turning my first garden beds – finally

 
 
I would normally have done this a month ago. Not sure why I’m so late with my vegetable garden this year. I suppose its the new bees and the extra work I put into the community garden I manage. In any case, I’m not a good role model of a vegetable gardener this year. But I’m still planning to make a start at growing all of my family’s vegetables for this year. On a positive note – you wouldn’t believe the size of the earth worms in my beds! Gigantic.
 
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seedlings on the patio

 
 
I have a table full of seedling on my patio – all ready to plant. It’s the year of doing everything late. Soon I’ll be picking peas from those pea plants in their pot if I don’t transplant soon.
 
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blueberry patch

 
 
Also on my to-do list today is to water my blueberries. I added four new plants yesterday, all different. Three highbush (Blue Crop, Jersey, and Northland) and one lowbush (xxx). I mulched them in well and added HollyTone fertilizer. Since they’re on a slope, I made a well at one side and a berm at the outer side of each plant to catch water. I have an drip irrigation kit spread out on my kitchen table now that I will install later this week so each plant gets watered well.…
 
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bee notes

 
 
I opened both beehives this morning and moved two undrawn frames from the far left into the center. The green hive is a bit ahead of the white one and its outermost frames are now drawn, and only the two frames I just moved are empty. I didn’t pull out any of the active frames to check them since its only been 5 days since I last opened the hives. There were some large ants in the white beehive. I’m thinking that, with 9 frames in the hives (feeder frame…
 
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seeds planted

 
 
I’ve been getting way behind with my gardening. But now that I’ve finished organizing and running our community garden workday, last Saturday, I can get back to my garden. Last night I planted: Winter squash, Waltham Butternut Winter squash, Butterscotch Winter squash, Blue Ballet Winter squash, Jarrahdale pumpkin Cucumbers, Diva Cucumbers, Salt and Pepper Cucumbers, Parisian Gherkin Cucumbers, Corinto Cucumbers, Tokiwa Cucumbers, Sooyow Nish Cucumbers, Straight 8 Summer squash, yellow, Slick Pick Summer squash, yellow, Yellow Crook Summer squash, scallop, Early white bush Summer squash, scallop, Starship Summer squash, zucchini,…
 
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checking my hives after 1 week

 
 
Two hives, two queens. I opened up my hives a week after installing my packages (new bees) to check on them today. I was relieved that I was able to identify queens. I ordered two marked queens, but one had lost her marker and I was surprised to see her looking plain but different from all the rest. My bees are so sweet and calm. I have spent a lot of time watching them, close up and at a distance, and no stings (yet). I found I cannot trigger my…
 
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bee notes

 
 
Hive 1 (white hive): Four and a half frames are 50% built out. I found the queen. Some cells have yellow stuff (pollen) and others have clear liquid (nectar) in them. I can’t see any signs of eggs and don’t know what they would look like at this point. Lots of bees! The sugar water is 2 inches down. Hive 2 (green hive): Looks about the same as the white hive. Four frames build out about 30% and then a couple more frames are build out a little bit. I…
 
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bees tomorrow

 
 
We spent a lot of time today getting ready for bees. I’ll bring home two “packages” midday tomorrow. Today we raked then positioned the boxes. We adjusted the sprinklers. I practiced “smoking” with pine cones, made a couple quarts of sugar water. I think I’m ready. Tomorrow, I’ll pick up the packages, uncork the queen and dump in the bees. The boxes are in a good location I think. Nice morning sun. Good mid afternoon shade. Our magnolia trees have begun to bloom so the bees will like that I…
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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