Sim's garden journal

Planted out melons and cucumbers. Melons: Blacktail watermelon, Minnesota midget, emerald gem, charentais, edisto 47, golden honeydew, noir des carmes.

Cucumbers: Marketmore 76, Bushy, Spacemaster, Blanc de Holland.

The goal for this year is to mass plant the melons into one bed, and hope for crosses (all but the blacktail are cucumis melo) to replant next year.

Cucumbers, not as set on crosses, but the blanc de holland was vigorous and productive last year, whereas the others were slow and many weren’t even fully pollinated. Hoping to save seeds for some improvements.

Planted out melons and cucumbers. 
Melons: 
Blacktail watermelon, Minnesota midget, emerald gem, charentais, edisto 47, golden honeydew, noir des carmes. 

Cucumbers:
Marketmore 76, Bushy, Spacemaster, Blanc de Holland. 

The goal for this year is to mass plant the melons into one bed, and hope for crosses (all but the blacktail are cucumis melo) to replant next year. 

Cucumbers, not as set on crosses, but the blanc de holland was vigorous and productive last year, whereas the others were slow and many weren’t even fully pollinated. Hoping to save seeds for some improvements.

Plants

Looks like most of these guys are gonna make it. You can see one that didn’t (left) but there are 10 in good shape with 3+ leaves. Will probably top up the soil a bit in the cells and get a bottom watering tray going.

Looks like most of these guys are gonna make it. 
You can see one that didn’t (left) but there are 10 in good shape with 3+ leaves. Will probably top up the soil a bit in the cells and get a bottom watering tray going.

Plants

Cold stratification success! I cracked a couple dozen plum pits and pulled out the seeds last fall, put them in a bread bag w/ moist potting soil, and left them in the cold room all winter. Just went to inspect the stash & noticed the bright white radicles! It’s planting time!

Got a dozen plum seeds planted. There were a few nectarine and peach seeds in there too, but I think only one or two germinated. Time will tell. Mixed a bucket of soil (sandy dirt, some mostly-composted yard waste, last year’s failed potted plant soil & some well aged urine.

Planted into deep nursery trays.

I opted to upgrade my tree trays w/ these deeper ones I got used from a local nursery. They’re maybe 6” deep & have a large hole in the bottom for air pruning the roots. Plums! Hopefully only one of a half dozen tree species I’ll grow this year.

Cold stratification success! I cracked a couple dozen plum pits and pulled out the seeds last fall, put them in a bread bag w/ moist potting soil, and left them in the cold room all winter. Just went to inspect the stash & noticed the bright white radicles! It’s planting time!

Got a dozen plum seeds planted. There were a few nectarine and peach seeds in there too, but I think only one or two germinated. Time will tell. 
Mixed a bucket of soil (sandy dirt, some mostly-composted yard waste, last year’s failed potted plant soil & some well aged urine.

Planted into deep nursery trays.

I opted to upgrade my tree trays w/ these deeper ones I got used from a local nursery. They’re maybe 6” deep & have a large hole in the bottom for air pruning the roots. Plums!
Hopefully only one of a half dozen tree species I’ll grow this year. Cold stratification success! I cracked a couple dozen plum pits and pulled out the seeds last fall, put them in a bread bag w/ moist potting soil, and left them in the cold room all winter. Just went to inspect the stash & noticed the bright white radicles! It’s planting time!

Got a dozen plum seeds planted. There were a few nectarine and peach seeds in there too, but I think only one or two germinated. Time will tell. 
Mixed a bucket of soil (sandy dirt, some mostly-composted yard waste, last year’s failed potted plant soil & some well aged urine.

Planted into deep nursery trays.

I opted to upgrade my tree trays w/ these deeper ones I got used from a local nursery. They’re maybe 6” deep & have a large hole in the bottom for air pruning the roots. Plums!
Hopefully only one of a half dozen tree species I’ll grow this year.

Plants

Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! So far from 6 cucumber plants we’ve been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn’t hit! Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping. Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant.

Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant. Raised bed garden updates. There will be a harvest! 
So far from 6 cucumber plants we've been harvesting 1-2 cucumbers per day over the past 2 weeks with more coming so long as blight doesn't hit!
Tomatoes and ground cherries have another few weeks and beans are pumping.
Squash has another month at least, with at least (I hope) one squash on each plant.

Plants

Everything is growing well! Looking forward to identifying the cucumbers to see which are the most prolific. Really hoping some of the white cucumbers show up.

Everything is growing well! Looking forward to identifying the cucumbers to see which are the most prolific. Really hoping some of the white cucumbers show up. Everything is growing well! Looking forward to identifying the cucumbers to see which are the most prolific. Really hoping some of the white cucumbers show up. Everything is growing well! Looking forward to identifying the cucumbers to see which are the most prolific. Really hoping some of the white cucumbers show up.

Melons are slow to start, but I’ve been feeding them quite a bit. Rotting grass clippings, and fermented plant juice made from dandelion leaves.

Melons are slow to start, but I've been feeding them quite a bit. Rotting grass clippings, and fermented plant juice made from dandelion leaves.

Kousa dogwood is slow to grow, not sure what’s going on. Ground cherry doing well. Underplanted with some beans just for fun and they’re popping up nicely. Strawberry plant is massive, and pumping out a few strawberries per day.

Kousa dogwood is slow to grow, not sure what's going on. Ground cherry doing well. Underplanted with some beans just for fun and they're popping up nicely. Strawberry plant is massive, and pumping out a few strawberries per day.

Ground cherries are growing! Slow start from seed, but once they hit their stride, they’re unstoppable! First fruits already visible, 4-5 flowers on each with new leaves and flowers appearing daily.

Ground cherries are growing! Slow start from seed, but once they hit their stride, they're unstoppable! First fruits already visible, 4-5 flowers on each with new leaves and flowers appearing daily.

Build mini-hugelkultur rings to expand newly planted tree zones. Pulled grasses/weeds, laid down layer of sticks and twigs, 4-6” layer of grass clippings then topped with 4-6” of soil.

Planted a row of echinacea and a butternut squash in the mulberry ring.

Planted a row of chives around hazelnut.

Planted a few ground cherries around the kousa dogwood.

Planted a butternut squash alongside another hazelnut.

Plants

Transplant

Transplanted my two pawpaw plants out into the yard. They’re starting to look stressed in their pots (1.89 litre milk cartons) so I dug a couple deep holes in a shady spot under the hop hornbeam. Soil is sandy there so they should like it. The taproot was easily a few inches longer than the carton. Probably 12” long.

Transplanted my two pawpaw plants out into the yard. They're starting to look stressed in their pots (1.89 litre milk cartons) so I dug a couple deep holes in a shady spot under the hop hornbeam. Soil is sandy there so they should like it. The taproot was easily a few inches longer than the carton. Probably 12" long.

Plants

Transplant

Kale, bok choy, turkish rocket, chiogga beets were transplanted into herb garden. Covered nightly for a week until nights reached around 10°C.

Bok choy took off — would transplant earlier next year and cover overnight.

Rocket is slow, but still alive.

Beets are stunted, not doing much but still alive.

Kale is OK, but is being outgrown by direct-sown kale planted a week later.

Plants

Seeds are from wild pawpaw sourced from Ontario. Seeds stored in moist medium in a plastic bag in fridge for 2 years, unsure of viability. Sown in moist coconut coir, with bottom heat.

Plants

Yellow plum cuttings taken from burned out estate in Kelowna, British Columbia. Cuttings taken in December. Planted into moist coconut coir after keeping in cold storage wrapped in moist newspaper. Lightly shaved off bark near base, and dipped in rooting hormone. Using bottom heat in a clear plastic tote to hold moisture and temperature.

Yellow plum cuttings taken from burned out estate in Kelowna, British Columbia. Cuttings taken in December.
Planted into moist coconut coir after keeping in cold storage wrapped in moist newspaper. 
Lightly shaved off bark near base, and dipped in rooting hormone.
Using bottom heat in a clear plastic tote to hold moisture and temperature.

Plants