I bit the bullet, and started the new bed. Thanks Holly for your energy, and all the wonderful gardens I was so special to visit this weekend and all the cool plants. Lynn, Sharon, and Julie.So thank you for a heck of alot of ideas and the plants.
I Started my new bed. My DH went and got me a truck load of soil, then ask me what I wanted for my BDay, More soil please LOL
Mmmmm what to do, something does not work right. Mmmm what is wrong.
Tils, Is this the dahlia 'pooh' that you lost?
I forgot the jacobs ladder that I had for you. So that and the crosus bulbs this fall.
This message was edited Sep 1, 2009 9:47 PM
Found it, what do you do with parts of a gazbo that is broke????. and you want to hide something you cannot move.
But for now watch the white hose. that is the new bed. I hope LOL
That looks close, but more like "Wheels"
This is "Pooh" But I got 2 new ones. Thanks for thinking about me
Hugs
This is "Wheels"
Oh, thank you for the link to the artichoke growers. I didn't know I could order them direct!
I grew up in Walnut Creek (the east part of the San Fransico Bay Area). It would get real hot there during the summer, but it rarely went below 28 degrees a few times during the winter. We always had at least 8 artichoke plants growing. My dad would whack them down to the ground after they finished producing and looked bad, water them a little through the summer. Then as soon as the fall rains would start, they would start growing again. By spring they were producing full tilt. I remember going out with a bucket and coming in with 20 or 30 every few days for a couple of months. He grew these from the same plants for 30 years, just dividing and moving them. They were the green globe type, not the heat tolerant ones that curve toward the center, those are really tough. In the store, if you ever see a dry brown scuzy layer on the outer leaves, don't worry about it, that is just frost burn. Since our harvest will be during the summer, we won't be seeing that on our own artichokes.
When I moved here I found some plants at the nursery and put them in the ground, they did not do well. I mulched them over the winter with bark mulch. They just weren't happy. Then it finally occurred to me that they don't like acid soil, they want the opposite. So I removed the bark mulch, put down lime, then mulched with compost. They were much happier. I have a bad habit of forgetting to fertilize. I think failing to fertilze enough and not having them on the irrigation system were my big mistakes this year. I did put boards around the area as if I were building a raised bed, that holds the compost and makes weeding easier. I will add more compost and throw fall leaves on top of them for winter protection. I am determined to find the right conditions -- I want my artichokes! LOL
I remember they came up in April and got slapped down several times with hard freezes. Now that I have the wooden sides around them, maybe I can figure out a way to put some metal or plastic hoops in the ground and cover them with plastic -- of course trying to devise something that the wind storms won't destroy is another matter. I live down on the south end of Camano, the skinny part where the wind storms can be really bad.
When I moved here, my neighbors said it only snowed a couple of inches and usually didn't stick. The picture was my first snow and the power was out for 4 days, all electric house, 35 degrees inside. Then last year it was 18 inches deep again, but at least the power outages were shorter. I am blessedly lucky to work from home and I don't drive in snow and ice -- I don't know how and I would be a menace to anyone else on the road -- and that truck is about the worst vehicle to attempt it. During the winter I stock up 3 weeks worth of supplies, I now have a propane heat stove and generator for power outages, and I have satellite TV. I started out unprepared my first year, but at least I'm not too old to learn. LOL
Welcome Cat,
I must of missed alot in my venture elseware. Wow I'm lost LOL
Story of PNW LOL to funny.
I do not know how my tread of a hope to be, a woodland tour ended up with artichokes.
You all go for it, I'm on my new bed LOL
Stage 2
Tilly - September is a tough time to find plants for a new bed. The nursery plant sales in October are always fun. If you have some sun, have you made room for spring bulbs? I usually fill in with annuals like pansies until I make up my mind what I'm going to do. I have never been able to just instantly finish a new bed, it just keeps evolving.
Not if you go to a RU LOL
We just had one over the weekend, had alot of fun.
Here's the link
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1032822/
Hi Tils, you need ten yards of soil and a new thread. This one is very slow.
Ten ?
Okay new one coming, If I can remember how. LOL
I forgot there is one, but nobody used it. Going to go find it.
I found it
We moved to here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/969392/
