On Sunday night I picked up a few pot containers, probably 35-40 gallon size, along with planting pots and hanging containers. This evening I put one outside the greenhouse and filled with a mix of dirt I made up. Bottom 2 inches had some sand than top soil with straw, than leaf mold with horse manure for the top 10 inches. I sifted the leaf mold and horse manure for fine soil. I planted out an Amethyst Purple Basil plant. I will direct seed a few more soon. After getting it filled up and before planting in I watered it with 8 gallons of water. It thoroughly soaked the soil and drained out tons. I thought about this, and saw that the resulting liquid was brown from the manure. So I quickly dug a small trench down to the garlic bed. I than placed rocks all along it, filled it with sand, and covered with soil. Now whenever I water it any that drain will go down into the bed, conserving water!
I made labels for the raspberries and hops. Several of the raspberry plants from last year are coming up from the root, though the original canes are dead. And two blueberries made it through last year with absolutely no care. My cousin brought up with him on spring break 10 plants of one variety, and is bringing up 6-8 more of another kind. They are just cuttings. All the ones he brought are budding. So, if all survive I will have 18-20 blueberry plants. In 3-4 years they should be producing well. And when I have my own house I can take cuttings from here. I ordered a few red and black raspberries that my cousin is bring with him in two weeks. I think three of each. I will probably make a deep bed and plant them in a deep bed, I have heard good results from it. Also, I have a friend whom I should be getting some more raspberries from soon, maybe even some golden! The strawberries are doing VERY well. They are getting quite big, and flowering!!! Yes, so we should be having some fruit by May! I don't know how much to expect this year, but next year I am sure I will get even more. Probably in 2-3 years from now I will replant strawberries and take out the strawberry bed and turn it into a vegetable bed. What I will more than likely do is take runners from these plants and plant in new.
I just ordered grape vines. I am hoping they come in time for my cousin and I to plant. I also ordered a few for him, so I am hoping that they come for that reason too. I ordered a few table grape vines (a few seedless, but thinner skin and less sweet). I ordered a Chardonnay for white grape vines. I ordered for red grape vines, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Concord, and a few others. I plan on planting all of them along the fence of our property, but I might plant a few some where else. Along the fence provides a slope, which is good for drainage, and is what grapes are typically grown on. I hope in a few years to be making some wine from these.
Another thing I recently ordered was currants, gooseberries, rhubarb, asparagus, I also ordered the raspberries from the same place. I ordered black, red, white, and champagne currants. I ordered pixwell and the other kind of gooseberries. I ordered a few crowns of rhubarb, and I think 20 crowns of asparagus. This is a big example of something I am planting here, and plan on taking cuttings when I have my own house. Currants and gooseberries are not easy to buy (plants), and are expensive. Not only to say it is almost impossible to buy them in the US. (Makes me want to live in Ireland or Scotland!).
I am feeling anxious and some what discouraged with some of the things that are not coming up in my garden, or are doing poorly. But I need to remember, that most people around here don't even have any plants in! So, I need to keep that in mind when I get discouraged, that I am still doing better than most people, so be thankful.
Bees. I have not fixed the hives yet. But it is easy to do, it will just take an hour or two to do all of them. The frames are all built, but the frames that hold the brood I cannot put in the foundation (wax) because I don't have wires or pins to hold them, so I am a little bit at a dilemma.
Anyway, enough rambling. :) My brother is telling me it is time to go watch a movie, so I will go! Have fun, enjoy life, and live it for God!
God Bless you!
English Vintner
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