I started at 6am, which is my favorite time of day. The only noises heard in my area are the occasional cars which pass my home and the birds which are found in the woods and trees in my back yard.

Today, I fertilized many of my vegetable plants and tomatoes. The tomatoes look great. They are growing rapidly with the warm weather we are having. The amount of small tomatoes and blossoms which have formed are far more advanced this time of year than in the past.

My eggplants are not faring well. They have always been the "weak point" in my garden. For some reason they never seem to grow as well as my other vegetables. Today, I noticed the leaves of each plant have tiny holes and have begun to turn yellow. I sprayed each plant with Natria, a product recommended for plant infested insects.

I finished my chores by filling all my bird feeders and cleaning the bird baths. It is amazing the sense birds have. Within minutes, each feeder was filled with birds, enjoying a morning feast.

A Hot Memorial Day Weekend

Friday, May 25 - Even though I worked 3 nights and did not get home until 8pm, it did not discourage me to spend the last few day light moments in my vegetable garden.

I came home on those late nights and picked the sugar peas and strawberries which had ripened. I have been averaging approximately 3/4 quarts of berries and the peas have roughly filled a medium colander.
We have been blanching the peas and freezing them for later in the summer as well as the winter months.

The remaining vegetable plants are responding well to the hot humid days. Many of my tomato plants have grown at least 4 inches this week and several plants do have small tomatoes forming.

I offered my neighbors lettuce and begged them to please pick what they would like !!! It has been a great crop for us this year, but I am afraid with these early hot and humid days, the lettuce will begin to bolt soon.

It looks like I  have success with my artichokes. One seed which I planted in the garden, is about 3 inches in length and the leaves are beginning to take the form of a mature plant. The other plant is still in a  pot, which I have kept in indirect sunlight.

I look forward to this weekend to continue harvesting my peas and strawberries. I also am going to fertilize my vegetable plants hoping to time it with a passing shower.

Another Beautiful Weekend

Sunday, May 20 - We were blessed again with another beautiful weekend with temperatures in the high 70's and the lows in the 50's each evening. Again, I spent time in both the flower and vegetable gardens.

Sweet peas are doing very well but by looking at the plants, it is evident rain is needed. My strawberries are beginning to ripen faster each day  picking a quart each day.

This weekend I finally settled in with manicuring and performing the normal weekly maintenance needed in our yard. We only went to 1 nursery this weekend, buying plants for a bicycle planter given to my wife by her daughters on Mothers Day.

It is nice to see the knock out roses beginning to bloom. All the rose plants are beginning to flower with the traditional red variety in full bloom by this weekend.

We have had our first insect infestation this weekend. It is bizarre to see the vincas which are planted close to the house. Many of these flowers have leaves partially eaten. My wife and I are investigating various organic insecticides to use on these flowers. However these same flowers, found in our large flower garden have not been effected.





I hope everyone was able to enjoy this weekends weather. Again, the beginning of our week has rain in the forecast. I am not complaining as our ground is still very dry. The mild winds we have today have added to our dry soil. Have a good week everyone. I will be in touch later in the week, hoping to find an organic insecticide to use on my vincas !!!!

Snow Peas and Strawberries Are Ready !

Monday, May 14 - Today I picked my first harvest of snow peas and strawberries. Even though there were not many of each, there were enough snow peas for tonights stir - fry for dinner.

Snow Peas are easy to grow and produce a large yield provided that you pick the peas once they are ready every 2 - 3 days. Also they can be frozen very easy as well as stored in the refrigerator for a 2 week period.

Snow Peas and Strawberries

Mothers Day - A day to smell the roses

Sunday, May 13 - Happy Mother's Day !!!  A day in which we take time to reflect and say thank you for  our Mothers. I do hope for those people who no longer have their mothers, it is a time they can sit back and remember all the good times and memories of times past. Also, it is a time to think about all they taught us so we all can be successful in what we do today.

I am thankful my mother is able to be with me today. Sadly, as each year goes by, I see how she has started to slow down in her daily routine. Once, as an independent women, who was still cutting her grass up to 3 years ago is now, sits happily every day and smiles as she plays with my dogs and enjoys the company of my wife and I.

Today, I am including pictures of two of my mom's favorite flowers; roses and a lilac tree. Both found in my garden today.

I can remember growing up, looking out our back window and seeing the many rose bushes growing up the arbors in the back yards. It seemed these beautiful flowers were found everywhere in my moms gardens. Even today, many of these bushes are still seen in her side garden.

I hope everyone can take the time today, to relax and enjoy this day. With the beautiful weather we are anticipating today in South Jersey, it is time to say thank you for all they have done for us !!!!

A Beautiful Day

Saturday, May 12 - After a week of cloudy weather, we had a beautiful day today. The day started chilly and currently it is 79 degrees with a mild wind; a perfect spring day.

Peas

Again it was a busy Saturday, I spent the day out in the garden but did go one last time to Exley's Landscaping to purchase flowers for my wife for Mother's Day. She picked out two plants; a rose tree which will bloom pink petals and a clematis.

Lettuce

It is almost comical the terrible luck we have trying to grow clematis. The last 4 years, we made attempts to grow this beautiful vine only to watch it slowly die as the summer days go by.

Broccoli and Kale

We did try something different this year. We planted the clematis in a different spot and used soil which was dug out of our flower garden which is very rich and drains well with rain. Also, I planted hostas around this plant hoping this will keep the roots cool.

Strawberries

I have included pictures of our vegetable garden and the crops which are currently giving us goodies to eat. If you look closely you can see the pea pods which are forming and the strawberries which will be ready to pick in a couple days. We have been enjoying lettuce for the last 2 weeks and I am hoping this crop will continue to produce until the middle of June.

I picked my first strawberry !!

Thursday, May 9 - Today after arriving home late from work I picked my first strawberry. Also, more berries will be ready this weekend. With our first harvest in this area usually Memorial Day Weekend, we are treated early this year due to the warm conditions we had in March.

It was amazing to see how all my vegetables are doing. This past week we had rain everyday, including this morning, as well as cloudy skies everyday.

With the sun out today for the first time this week, all the plants started to respond to this weeks weather. The artichoke seed I planted has grown 3 inches and some of my tomato plants have small tomatoes developing. Also, the peas are growing higher than the pea trellises - all of these signs of how much rain water helps vegetation.

In our area, this is the weekend that we usually plant flowers and vegetables. Mother's Day Weekend is usually the date that we no longer have to worry about any serious frost which will impact flowers and vegetables.

When planting attempt to avoid these pairing, the nutrients which these combinations need to grow as well as the diseases and or insects which may be found can cause poor yields from these plants:

Tomatoes and corn, Tomatoes and potatoes and Cabbage and lettuce/strawberries

Hopefully this weekend, with the predicted warm and sunny days, I will be able to take and post some pictures of my new flowers and my vegetable garden.

For those who do read my blog, I have two questions. If you have a topic you would like me to address, please let me know.

Also, I need your help !!!! For years, I have been attempting to grow a clematis. I have planted this flower on the east side of our home where it receives morning sun. It is planted against a chimney which has a trellis for the plant to grow. Also, the soil has excellent drainage and is planted in a raised bed.
Every year, I slowly watch this beautiful vine slowly die.

If you have any suggestions on how I can keep this plant alive and thriving, please let me know.

A Great Gardening Weekend !

Sunday, May 6 - Even though we did not receive the warm and sunny weather that was predicted, it still was a great weekend to be outside and do some gardening.

After work on Saturday, I spent time in my vegetable garden weeding, tilling and planting my last vegetables for this month. I planted in onion sets, watermelon, cucumber, green and yellow squash. I finished the afternoon by putting fertilizer around all my vegetables using Espoma, Garden - Tone.

Sunday, was spent cutting grass and edging the lawn. Also, we planted a Limelight Hydrangea, a Salvia - "New Dimension Rose" and a Broom Lena.

Also the remainder of the day was spent planting annuals in our back flower garden. We hope to finish sometime this week with our goal having our yard ready for Mothers Day.

I plan to take more pictures this when the sun is bright. It will be great to see how things are growing so rapidly !!!!

A Chilly, Cloudy Saturday

Saturday, May 5 - Waking up this morning, I was excited to feel a reasonably warm morning, dew in the air and the sun peeking around the clouds. Again, going outside early, I found the ground wet from the evening rain.

This past week, has been a great spring week in South Jersey. Finally we have had rain almost every day. In fact, there were times, we had incredible down pours which saturated the flower and vegetable beds.

The rain has certainly been the best medicine for my garden. The peas in some spots are almost as tall as the highest pea pole and the white blossoms are increasing as each day goes by.

The newly planted vegetables have benefited from the rain. The transplanted kale and broccoli have "perked up" and are beginning to grow.

My tomatoes plants are all beginning to respond to being planted in the soil. Even though there are still a few yellow leaves on some plants,  all the plants are beginning to grow and also produce yellow blooms.

Last evening, my wife and I went to Creamy Acres. Creamy Acres is located in Mullica Hill, South Jersey. This nursery contains many green houses containing annuals and perennials. Also, herbs, vegetables and homemade jellies can be found in there store. Lastly, garden accents pieces can be purchased such as bird baths, outside thermometers, garden and hanging baskets. It was a good visit for us, as we purchased 5 flats of annuals for our flower gardens.

Today after work, I am going to either go to a few nurseries to purchase a few vegetable plants. Hopefully if there is time, I will also cut the grass. Even though temperatures are not as warm as predicted, it still is a good day to do outside work and finish planting.

Finally, My Vegetables are Planted !

Tuesday, May 1 - Yesterday, after work, I decided to plant my vegetables. It is funny how mother nature works and how things can change so quickly. Over the weekend, we had in our area two of the worst frosts I have seen. My yard was hit in ways which I have never seen before; the spinach leaves in the garden were marked and some of the leaves are brown on the edges. In my flower garden, My crepe myrtles and holly bushes were also hit. I had to prune back the burned look leaves and branches, but from the reading I have done, these plants are hardy enough to withstand this type of weather.

The next ten days seem to be perfect to plant in our area. The lows each evening will not go below the high 40's and some of the days high will be in the 70's.

Last night I planted the following tomato varieties:
1 - early girl, 2 - roma, 1 - brandywine, 1 - oxheart, 1- celebrity, 1 - pineapple, 1 - lemon boy, 1 - yellow pear, 2 - cherry, 1 - cherokee purple and 1 - tomatillo.

Many of these varieties are heirlooms and some are repeat varieties from previous year plantings. The tomatillo plant is one of my favorites. It produces a tomato when mature forms an outer covering similar to garlic. They are used to make salsa.

Other vegetables that I planted: pepper: 4 - green, 1 - yellow bell, 1 - italian long and 1 - habanero. 3 eggplant - italian thin, 4 broccoli and 4 broccoli plants from seed, 4 cauliflower, 4 kale from seed, 1 green squash.


The good news is that I have some room left  for planting. I am going to wait until the weekend to decide what else I should consider. This will also give my plants time to "settle in" and replace those which are not faring well.

Last evening we had a good soaking rain. This was helpful for the newly planted vegetables. Also, I did fertilize the tomatoes using Espoma Tomato - Tone. I will this weekend place Garden - Tone around the rest of the vegetables.

In our area, it is always safe to plant during Mothers Day weekend since there rarely seems to be a frost in our area after this date. The good news for this year is that the lows in the evening until then are not predicted to fall within a concern. Therefore, getting an early start with planting will help produce mature crops during the early part of summer.