Veggie Garden Update-January 2009 & Perennial Plant Society Meeting

Tina's Update:

This is a dual post-hope you don't mind. There is not much going on in the vegetable garden this month for me. That is it above under a dusting of snow. You can just make out the A-Frames in the background of the tree-looks cold huh? It is, but it still has some green showing with the onions and garlic, but that is about it. Siberian irises are starting to poke up, the love in a mist is still growing, as is chamomile with lots of green foliage. The bananas sleep, as does the rest of the garden. Next month it will wake up. Enjoy some down time from the vegetable garden.

But! For all you seed starters, now is the time you may be wanting to start some cool season crops seeds such as: lettuce, broccoli, chard, cabbage, cauliflower. I plant all of these from starts so I do not do the seeds, that is why I am resting this month. If you plan to start cool season crops from seeds, start now. You also want to prepare for the main spring season of planting seeds by getting all your supplies in order now. I have found that if I start seeds prior to the end of February (for my area), I am in trouble. Do not start too early. As a general rule of thumb, look at the average date of your last frost (for us here in upper Middle Tennessee it is 15 April) and add two weeks to that date as a target date for planting out seedlings. Base your start times on how long the package says to start them in advance. Generally 6-10 weeks is a good time.

This month's PPS meeting is a member sharing meeting. Each member will share their favorite garden helps sites. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm in the Botanic Hall at Cheekwood, refreshments and socializing at 6:30 pm.

Additionally, Mr. Jim Janosky will give a short presentation on the Horticulture Program at Nashville State Community College. This is the very same program I am enrolled in. Fortunately I am taking a different weekday class than Tuesday so I am going to be able to attend these meetings.

I do hope to see you all come on out and meet some really nice gardeners in the Middle Tennessee area.

in the garden....

Today is of course the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. A great day in our country's history to have a minority President elected, but aside from that fact, the fact he is such a dynamic person and has brought so much hope to our country is heartwarming. May the next four years bring only good things to our country, and to the world as well as to President Obama.

Skeeter's Veggie Garden Update:

The Saint and I have started to prepare our Georgia vegetable garden for spring planting. Here you see him turning over the soil with a shovel. The top of the soil consisted of straw (hay bales from my 2007 Fall Display) used as mulch last year along with fallen pine needles and leaves from the trees above.


















It was one muddy mess due to the recent rain falls. Even though, the Saint kept at it until he had the entire little garden turned over. Next we hooked up our little red wagon to my Red Rider and we went across the street to visit with our friend Silver. Silvers sister horse, Georgia was off on a ride with her mommy.

Disclaimer: Due to the nature of the remainder of this post, you may want to set down your bowl of cereal, toast, bagel, cup of coffee or what ever you may have in your hand at the moment. I will not be held liable for any accidents or replace any computer keyboards or monitors! Place the phone near by for quick access to 9-1-1 in the event of chocking on donuts or such matters.

Now back to our story...
Who did not know what was next to come? Let me see those hands all you slow pokes.

Ah, the Saint is such a Saint indeed. Rose over at Prairie Rose's Garden says Tina's Mr. Fix-it is a Saint for getting a little old piece of metal in his eye for Tina. Well, has Mr. Fix-it ever shoveled horse poop for Tina? Ha, probably so! tee hee! (Mr. Fix-it, I do hope your eye has healed for you) That Saint of mine is continuing to be a Saint by rolling up his sleeves and grabbing a fork and going to work.

A little horse poo never hurt anyone so I was hard at it as well. The picture to the right shows me thinking, "the things I do for a blog topic!" Hey, good exercise for me as I let the Saint ride my Red Rider as I did the walking around the pasture. He did insist I ride for a bit though. Such a sweetie, or was he just wanting a bit of exercise as well? Hum, I will go with the romantic aspect of being a gentleman. Can a man be a gentleman while shoveling poop? Once the wagon was full of good old Georgia and Silver horse poo, we headed back to the garden. Now we (yes we, I only snapped a picture or two then went to work also) slung a wagon of poo into the garden being sure to spread it all over the entire top of the freshly turned soil. We shall now let Mother Nature take its course and work her magic. The next day we had a half inch of rain fall onto the garden so hopefully, things are already starting to happen.
Such a Saint as he smiles big for the camera while cleaning up my little Red Wagon. Argg, look at all that weed in the grass. No, look at that beautiful man helping his woman play, In the Garden...

*Tina, our husband's are indeed Saint's to us...