This is a long overdue update to the goings on in the garden. I'm covered in sweat, dirt and mosquito bites after a session of weeding, mulching and watering in the heat tonight. If you told kid me that I'd grow to love this state since it indicates I've done some Good Work, he'd have scoffed... the stupid little fucker that he was.
First off, I've decided that I ain't bothering with the hyper detailed tracking of what was planted, sprouted, etc. I know that info would be amazing to have, I just simply don't care enough to keep it going. It's boring to track, to write about and to read... life's too short.
That said, as of today we have a good set of stuff happily growing, a few things struggling along and other stuff completely AWOL. Looking around me as I sit out here I can see:
- sweet potatoes
- butternut squash
- summer squash
- tomatoes aplenty
- lettuce
- red onions
- yellow onions
- potatoes
- curly kale
- collard greens
- carrots
- blueberries
- blackberries
The soybeans, zucchini and birdhouse gourds are nowhere to be seen even after a second planting. We suspect the cadre of birds, chipmunks and squirrels helped themselves. I'm going to plant them once more and test some methods to keep them away, so with me luck!
#gardening
Taking a moment to throw in the more recent updates. This is probably going to be the biggest entry this season in terms of plantings. I’m currently working on two more beds that’ll hold beans, squash and sweet potatoes but everything else we have is out except some bell peppers.
First Mosquito of the Year
Planted (Starts Planted Outside) – May 11, 2025
- Martha Washington Tomatoes
- Big Stripey Tomatoes
- Roma/San Marzano Tomato (x31)
- Indigo Cherry Drop Tomato
- Jedi Jalapeño Pepper
- Escamillo Pepper
Planted (Seeds Outside) – May 13, 2025
- Early Fortune Cucumbers
- Red Cored Chantenay Carrots
- Rainbow Mix Carrots
- Vates Collard Greens
- Prizetaker Leeks
- Student Parsnips
- Walking Stick Kale
- Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale
Planted (Stubs Outside) – May 13, 2025
Planted (Seeds Outside) – May 14, 2025
- Burpee Bibb Lettuce
- Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Planted (Seeds – Inside & Out) – May 15, 2025
1: These seed were all mixed up so not sure how many of what we have from those.
2: When another volunteer picked this lettuce, they pulled it out of the ground instead of clipping off some leaves so it could grow back. We decided to replant the bottoms just to see if we can coax them to grow more lettuce for us.
#carrots #cucumbers #greens #jalapenos #kale #leeks #lettuce #mosquitoes #parsnips #peppers #tomatoes #gardening
A not-as-productive as I’d have liked period as of late thanks to various combos of rainy weather and chronic pain flare-ups.
Most progress has been made in my garage cleanup efforts. I need to kick those into high gear soon so I have my workbench back for upcoming projects (possibly even including chickens!).
At least I spent some time in a garden on Tuesday. Not mine though, but a community garden as part of my volunteer work as a Volunteer Master Gardener.
Looking forward to helping shepherd that plot of land along. Was extra nice to have some of the neighborhood locals show up to chat and express their gratitude. If only that could happen in my own garden!
First sprout (outside) – April 16, 2025
Planted (outside) – April 27, 2025
- Kentucky native wildflower mix
#masterGardener #potatoes #volunteering #wildflowers #gardening
Between the rains and a short trip away from home, there’s not much going on in the garden right now. There’s some good days in the forecast coming up. If they hold I at least hope to start prepping the extension bed for this year and maybe get our brush chipped.
First sprout (outside) – April 2, 2025
First sprout (outside) – April 5, 2025
#onion #gardening
Really getting into the swing of things this week. Spent some time clearing out some overgrown area at the back of our yard Friday and Saturday, then planted a couple of elderberry cuttings in the hopes they’ll take and provide some privacy in a year or two. Today I bought a state-specific wildflower mix to scatter on the rest of the newly opened up area. This is going to take years of fighting to keep it reclaimed but I’m ready to do it.
Yesterday I went to a Trees Lexington pruning workshop as part of their Tree Steward training program. Learned a bunch about how much my previous pruning conceptions were completely and totally wrong, so that was handy. The location was African Cemetery No. 2 here in Lexington. What a hidden bit of local history that I’m glad to have been made aware of. Looking forward to heading back there as part of the program and just in general.
And now on to the logging of what’s happening:
First Sprouts (Indoors) – March 25, 2025
- Roma Tomatoes
- Martha Washington Tomatoes
- San Marzano Tomatoes
- “Stripey” Tomatoes
First Sprouts (Indoors) – March 27, 2025
Planted (Outside) – March 27, 2025
- Red Onions
- Yellow Onions
- Russet Potatoes
Planted (Indoors) – March 30, 2025
Starts to Pot – March 30, 2025
- Roma Tomatoes
- Martha Washington Tomatoes
- San Marzano Tomatoes
- “Stripey” Tomatoes
- Yellow Patio Tomato
- Lilly’s Ground Cherries
#elderberries #groundCherries #onions #potatoes #tomatoes #gardening
Quick update on what’s been happening this growing season. We still haven’t done anything outside thanks to dealing with some bleh physical health days, but nature keeps moving on.
First Sprouts (Indoors) – March 19, 2025
- Leeks
- Lilly’s Ground Cherries
First Sprouts (Indoors) – March 23, 2025
#groundCherries #leeks #lettuce #gardening
Just a quick drive-by post to keep track of what's going on garden-wise around here. Last weekend was rainy so didn't get to start the onion or potato starts like I wanted but hoping this weekend.
First Sprouts (Indoors) – March 16, 2025
- Russian Red Kale
- Hyssop
- Thyme
Planted (Indoors) – March 17, 2025
- Martha Washington Tomatoes
- Roma Tomatoes – saved from last year's crop
- San Marzano Tomatoes – saved from last year's crop
- A “Large Stripey” Tomato – saved from last year's crop / unknown variety
- Patio Choice Tomato (Yellow)
- Chocolate Beauty Peppers
- Sweet Bell peppers – saved from last year's crop
First sprouts (Indoors) – March 18, 2025
#gardening #herbs #hyssop #kale #peppers #thyme #tomatoes #vegetables #walkingStickKale
A momentous day is upon me. The yearly Seed Savers order is in their hands. What did we get you ask?
Veggies
- Carrots (Rainbow Mix)
- Cucumber (Early Fortune)
- Cucumber (Parisian Pickling)
- Leeks (Prizetaker)
- Kale (Dwarf Blue Curled)
- Onions (Ailsa Craig)
- Parsnips (Student)
- Peppers (Chocolate Beauty)
- Radishes (Tokinashi All-Season)
Flowers
- Night-Scented Tobacco
- Ring of Fire Sunflowers
Herbs
- Anise
- Chives
- Dill
- German Chamomile
- Hyssop
- Rue
- Sage
- Thyme
Novelty
We'll still need to get some tomatoes, whether seed or start I'm not yet sure. Lettuce too of course1,2. Maybe some beans? Potatoes? You can tell we haven't started deep planning, can't you?
I have two packs of seed that I'm especially looking forward to planting. One is ground cherry seed saved from a fellow Volunteer Master Gardener who was in my course cohort. The other is a pack of walking stick kale (aka Jersey cabbage), a thing I discovered existed last year3.
Getting this done has done wonders for my mood. It's nice to have the garden to look forward to again, especially after weeks of snow hanging around from the last storm. Bring it.
1: ಠ_ಠ
2: That footnote is specifically for you. You know who you are.
3: AND I bought it without giving money to the Fascist-supporting seed company that pops up when you search for it.
#seeds #gardening
Been a while since I’ve updated how the garden is going. Of course we’re mostly in shutdown mode like everyone else but it certainly doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to do. Here’s some examples:
- Hoping to plant some garlic this weekend.
- Need to start planning the cold frame we’ve been blessed with material for.
- Have a bunch of brush to chip and more to clear.
- The garage needs some work now that it’s cooled down (I write on a nearly 80°F day).
- I put down cardboard for next year’s garden expansion the other day. Need a bit more cardboard to really cover what I want, but that will also kill off the thickest and fastest growing patch of grass so bonus! We’re going to chip the brush right on what I put down so it’ll also save some pain on that front too.
- Need to transplant our strawberries because we’ve decided to move them and the blueberries over by the blackberries to have a little berry patch. Blueberries have to wait a bit longer to be moved from what I’ve read.
All that and the thoughts of a bunch of other stuff I need to add to the list for next year. The Master Gardener stuff is going to wind up motivating me too much if I’m not careful.
#blueberries #coldFrame #gardening #garlic #strawberries
Today’s harvest was two little pumpkins, three butternut squash and some San Marzano tomatoes. Another 3-4 squash have been attacked by the random wildlife of the yard. A fair offering I suppose.
I also got four more leaves of tobacco from our volunteer plants. The previous bundle of leaves is almost cured. It’s not quite my Papaw’s barn but at least I can get a hint of those wonderful memories by having a sniff of the few dried leaves we have.
#butternutSquash #pumpkins #tomatoes #tobacco #gardening