May 1, Beltane, May Day, the first day of summer according to the Old Calendar. And wow, here, the weather went to summer right on schedule. We've had glorious summer days, and everything is booming along in the garden.
Late last week our house air conditioning system went haywire, we still have cooling, but it's not working right and the decision between us and the technician was we need a new system. They sent someone over to measure the house, windows, insulation, etc. and today another tech is coming out to show us our options (in other words, tell us just how outrageously priced is this new system, whatever we choose). I'm braced for the worst; looks like I'll be cashing in some of Dad's Savings Bonds.
Monday cousins stopped in for lunch on their way home from N. Carolina. It's like after they left, all I wanted to do was sleep. Woke up Tuesday raring to go and got a lot done around the house and in the garden. I moved all the Boston Ferns out of my bedroom, their winter quarters, and into the Pot Corral. They came thru the winter in pretty good shape, but I know they'll really perk up now.
Got the first section of the hose system hooked up for the veg. At least now I have water to the greenhouse. But I need to do some repairs. The short hose that attaches to the outside faucet and feeds the whole system is squirting water at the faucet so I think I need to take that apart and tighten up the hose end. I have all the veg hoses out but not connected so I may get that done today, just to get it out of the way. It's a bit complicated, but I only need to do this once a year and I've found that having several shorter hoses feeding off one main hose is better for my veg garden than trying to haul around a single hose to reach every corner.
Cleaned out the tulip pots by the deck and replanted the bulbs in the Below the Deck Garden, right at the bottom edge. The soil there is compacted heavy clay, so I dug up and turned over a biggish area and worked some compost into it before the tulips went in. Not so much for the tulips themselves but to just go ahead and improve another small spot of clay. I'm hoping to fill those big empty pots with something cheap from Lowe's. Last year I got a big flat of very very browned and sad looking begonias on discount at Lowe's; a little time and TLC and they were gorgeous all summer long.
I've been putting those "yard sign" wire supports to really good use everywhere! It's great having a quick way to give my emerging lilies support. I did not realize how many lilies I have around here and I'm glad not to have to scramble around finding supports AFTER the plants get top heavy. I'm going to put in some of these wire supports around some young peonies in the Below the Deck Garden too.
Today, the two big projects are to finish digging over the long bed in the veg so I can set up my tomato fence. I put in 4 lightweight metal fence posts and string a section of wire fencing called "sheep fence" on them. The wires are widely spaced (6X10 inch rectangles) so it is perfect for tomatoes. You can reach right through to pick. I'm not ready to set out tomatoes just yet, but this will get everything ready.
The second big project is to go over to Jerry's backlot and get a big load of stump grindings. I really want to finish filling up some big pots and that stuff is perfect for taking up room at the bottom of a pot. It's a mix of shredded wood and lots of dirt, and by the end of the summer it will be rich dark compost. I put a generous layer of regular potting soil on top and plant in that.
I'm so surprised that my "Jane" magnolias are still hanging onto their blooms! They look absolutely magical with the pink and white bleeding hearts and the white native dogwoods. Lucky!
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