7-13-20. It is still summer in Oklahoma. Our temperatures are around 93 today and predict 96 for Saturday and then in the high 80's this coming week. We have gotten some rain in central Oklahoma and I am hoping that we about ready to start heading down from high 90's for the year. We have been lucky that we have not had a recorded 100 degrees yet this year. We are so sorry for the severe weather that has hit the eastern part of the United States.
My zinnias have been blooming about 2 weeks and the tall marigolds are just starting to bloom. I did have good luck with the snapdragons that I brought up from seed as they have been blooming all summer and have withstood the heat very well. I ordered some seed for a few taller varieties for next spring planting. I have also ordered some peony roots (Kansas is one variety) and a light pink double bloom variety for planting in some wooden planters in the raised bed isles. I love peonies. But, had resisted planting here at my new home because there is only one bloom period. I have some space at the end of the raise bed isles that have pots of mixed kale that did really well. I will make the planters about 18 inches high and will have open bottoms so the that the peony roots can grow into the ground. That way, I am not giving over precious garden space to a flower that only has one bloom period. Even if it is a fantastic one. I have some space to the back of my chrysanthemum bed and planted 4 small growing hydrangeas. I do not have the names in my head right now, but will be sure to give the names if they bloom for me next spring. This bed is on the northwest part of my backyard. It gets mostly shade and just a small amount of hot sun as the sun sets in the northwest in the summer. I have a fence around this planting bed to keep my Shelties away. So, I may have to put some shade fabric on the fencing for next year.
I have had some really nice blooms from my seed gaillardia for the past 3 years. But, they are getting tired. I think that 3 years is about the lifespan for some perennials. So, I am going to thank them and pull them out this fall and I purchased a couple of varieties of shasta daisies to bring up from seed. I have never grown shasta daisies. But, thought they would be good producer for Market flowers and P. Allen Smith had a video where He was planting them as bare root and He said they would live many years. I will give it a try. I also planted some large bloom tall chrysanthemums for fall blooms. I ordered from for Gilbert Wild. Another Allen Smith suggestion. They are looking great and budding up.
I am sorry to report that I lost my leafcutter bees from an ant infestation. I knew there were some ants on the bee house. But, the bees were placing eggs in the cardboard tubing and seemed to be ok. I guess it was a few weeks since I checked the house and the ants had just take over and completely filled the tubes with ant eggs. I cleaned the house out and Crown Bees still did have some leafcutter bees left. So, I ordered and have place the house in a different location that I can access much better. I have wrapped the cardboard tubing in string and have left some string top dangle down and can easily pull the tubing out of the house to check for ants. I will be releasing my new bees this evening when the temps are cooler. I sure hope they survive. I know that they did pollinate my neighbors tomato and eggplant plants this year. I still have some more screens to put up at the back of my raised beds to protect from pest spray that might come from the other side of my fence. I have one or two more outside projects before fall and then I will be welcoming fall and cooler weather.
I have posted some new pictures of the garden and Tori. Chewy is 13 1/2 and He is great. Just a little slower until it is time to eat (Hah!) Flora is Her calm sweet self allowing Tori to do what ever She wants. Rusty the cat is just pleased to get to come into the house when ever He can. He pretty much stays in the garage and has a good soft cushion to sleep on and plenty of food and cool water and He gets to come in when it is really hot and he has a great big kennel inside the house when I have to be away for a few hours. Thanks for checking our site and I am Praying for Everyone in the World. Take care.
7-7-20. I found first Zinnia bloom of the summer today. Yeah!! We have 100+ degree temperatures predicted for the next 10 days. Whew!! I am trying to keep my leafcutter bees cool. I have a simple shade board in front of their house. I will be replacing that with a nicer shade screen soon. Everyone take care. There are very hot temperatures predicted for about 1/2 of USA.
7-6-20. Another really hot week in Oklahoma. We are scheduled for some high 80 degree temps and then we will approach 100 by the end of the week. Some areas around me have received rain, but none at my home. Chewy, Flora, Tori and I hope that all of Your Friends and Family are well and that the covid-19 has not made it to Your home. We Pray for all those that are sick, afraid, and just basically in a real panic about loss of wages and illness. May our Lord Bless You and We Pray for that.
Everyone in my neighborhood is walking really early (when the chickens wake up). Me and Tori also. My plants are making it ok in the heat. I water morning and evening. Roses get watered just in the morning. I noticed some mildew appearing on the Sophy Roses. So, I stopped watering them at night and the leaf mold cleared up. My zinnias are just starting to bud up and I have one Chrysanthemum that is producing blooms. The tall (fall) mums are doing well and have been pruned twice. The tall marigolds have about a foot more of growth before they will start budding up. I also planted 2 hydrangeas and some dahlias in an afternoon shade area and are hoping for blooms from all of these. Thanks to the watering and the fish emulsion, I think my plants will survive this heat.
I have one a couple of big projects left to do in my backyard. And, that is to make some shade screens to place behind my raised planting beds. The west side of the planting beds abuts the back wood fence and that will be the fence for a future house. I am afraid of any misc. weed spray that could come through the fence boards. So, I am making frames with a double shade cloth screening attached. These will be place at the end of the raised beds and attached to the fence. Hopefully if any spray does hit the other side of the fence, the shade cloth will block it from reaching my plants. Once those are done, I just need to make 2 new fence gates for the raised bed area and my big projects are almost done. I do have one area to the south of my home that is a concrete sidewalk for trash cans. I had a new walk poured closer to my garage doors and so I have placed some very large planting pots on the original concrete and am using it for tall zinnias. I want to build a wooden box to surround the planting pots.
Tori and I are practicing her obedience exercises and Chewy and Flora are doing great. The Farmers Market is really busy. We practice social distancing and wear masks and gloves for food vendors. I have not been able to have my jar candles on my table for safety reasons. I am able to display the tea cup candles, and the handmade items ( pot holders, coin purses, and dog bandanas) in clear plastic wrapping. The dog bandanas have been really helpful to replace the candle sales. I generally have 4 to 6 small bouquets to bring to the market also. I am eagerly waiting for the zinnias and marigolds to be ready for some tall bouquets. The scented geraniums have been doing well for me also.
My front yard bermuda is doing great. I always have to pull a few weeds while watering. As soon as we get some really good rains, I will spray again with the ionite fertilizer in the front yard. The back yard is about 50% good for the bermuda and about 50% bad for bermuda mixed with every weed I have ever seen. It has really been hard for me to get the bermuda to completely cover that area. And, I still have patches of red clay(Yuck). I just need to take the time to seed some more bermuda on that part and cover with lite soil. One evening after mowing the front yard it look like it would never be weed free and I was really saying some bad things about my grass( this is the worst yard I have ever seen, no matter what I do, more and more weeds). The next week I noticed that the bermuda was really looking good. I guess the heat had just gotten to me and I have to stop that complaining. Mother nature will do the right thing with a little help. One last thing, My Leafcutter Bees are really making themselves seen in the garden with little holes in all my large leaf plants and their bee tubes are packing up with eggs(Yay). My Neighbor said he did have tomatoes on his vines. So, I think they are working hard. More to come about those precious Bees.
That is all for now from Central Oklahoma. We all Pray from all house that Your house receives many Blessings.
6-7-20. It is really hot today in Central Oklahoma. High 90 degrees the last 2 days and predicted 92 today. We are suppose to get high 80 degrees this week and then back to 98 range for the weekend.
Well, that is summer in Oklahoma. Thankfully, it can change in a few days time. But generally late June, July, and August are just plain ( protect yourself) hot. But, beautiful skies.
My broadcast zinnia, and marigold seedlings are about 2 inches tall and the snapdragon transplants are about 6 inches tall now. The stock are still very small. They all look good. But, I am not sure the stock will get tall enough to produce flowers before it gets too hot. They have been in the ground since early May. My Chrysanthemums are just budding up (yeah) and some of the fall varieties look great. My roses are budding again and the dwarf yellow "Happy Returns" daylilies are blooming and are the nicest light yellow. They are Gilbert Wild and are beautiful. I have another dwarf daylily blooming now that I think is Siloam Spring??? I hope that is correct. It is lovely also. I will get pictures of both to post.
My bermuda grass is finally looking really good in my front yard. The ironite spray lawn fertilizer really helped and also "Blessed Mother Nature". I still am pulling a few weeds. But almost clean of weeds. I did have to spray a hose end 2-4 D early in the spring to kill an enormous amount of weeds. I wish that was not needed. But, in integrated pest management, it does allow for spraying if needed with only the least amount of weed killer needed and the safest amount possible. I still do have many weeds in the backyard. I cannot spray anything in my back yard because of my Sweet Shelties. I did find an organic
hose end fertilizer that has helped. I will be pulling weeds for a long time. But, the bermuda will spread with just a little help of good watering and manual removal of weeds( hand pull as fast as I can).
I am able to take gaillardia, carnation, rose and thyme bouquets to the market. And, can add daylilies, and chrysanthemums soon. The large amount of tall sedum that I was hoping for flowers did not produce for me. I think the variety was "Beach Party". It just never produced bloom stems. So, I removed it from the bed and will replace with more Chrysanthemums.
Also, great news, my leaf cutter bees are working for me in the garden and are filling in some bee house tubes with bee eggs and leaf material. I sure hope to get those precious bees established in my yard.
Chewy, Tori, Flora, and I wish everyone a bountiful, safe and peaceful early summer.
4-26-20. It is a beautiful day in Central Oklahoma. The high is 79 degrees and not much wind. Yeah! I will be allowed to return to the Farmer's Market this coming Saturday May 2nd. I will be able to bring cut flower bouquets, scented Geranium plants, tea cup candles (clear wrapped) and my handmade home and accessory items (Clear wrapped). I will not be able to put my jar or candle refills on my table until it is safe for customers to handle them. I will have them under my table to be directly put in the shopper's bag is they are purchased. The Market owners and management are trying very hard to make it a safe shopping area for Customers and Vendors obeying social distancing rules and Vendors wear masks and gloves. That is great.
I was at Lowe's Home Improvement this morning. It was so packed with Customers that I could hardly find a place to park. I certainly understand everyone's desire to be able to work in their yards and to start home projects. And, even as most Customers were doing a great job of social distancing themselves, only about 30% of Folks were wearing masks. About a week ago nearly everyone I saw was wearing a mask. And, I saw unmasked Children today. That really concerns me. I hope We as a Population are not thinking that we are all cleared of any virus danger. I do not like wearing that "ole" mask either. But, I think it has to be done until the virus is contracted by a very small amount of People or there is a vaccine produced. I am Praying for both.
I am trying my best to rid my front yard of broad leaf weeds and poa anna grass weeds. I practice integrated pest management. But, the grass that was laid when my home was built was not good quality and I have had problems for the past 3 seasons. I try to cut out as many weeds as I can. But, this spring I did spray with 2-4 D (growth regulator) and it has done a pretty good kill of weeds in my front yard. Now, I just need to fertilize a lot this spring and summer to try to get the root system established enough that it will not allow weed seed germination. In my back yard, I can only cut out weeds and fertilize heavy all summer to get that root system established. I cannot spray for weeds because of my Shelties. So, that is one of my Summer projects. I found an organic fertilizer hose end spray for my back yard that I hope will be OK for my Fur Babies. Its ingredients are plant based. I will spray in sections at night and it should dry over night. My Shelties have a small yard that they use at night that is away from the large yard.
My other Summer garden project is to install a double sheet of shade cloth behind my raised beds as they back up to a vacant lot right now. But, could soon be a new house back yard and I do not want to take any chance of weed killer being sprayed and drifting through my fence. I think that the 2 layers of shade cloth will prevent that. Please everyone social distance when You leave home. Wear Your mask and have some soap and water in a small container to wash your hands when you return to your car. Chewy, Flora, Tori and I hope everyone is well or getting well. And getting the assistance that is needed. Happy Gardening.
3-26-20 It is a really hot day in central Oklahoma. We are having a brief heat wave for a couple of days and it will cool back down to normal in a few days. Chewy, Flora, Tori, and I are hoping for a normal health calm for our whole world as soon as possible. We are in very hard times right now and one thing that it has taught me to do is not to forget to Pray every day and wash my hands all the time. A good hand cream is appreciated. Hopefully when the medical needs are met and the stimulus monies are received, most everyone can calm a little. Being outside really helps right now.
Here is what is going on in the garden. I did receive my "Sophy" roses and they are planted. I have my window sill seedlings on my porch to harden off. In another week, I will be transplanting the stock, snapdragon, ornamental basil, and carnations into my raised beds and will be covering with row covers. The pansies, sweet alyssum and small snapdragons that I planted about 10 days ago for the leaf cutter bees are doing well. I have scented geraniums in the window sill waiting for my arrival back at the Farmer's Market and I was able to plant 3 scented geraniums in one of the back garden beds. I only need about 5 minature rose plants to purchase and I should be in good shape. I do plan to attach some shade cloth on my fence behind my raised beds to prevent any spray mist that might come from my neighbors. I have a house and nesting tubes for the leaf cutter bees and will be getting it up as soon as I can. The bees should arrive in May and be ready to set free.
I do have weeds to be cut out and will need to trim and mow for the first time this year. Since, I do not commercially spray my yard for weeds and practice integrated pest management, my yard is green right now. I would love to have weed free grass. But, I love having the bird feeders and birds more. My front and back yards in my new home are really great. I cannot complain.
Tori has completed 2 obedience classes and is in a private class right now to get her and me ready for an AKC Beginner Novice trial. Tori is doing great and She loves her obedience walks in my neighborhood. Me too! I will be posting a few new pictures and and I am Praying for our Lord's and Holy Spirit help and guidance for the days to come. Everyone please be safe and enjoy some quiet place outdoors if You can.
3-1-20 It is a beautiful day in Central Oklahoma. I will be re-attaching my garden hoses as the weather forecast looks pretty mild going forward. Of course, when I did that, one of the brand new hose end sprayers ( that were not cheap) is leaking and I got a good spray in the face. So, a trip soon to the garden stores to try to find more of my favorite hand fan sprayers. I have a little bit of dead foliage clean up in my Chrysanthemum bed and have a few weeds to pull in my grass lawn. I am waiting for the garden stores to receive their spring bedding plants so that I can early plant some pansys and sweet allysum in my raised beds until the I am able to transplant the stock, and snapdragon plants. I am needing some flowers so that I can order the leafcutter bees for my garden. I have 4 David Austin Sophy roses coming and will be planting a few more miniature roses for small flower bouquets. I am getting anxious to be able to take some bouquets and small garden plants to my vendor space at the Public Farmer's Market. I am also busy making hand quilted pot holders and accessory bags for the Market and my etsy shop. There is a tab under the "More" section on the home page that says "items
for sale on etsy".
Tori just graduated her intermediate obedience class and I was sure proud of her. She and I will start some training soon to get her ready for the AKC Beginning Novice Trial. My goal is then for her to be able to complete her AKC Companion Dog Degree. She sure loves her obedience leash!! Chewy and Flora are doing great and I hear Chewy letting me know he is done with breakfast and lets get him out of his kennel. He and I have a date to get coffee this morning and some whipped cream for him. Happy Sunday and We are hoping you are having nice spring like weather.
2-23-20 We have been very lucky in that we have only had a couple of days of icy roads and really low temperatures (below 25 degrees). If, we can make it into mid March with out more severe weather, we will be set for spring planting. My indoor seeds are coming along really good, stock, sedum. snapdragon, carnation. celosia. and basil. I am waiting for 4 more Sophy roses to arrive and will be looking for a few more miniature roses to add to the raised beds. I am also waiting to purchase some sweet alyssum and pansy plants for the raised beds so that I can order some leaf cutter bees to establish as pollinators.
The Farmer's Market has been getting busier and my sales of soy and beeswax candles and handmade home and accessory items has improved. Yeah! Tori has been taking a couple of obedience classes to get ready to try for the AKC Beginner Novice trials. She sure loves her obedience leash and training. Chewy and Flora and Rusty are well. I will be posting some more current pictures of the garden, Shelties and Farmer's Market soon. We hope your home is having a great late winter and early spring.
1-9-20 January has brought very nice temperatures to us, so far. We have moved to the Historic Farmer's Public Market for our Saturday sales. This is a great market in a building that is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. We are hoping that our Faithful Customers will follow us to this market and we will have a successful spring and summer at the Market. The grass and planting beds are resting now and I have most all of my seeds purchased for this spring and summer. I am going to try Stock and Snapdragons this spring for early blooms while our weather is mild. And, then they will be mulched down for summer or removed if needed to make way for Zinnias and Marigolds for summer blooms. I need to add a few more Carnations to that garden bed and hopefully the Iris and Dwarf day lilies will come back with healthy this spring. I will be adding more "Sophy" Roses and more miniature Roses also. It is not a big project, and I will enjoy preparing for this. Since I have almost no pollinators in my garden, I am going to try to get a colony of Leaf cutter Bees established this summer. If I am successful at that, then next year I will plant Cucumbers and Tomatoes again. Chewy, Flora, and Tori are loving their backyard. I know they will be Great at helping me this Spring. Please check the etsy page as I am also adding handmade kitchen potholders to my shop. Thanks for stopping by our website and Happy Spring planting.
12-14-19 We are busy getting ready for Christmas here and I have been making many candles and handmade quilted accessories for a couple of craft shows and the local Farmers Market. The most wonderful OSU-OKC Farmers Market will be closing after 23 years. It has been a wonderful market and I am very greatful for the precious memories and good Friends I have made there. I was lucky to get into another Historic Farmers Market and will have a link for that in the "More" section. Chewy will be celebrating his 13th Birthday Christmas Eve. He is my best Christmas present as he has been my sweetest little companion all of his life. God has truly blessed me with my Sweet Shelties. Our yard and gardens are ready for winter and we have some good plans for the next growing season. Jane Magnolia continues to be a good bird mother and even though she has lost all of her leaves, her bark is very beautiful and she stands proudly holding her bird feeders. We wish everyone a Blessed Christmas, most Peaceful Holiday and celebration with our Friends and Family. We wish peace and goodwill in our Country and World and are hoping to be good stewards of our Earth and are hoping for government to help in that and good times for our Farmers. We celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.
10-15-19 I just posted some pictures of the raised beds ready for winter and a new bed of Chrysanthemums and Tall Sedum and a new growing patch of " Hound Dog" Fescue. The new bed of mums and sedum is for next summer and fall for cut flowers. The " Hound Dog" fescue is a variety that was recommended by Oklahoma State University. I have been very pleased with its fine blade texture and the fact that it blends in very well with my common u3 bermuda sod. It will stress some in dry conditions. But, that might be because this is the first season for it. I am hoping that with a good fertilizer if will develop a good strong nap for next year. I am ready to thank my garden and put it to bed for the winter. I am hoping for some nice fall color from my newly planted mums and red dragon sedum. But, I am sure they will be much nicer next year.
My cut flowers are just about done to take to the Farmer's Market. I will still have a few Sophy roses and some miniature roses for cutting until we get a hard frost. I heard from some of the vendors at the Market that live in northeast Oklahoma that they got a hard damaging frost last week. It seems like we always go from late summer to winter in Oklahoma and kind of bypass a lengthy fall. I am envious of the falls in New England. But, will take the Oklahoma winter. I would like to experience first hand a New England snowy winter day just one time. Their Christmas weather on the Hallmark Channel looks so beautiful. We can have some beautiful snowy days in Oklahoma and thankfully they don't last too long.
It is very welcome to be spending some time at my sewing machine and know that most of my outdoor yard chores are done. Mainly just watering once a day until we get rains or we get so cold that the hoses need to be sheltered and the faucets wrapped. Chewy, Flora, and Tori and I are getting busy getting our craft items ready for the craft shows and I will be at the Farmers Market this winter with my candles and wooden garden/tool boxes and carry-all boxes. We are hoping that everyone enjoys the cooler temperatures and hopefully less garden chores.
I and my Family will be continuing to work on our imaginary story "The Adventures of Felicia the Princess of the Boot" and will hopefully have the first stories posted soon. Please keep watching for that. I also have some new items listed on my etsy page with links that will take you into my etsy shop. Thanks for reading.
10-3-19 It is finally cool here in Central Oklahoma. A welcome high in the 60's today. Yeah! Our summer has been hanging on and the snow is falling in the northern states. May God Bless the Farmers and Ranchers that are trying to harvest their crops and take good care of their Animals. I am just about ready to put most of my flower gardens to bed for the winter. I do have a new bed of Chrysanthemums and tall Sedum that I may be able to cut for fall flowers and my Roses should keep blooming. But, the Zinnias have been pulled and the tall Marigolds will be next and I will be moving some Carnations into some different growing beds. Then, I can apply some fall fertilizer to my grass and thank the Lord for the bounty of my summer garden.
I have been trying to get my bermuda grass to really get established with a good nap and root system for the last 2 years. I have re-seeded bermuda. But, with the long rains in spring, dry period in summer and constant appearance of summer weeds and crabgrass, I have had kind of a battle on my hands. I can apply a spot weed killer on the crabgrass in the front lawn where the weeds are too many to pull. But, in the backyard, I am left to just pulling or digging the weeds out and re-seeding with bermuda grass. I have to protect my Shelties from anything toxic. I am even using processed Alpaca poo as fertilizer in the backyard to be safe and it is great. Not as easy to lay down as the traditional fertilizer. But, very safe. And, full of micro-nutrients. My backyard grass has never had an even green color. I do not know why. Some spots are very green and lush and most other areas are a lighter green. It is all suppose to be U-3 sod. But, very different looking throughout the backyard. The grass blades are the same, just a different green. I wanted the backyard to be a lush dark green though out. But, my little Shelties just love their yard. So, I am going to start thinking of it as my backyard prairie. I kind of like that.
I am busy working on iphone and ipad covers and Christmas stockings and pillow cases for my two big craft shows that are coming up. I will be moving inside the pavillion for the Farmer's Market for winter and that will be a welcome change. My Canopy has served me very well for the summer. But, I will be happy to pack it away for the winter. I will have some of my craft items listed on this sight soon and there will be a link for them for my etsy shop. Chewy, Flora, Tori, Rusty and I are wishing everyone some well deserved cooler weather and a happy entry into Fall. We will leave you with one of our beautiful Oklahoma sunsets on the "Garden and Special Sheltie Helpers" page.
9-5-19 We are still having some hot temperatures (around 91 to 96 degree daytime temps.) But, our night time temps are getting cooler and I can see that the bermuda grass is starting to take on that darker green color that indicates Fall is coming. Yeah! We have about 3 more weeks to the official start of fall. So, I hope by that time we can tell the 90 degree temperatures good-bye. My cut flowers for the market are less as my annuals that have produced so well for me are really getting tired. My zinnias and marigolds did not ever produce for me this summer as I had hoped. So, new plans for next spring on where to seed them and I will direct seed them next spring. I did have 4 hills of zinnia seedlings that I direct seeded the first of August and they were looking great (about 6 inches tall) and something ate them to the ground. I think it was a grasshopper. So, I will need to use a row cover next spring. My carnations have grown well this year and should produce well for me next spring. The miniature roses have done well along with "Sophy" rose. I will add 4 more Sophy roses next spring. This is a David Austin rose and is a smaller rose, not many thorns and blooms well all summer. The dwarf daylilies should produce much better next spring. I am planting fall mums now in a new planting bed and will be adding tall sedum and scented geraniums to that bed. These plantings are all for cut flowers and I can use the scented and the pelagonium leaves in bouquets for next spring. I also had good luck with some "Red Dragon" creeping sedum seeds and look forward to planting them this fall for a good bloom next spring and also for some sales at my Market booth. Another plant that can be brought up from seed is Gaillardia. It is easy to germinate and it will bloom all summer after the plants have been in the ground about a year. I know I am looking forward to putting the mower and trimmer away for the fall and winter months. And, to enjoy some nice crisp weather. Chewy, Flora, Tori, and Rusty are all doing well and they are wishing everyone cooler temperatures and good Fall weather. Those little pie pumpkins will be appearing soon and they make great pies. Just wash the pumpkin really well. Then, cut it into quarters, remove the inside seeds and stringy tissure, and wrap in foil to be placed on a baking sheet and bake at about 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Once the pumpkins have cooled, it is very easy to remove the outside rind and the pumpkin flesh can be used immediately or placed in freezer bags for delicious pies and breads for holiday time. Make sure the pumpkins you purchase have no abrasions or holes as these could have some problems with bacteria and mold. The little pumpkins are great as a table decoration until you are ready to bake them. I have also cut a large pumpkins for pie making and they are good. It is easier to cut up the smaller pumpkins and they are grown for the best pie making. But, if you want, there is no need to waist a large pumpkin that has not been carved. They can make a nice pie also. And, if you plan to carve a pumpkin for Halloween, just know that the inside flesh will mold very fast. Especially if you burn a candle in them. So, carve them just a day or two before halloween and burn the candle for one night. Or, you will have a ghost pumpkin. Happy Fall!
8-18-19 Oh My. A very hot day at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. The temp predicted for central Oklahoma was 100 degrees. And, the market was at 94 degrees when I quickly packed up at 1:00 PM. But, that Market has the greatest, loyal customers. My candle sales has been very good (most greatful and that was my goal for entering the market) and I have been lucky to have at least 3 small kitchen garden bouquets for each Saturday. My minature roses, gaillardia, carnations, veronica, tall sedum, zinnias, marigolds, and thyme have bloomed great for me in all this heat. I have to hurry and pack up at the market and get back home to take care of my sweet Shelties as I have to leave early for the market for set-up. If I am lucky enough to get inside for the winter market, the hours will shorten. That will be much better for my Chewy, Flora, and Tori.
I made the decision to pull up my tomatoes and cucumbers last week as they had no fruit production. The plants looked great and many blooms. But, I think my lack of butterflies and honey bees in my new home garden prevented enough pollination for fruit. My Best Friend told about the great Mason Bees that they are trying to get a habitat established in their yard. I did some research and a good site is "One Green World". The Mason bees do not make a hive or produce honey and all the females lay eggs. They find a protected place with a cylinder shape and lay their eggs and use red clay mud to seal the area where the eggs are laid for protection. And, their pollination rate is very high. They require flowers within about 300 feet and they will have their nesting site in that area. I have ordered a mason house and am doing my homework on these "Great little Creatures" and hope that I can help their species and they can help me in my garden. My little toads are doing a great job of keeping the June bugs and spiders in check. I am hoping that we have only about 7 more days of high 90 degree temperature and then we will be back down on the temp scale. More on the Mason Bees to come and Chewy, Flora, Tori, and I wish everyone cooler temperatures, enough rain, and safe days for our school Children. Wishing for Fall.
8-6-19. We are having some of our hottest temperatures this week in central Oklahoma. Hopefully next week and going forward will start going into the low 90's and continue to go down. We are all so sorry here for the heartbreaking loss of lives and injuries from shootings in our Country. May our Lord Bless those courageous Families that are mourning and may the Holy Spirit guide us and our Government in trying to overcome this in our World. Chewy, Flora, Tori and Rusty and I are Praying for everyone during these hard times and for our Earth and our Farmers.
My raised beds are looking nice. But, I have had some failures. I am not sure if it was due to the many rains we had this spring and early summer. Or, if the varieties I chose just did not do well. My cucumber vines look nice and plenty of blooms, but no cukes?? The same for my cherry tomato plants. These are the best looking tomato plants I have ever had going into very hot August. But, I have only harvested 5 tomatoes. They were very good though. I planted 17 varieties of Zinnias and they are producing but very small blooms and mainly white. I will wait until the end of fall to evaluate for the last time. But, for right now, I will not plant the cukes and tomatoes next season and give that space to 4 more Sophy roses from David Austin and more carnation plants. I can buy all the good cukes and tomatoes I need from the Farmer's Market I attend. The Sophy Roses and the carnation blooms, I can sell at the Market. I had one variety of a mixed color zinnia seeds from Eden seed that I planted in July in 2016 and they produced lovely big blooms. That is the only Zinnia I will plant next year. I think my tall Marigolds are going to be good. Just need a little more growth. I have 2 large asclepias plants that I purchased this spring that have done well for me. I am trying to help the Monarch Butterflies. But, the plant in my raised beds has a aphid infestation right now. The other plant on the south of my home has no aphids. The funny thing is that the raised bed gets the most wind.??? I will say that I have seen many beautiful tomatoes and cukes and big beautiful Zinnias at the Farmer's Market. So, I guess it is just my garden that had this failure. That is all Jo's Garden has to report right now. We wish you all cooler temperatures and good rains. We really need a good rain right now too. I have posted a picture of the really healthy asclepias and I will be trying to divide and replant into 2 of the 7 gallon smart pots that are made here in Oklahoma. I will document how that goes. One last thing. I have started some red dragon creeping sedum in planting cups and they germinated very well and fast. More info to come on that.
7-28-19. Very hot here in Central Oklahoma. The temperature today is 96 degrees and we have a forecast of 100 degrees in a few days. I have completed all my garden beds and will include some new pictures and also some pictures of the local Farmer's Market. I am about 3 weeks out for the tall Marigolds and Zinnias for long stem cut flowers, have gotten a couple of good cherry tomatoes, and am waiting for the cucumbers to start producing. Hopefully around the middle of August, we will get temps back in the low 90's and a good rain. It is time to watch for spider mites and aphids since the temperatures are hot. I am having to water wash one of my Ascelpias ( butterfly weed) for bright orange aphids. Chewy, Flora, and Tori say Hi and wish everyone a cooler summer and a good rainfall and a good harvest for the Farmers.
6-25-19 I am almost finished with all the planting beds at my new home. The main raised beds are doing well. The rains have delayed the growth of my tomatoes, cucumbers, cutting marigolds, and zinnias. But, they are now coming along since we have been receiving some hotter days. The planting areas around my new home are working out great and just the right amount of work to maintain. I have been lucky to obtain a spot at a very great longtime Farmer's Market near me and the web side is included here. I have had good candle sales and that was my main goal. I am hoping that the cutting marigolds and zinnias will be ready in about 3 more weeks. My Magnolia Jane is looking very good and being a great bird mother as she holds 2 bird feeders and feeds many Mexican Blackbirds, Sparrows, and Doves. I know she feeds more birds, but I am not good at bird identification. I have a wonderful little Berkman's Gold Arborvitae growing and I hope that in a couple of years it might be a haven for Cardinals and Blue Jays. I have not had them at my new home because of no mature pine trees or conifers. I also am missing the Robins. Hopefully they will come. Chewy, Flora, Tori and I wish everyone a very safe and happy summer planting season.
I started at the Local Farmer's Market this May. I am glad to be back at this great Market and the link in on the home page. I had vintage tea cup candles, jar candles, a couple small fresh bouquets, some small plants and a neat wooden Garden box. I have all my raised beds planted now and the zinnias and marigolds and thyme are coming along for some nice summer cut flowers and bouquets. Chewy and Flora are doing fine and of course missing our Sweet Dora. Please check back for more in a few weeks. Thanks, Jo. Here is the website for the Farmer's Market I attend: https://osuokc.edu/farmersmarket
April 16, 2019. All of the raised beds are completed and now setting up supports for the cucumbers and tomatoes. I am trying to decide what to use in the walk area between the raised beds. Chewy likes to chew on the wood mulch which is very bad for him and I really have to watch him. I am going to check out some of the rubber matting material that I have seen in the garden supply magazines. Chewy and Flora only have access to the raised beds when I open the gate to them, but Chewy is very fast for being 12 years old. Hopefully, I can take pictures in a few days. I have lightly trimmed the roses and they are budding up. I sure do miss not having any iris blooms this spring. My Grandmother had long rows of beautiful iris on her farm. The iris rhizomes that I purchased from last year, did not make it. It was probably my fault. I should have potted them up instead of keeping them wrapped in newspaper. The root system just did not survive. I have more rhizomes ordered and there is a beautiful iris show and sale at this weekend. https://www.evensi.us/color-world-iris-ois-show/301829949
April 9, 2019. I finally have my dill and parsley in their raised bed. The garden bed of repeat bloom iris and dwarf repeat bloom day lilies is planted and the next beds to fill will be tomatoes, cucumber, zinnias, marigolds, asclepias, and finding spaces for more carnations. All those plants are growing and are in different stages of being ready to go into the garden. I also have many extra plants for my booth at the local Farmer's Market that starts near the end of April. Just a lot of watering and shifting plants around right now. The weather forecast is for a couple more night time temperatures of 35+ degrees. That should not be a problem for the garden. It was 85 degrees here today and forecast high of 46 in a couple of days. That is Oklahoma Spring time.
March 28,2019. "Jane Magnolia" blooms are beginning to open. The wind is at least 25 miles an hour here today, but my best Friend reminded me that "Mother Nature" will protect those blooms. I just love this Magnolia and so do the birds because she holds their feeders very well. Hoping to get the rest of my raised beds done within the next 2 weeks as I have seedlings in every window sill and I have dill and parsley that is now hardening off and will need to go in one raised bed to make room for more seedlings to harden off. I was able to get some orange asclepias seeds to germinate. Yeah! I have seeds for white, yellow, and pink asclepias. So I am excited about hopefully getting them to germinate also. I had the orange seeds in egg cartons in some moist planting mix for about 25 days in the refrigerator and then removed them and put them in the double cup system (at room temperature and under a light to germinate. It took about 7 days for the seeds to germinate. I hope that I can be that lucky with the other colors. Pictures of these seedlings to come later.
March 25, 2019. Well, we are fastly approaching spring-like weather. Our nighttime temperatures are
starting to stay well above 35 degrees. My sweet Shelties and I are hoping for the best for the parts of our Country that have suffered from severe flooding. I started seeding annual and perennial plants late February and was able to start transplanting into larger pots yesterday. I am finishing up my new raised beds and should be ready for the transplants in a few weeks. My Jane Magnolia has held her precious bloom buds over the winter and has put on many more. I am hoping for the blooms to open this week. I will have some new garden pictures added soon.
February 2019. We have been very lucky in Central Oklahoma to have had an easy winter so far. Compared to the eastern seaboard and the northern states we are great. Hoping for warm conditions for them soon. Still working on the raised bed area and I have noticed that the Jane Magnolia in the front yard is full of flower buds. I have read that this variety of magnolia can have a tree full of blooms with no leaves sprouted out. I am hoping for a good bloom. I will include pictures of Jane on the "Garden and Shelties" page. She has been a great tree Mother to many birds since I put the feeders up last summer. I love this magnolia. It is suppose to mature about 10 feet tall and it has a beautiful rounded type leaf canopy. It withstood fierce winds from the south and north also. The tree bark is a very lovely light color also.
January 2019. Chewy, Dora, Flora and I are working on getting the raised beds completed at our new home. We have a small flower bed in front that provided some very nice table flowers for us last summer. I had much work to do on the wonderful Home that we left to get it ready for sale and so was only able to get the front flower bed and a small bed on the north side of the house done last summer. The new yard and gardens will be much simpler and easier to maintain. But, I am hoping for the same amount of harvest of flowers and vegetables. And, I am hoping to be able to attend the wonderful Farmers Market this summer that I attended some years ago. More to come when the raised bed is complete.
My zinnias have been blooming about 2 weeks and the tall marigolds are just starting to bloom. I did have good luck with the snapdragons that I brought up from seed as they have been blooming all summer and have withstood the heat very well. I ordered some seed for a few taller varieties for next spring planting. I have also ordered some peony roots (Kansas is one variety) and a light pink double bloom variety for planting in some wooden planters in the raised bed isles. I love peonies. But, had resisted planting here at my new home because there is only one bloom period. I have some space at the end of the raise bed isles that have pots of mixed kale that did really well. I will make the planters about 18 inches high and will have open bottoms so the that the peony roots can grow into the ground. That way, I am not giving over precious garden space to a flower that only has one bloom period. Even if it is a fantastic one. I have some space to the back of my chrysanthemum bed and planted 4 small growing hydrangeas. I do not have the names in my head right now, but will be sure to give the names if they bloom for me next spring. This bed is on the northwest part of my backyard. It gets mostly shade and just a small amount of hot sun as the sun sets in the northwest in the summer. I have a fence around this planting bed to keep my Shelties away. So, I may have to put some shade fabric on the fencing for next year.
I have had some really nice blooms from my seed gaillardia for the past 3 years. But, they are getting tired. I think that 3 years is about the lifespan for some perennials. So, I am going to thank them and pull them out this fall and I purchased a couple of varieties of shasta daisies to bring up from seed. I have never grown shasta daisies. But, thought they would be good producer for Market flowers and P. Allen Smith had a video where He was planting them as bare root and He said they would live many years. I will give it a try. I also planted some large bloom tall chrysanthemums for fall blooms. I ordered from for Gilbert Wild. Another Allen Smith suggestion. They are looking great and budding up.
I am sorry to report that I lost my leafcutter bees from an ant infestation. I knew there were some ants on the bee house. But, the bees were placing eggs in the cardboard tubing and seemed to be ok. I guess it was a few weeks since I checked the house and the ants had just take over and completely filled the tubes with ant eggs. I cleaned the house out and Crown Bees still did have some leafcutter bees left. So, I ordered and have place the house in a different location that I can access much better. I have wrapped the cardboard tubing in string and have left some string top dangle down and can easily pull the tubing out of the house to check for ants. I will be releasing my new bees this evening when the temps are cooler. I sure hope they survive. I know that they did pollinate my neighbors tomato and eggplant plants this year. I still have some more screens to put up at the back of my raised beds to protect from pest spray that might come from the other side of my fence. I have one or two more outside projects before fall and then I will be welcoming fall and cooler weather.
I have posted some new pictures of the garden and Tori. Chewy is 13 1/2 and He is great. Just a little slower until it is time to eat (Hah!) Flora is Her calm sweet self allowing Tori to do what ever She wants. Rusty the cat is just pleased to get to come into the house when ever He can. He pretty much stays in the garage and has a good soft cushion to sleep on and plenty of food and cool water and He gets to come in when it is really hot and he has a great big kennel inside the house when I have to be away for a few hours. Thanks for checking our site and I am Praying for Everyone in the World. Take care.
7-7-20. I found first Zinnia bloom of the summer today. Yeah!! We have 100+ degree temperatures predicted for the next 10 days. Whew!! I am trying to keep my leafcutter bees cool. I have a simple shade board in front of their house. I will be replacing that with a nicer shade screen soon. Everyone take care. There are very hot temperatures predicted for about 1/2 of USA.
7-6-20. Another really hot week in Oklahoma. We are scheduled for some high 80 degree temps and then we will approach 100 by the end of the week. Some areas around me have received rain, but none at my home. Chewy, Flora, Tori and I hope that all of Your Friends and Family are well and that the covid-19 has not made it to Your home. We Pray for all those that are sick, afraid, and just basically in a real panic about loss of wages and illness. May our Lord Bless You and We Pray for that.
Everyone in my neighborhood is walking really early (when the chickens wake up). Me and Tori also. My plants are making it ok in the heat. I water morning and evening. Roses get watered just in the morning. I noticed some mildew appearing on the Sophy Roses. So, I stopped watering them at night and the leaf mold cleared up. My zinnias are just starting to bud up and I have one Chrysanthemum that is producing blooms. The tall (fall) mums are doing well and have been pruned twice. The tall marigolds have about a foot more of growth before they will start budding up. I also planted 2 hydrangeas and some dahlias in an afternoon shade area and are hoping for blooms from all of these. Thanks to the watering and the fish emulsion, I think my plants will survive this heat.
I have one a couple of big projects left to do in my backyard. And, that is to make some shade screens to place behind my raised planting beds. The west side of the planting beds abuts the back wood fence and that will be the fence for a future house. I am afraid of any misc. weed spray that could come through the fence boards. So, I am making frames with a double shade cloth screening attached. These will be place at the end of the raised beds and attached to the fence. Hopefully if any spray does hit the other side of the fence, the shade cloth will block it from reaching my plants. Once those are done, I just need to make 2 new fence gates for the raised bed area and my big projects are almost done. I do have one area to the south of my home that is a concrete sidewalk for trash cans. I had a new walk poured closer to my garage doors and so I have placed some very large planting pots on the original concrete and am using it for tall zinnias. I want to build a wooden box to surround the planting pots.
Tori and I are practicing her obedience exercises and Chewy and Flora are doing great. The Farmers Market is really busy. We practice social distancing and wear masks and gloves for food vendors. I have not been able to have my jar candles on my table for safety reasons. I am able to display the tea cup candles, and the handmade items ( pot holders, coin purses, and dog bandanas) in clear plastic wrapping. The dog bandanas have been really helpful to replace the candle sales. I generally have 4 to 6 small bouquets to bring to the market also. I am eagerly waiting for the zinnias and marigolds to be ready for some tall bouquets. The scented geraniums have been doing well for me also.
My front yard bermuda is doing great. I always have to pull a few weeds while watering. As soon as we get some really good rains, I will spray again with the ionite fertilizer in the front yard. The back yard is about 50% good for the bermuda and about 50% bad for bermuda mixed with every weed I have ever seen. It has really been hard for me to get the bermuda to completely cover that area. And, I still have patches of red clay(Yuck). I just need to take the time to seed some more bermuda on that part and cover with lite soil. One evening after mowing the front yard it look like it would never be weed free and I was really saying some bad things about my grass( this is the worst yard I have ever seen, no matter what I do, more and more weeds). The next week I noticed that the bermuda was really looking good. I guess the heat had just gotten to me and I have to stop that complaining. Mother nature will do the right thing with a little help. One last thing, My Leafcutter Bees are really making themselves seen in the garden with little holes in all my large leaf plants and their bee tubes are packing up with eggs(Yay). My Neighbor said he did have tomatoes on his vines. So, I think they are working hard. More to come about those precious Bees.
That is all for now from Central Oklahoma. We all Pray from all house that Your house receives many Blessings.
6-7-20. It is really hot today in Central Oklahoma. High 90 degrees the last 2 days and predicted 92 today. We are suppose to get high 80 degrees this week and then back to 98 range for the weekend.
Well, that is summer in Oklahoma. Thankfully, it can change in a few days time. But generally late June, July, and August are just plain ( protect yourself) hot. But, beautiful skies.
My broadcast zinnia, and marigold seedlings are about 2 inches tall and the snapdragon transplants are about 6 inches tall now. The stock are still very small. They all look good. But, I am not sure the stock will get tall enough to produce flowers before it gets too hot. They have been in the ground since early May. My Chrysanthemums are just budding up (yeah) and some of the fall varieties look great. My roses are budding again and the dwarf yellow "Happy Returns" daylilies are blooming and are the nicest light yellow. They are Gilbert Wild and are beautiful. I have another dwarf daylily blooming now that I think is Siloam Spring??? I hope that is correct. It is lovely also. I will get pictures of both to post.
My bermuda grass is finally looking really good in my front yard. The ironite spray lawn fertilizer really helped and also "Blessed Mother Nature". I still am pulling a few weeds. But almost clean of weeds. I did have to spray a hose end 2-4 D early in the spring to kill an enormous amount of weeds. I wish that was not needed. But, in integrated pest management, it does allow for spraying if needed with only the least amount of weed killer needed and the safest amount possible. I still do have many weeds in the backyard. I cannot spray anything in my back yard because of my Sweet Shelties. I did find an organic
hose end fertilizer that has helped. I will be pulling weeds for a long time. But, the bermuda will spread with just a little help of good watering and manual removal of weeds( hand pull as fast as I can).
I am able to take gaillardia, carnation, rose and thyme bouquets to the market. And, can add daylilies, and chrysanthemums soon. The large amount of tall sedum that I was hoping for flowers did not produce for me. I think the variety was "Beach Party". It just never produced bloom stems. So, I removed it from the bed and will replace with more Chrysanthemums.
Also, great news, my leaf cutter bees are working for me in the garden and are filling in some bee house tubes with bee eggs and leaf material. I sure hope to get those precious bees established in my yard.
Chewy, Tori, Flora, and I wish everyone a bountiful, safe and peaceful early summer.
4-26-20. It is a beautiful day in Central Oklahoma. The high is 79 degrees and not much wind. Yeah! I will be allowed to return to the Farmer's Market this coming Saturday May 2nd. I will be able to bring cut flower bouquets, scented Geranium plants, tea cup candles (clear wrapped) and my handmade home and accessory items (Clear wrapped). I will not be able to put my jar or candle refills on my table until it is safe for customers to handle them. I will have them under my table to be directly put in the shopper's bag is they are purchased. The Market owners and management are trying very hard to make it a safe shopping area for Customers and Vendors obeying social distancing rules and Vendors wear masks and gloves. That is great.
I was at Lowe's Home Improvement this morning. It was so packed with Customers that I could hardly find a place to park. I certainly understand everyone's desire to be able to work in their yards and to start home projects. And, even as most Customers were doing a great job of social distancing themselves, only about 30% of Folks were wearing masks. About a week ago nearly everyone I saw was wearing a mask. And, I saw unmasked Children today. That really concerns me. I hope We as a Population are not thinking that we are all cleared of any virus danger. I do not like wearing that "ole" mask either. But, I think it has to be done until the virus is contracted by a very small amount of People or there is a vaccine produced. I am Praying for both.
I am trying my best to rid my front yard of broad leaf weeds and poa anna grass weeds. I practice integrated pest management. But, the grass that was laid when my home was built was not good quality and I have had problems for the past 3 seasons. I try to cut out as many weeds as I can. But, this spring I did spray with 2-4 D (growth regulator) and it has done a pretty good kill of weeds in my front yard. Now, I just need to fertilize a lot this spring and summer to try to get the root system established enough that it will not allow weed seed germination. In my back yard, I can only cut out weeds and fertilize heavy all summer to get that root system established. I cannot spray for weeds because of my Shelties. So, that is one of my Summer projects. I found an organic fertilizer hose end spray for my back yard that I hope will be OK for my Fur Babies. Its ingredients are plant based. I will spray in sections at night and it should dry over night. My Shelties have a small yard that they use at night that is away from the large yard.
My other Summer garden project is to install a double sheet of shade cloth behind my raised beds as they back up to a vacant lot right now. But, could soon be a new house back yard and I do not want to take any chance of weed killer being sprayed and drifting through my fence. I think that the 2 layers of shade cloth will prevent that. Please everyone social distance when You leave home. Wear Your mask and have some soap and water in a small container to wash your hands when you return to your car. Chewy, Flora, Tori and I hope everyone is well or getting well. And getting the assistance that is needed. Happy Gardening.
3-26-20 It is a really hot day in central Oklahoma. We are having a brief heat wave for a couple of days and it will cool back down to normal in a few days. Chewy, Flora, Tori, and I are hoping for a normal health calm for our whole world as soon as possible. We are in very hard times right now and one thing that it has taught me to do is not to forget to Pray every day and wash my hands all the time. A good hand cream is appreciated. Hopefully when the medical needs are met and the stimulus monies are received, most everyone can calm a little. Being outside really helps right now.
Here is what is going on in the garden. I did receive my "Sophy" roses and they are planted. I have my window sill seedlings on my porch to harden off. In another week, I will be transplanting the stock, snapdragon, ornamental basil, and carnations into my raised beds and will be covering with row covers. The pansies, sweet alyssum and small snapdragons that I planted about 10 days ago for the leaf cutter bees are doing well. I have scented geraniums in the window sill waiting for my arrival back at the Farmer's Market and I was able to plant 3 scented geraniums in one of the back garden beds. I only need about 5 minature rose plants to purchase and I should be in good shape. I do plan to attach some shade cloth on my fence behind my raised beds to prevent any spray mist that might come from my neighbors. I have a house and nesting tubes for the leaf cutter bees and will be getting it up as soon as I can. The bees should arrive in May and be ready to set free.
I do have weeds to be cut out and will need to trim and mow for the first time this year. Since, I do not commercially spray my yard for weeds and practice integrated pest management, my yard is green right now. I would love to have weed free grass. But, I love having the bird feeders and birds more. My front and back yards in my new home are really great. I cannot complain.
Tori has completed 2 obedience classes and is in a private class right now to get her and me ready for an AKC Beginner Novice trial. Tori is doing great and She loves her obedience walks in my neighborhood. Me too! I will be posting a few new pictures and and I am Praying for our Lord's and Holy Spirit help and guidance for the days to come. Everyone please be safe and enjoy some quiet place outdoors if You can.
3-1-20 It is a beautiful day in Central Oklahoma. I will be re-attaching my garden hoses as the weather forecast looks pretty mild going forward. Of course, when I did that, one of the brand new hose end sprayers ( that were not cheap) is leaking and I got a good spray in the face. So, a trip soon to the garden stores to try to find more of my favorite hand fan sprayers. I have a little bit of dead foliage clean up in my Chrysanthemum bed and have a few weeds to pull in my grass lawn. I am waiting for the garden stores to receive their spring bedding plants so that I can early plant some pansys and sweet allysum in my raised beds until the I am able to transplant the stock, and snapdragon plants. I am needing some flowers so that I can order the leafcutter bees for my garden. I have 4 David Austin Sophy roses coming and will be planting a few more miniature roses for small flower bouquets. I am getting anxious to be able to take some bouquets and small garden plants to my vendor space at the Public Farmer's Market. I am also busy making hand quilted pot holders and accessory bags for the Market and my etsy shop. There is a tab under the "More" section on the home page that says "items
for sale on etsy".
Tori just graduated her intermediate obedience class and I was sure proud of her. She and I will start some training soon to get her ready for the AKC Beginning Novice Trial. My goal is then for her to be able to complete her AKC Companion Dog Degree. She sure loves her obedience leash!! Chewy and Flora are doing great and I hear Chewy letting me know he is done with breakfast and lets get him out of his kennel. He and I have a date to get coffee this morning and some whipped cream for him. Happy Sunday and We are hoping you are having nice spring like weather.
2-23-20 We have been very lucky in that we have only had a couple of days of icy roads and really low temperatures (below 25 degrees). If, we can make it into mid March with out more severe weather, we will be set for spring planting. My indoor seeds are coming along really good, stock, sedum. snapdragon, carnation. celosia. and basil. I am waiting for 4 more Sophy roses to arrive and will be looking for a few more miniature roses to add to the raised beds. I am also waiting to purchase some sweet alyssum and pansy plants for the raised beds so that I can order some leaf cutter bees to establish as pollinators.
The Farmer's Market has been getting busier and my sales of soy and beeswax candles and handmade home and accessory items has improved. Yeah! Tori has been taking a couple of obedience classes to get ready to try for the AKC Beginner Novice trials. She sure loves her obedience leash and training. Chewy and Flora and Rusty are well. I will be posting some more current pictures of the garden, Shelties and Farmer's Market soon. We hope your home is having a great late winter and early spring.
1-9-20 January has brought very nice temperatures to us, so far. We have moved to the Historic Farmer's Public Market for our Saturday sales. This is a great market in a building that is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. We are hoping that our Faithful Customers will follow us to this market and we will have a successful spring and summer at the Market. The grass and planting beds are resting now and I have most all of my seeds purchased for this spring and summer. I am going to try Stock and Snapdragons this spring for early blooms while our weather is mild. And, then they will be mulched down for summer or removed if needed to make way for Zinnias and Marigolds for summer blooms. I need to add a few more Carnations to that garden bed and hopefully the Iris and Dwarf day lilies will come back with healthy this spring. I will be adding more "Sophy" Roses and more miniature Roses also. It is not a big project, and I will enjoy preparing for this. Since I have almost no pollinators in my garden, I am going to try to get a colony of Leaf cutter Bees established this summer. If I am successful at that, then next year I will plant Cucumbers and Tomatoes again. Chewy, Flora, and Tori are loving their backyard. I know they will be Great at helping me this Spring. Please check the etsy page as I am also adding handmade kitchen potholders to my shop. Thanks for stopping by our website and Happy Spring planting.
12-14-19 We are busy getting ready for Christmas here and I have been making many candles and handmade quilted accessories for a couple of craft shows and the local Farmers Market. The most wonderful OSU-OKC Farmers Market will be closing after 23 years. It has been a wonderful market and I am very greatful for the precious memories and good Friends I have made there. I was lucky to get into another Historic Farmers Market and will have a link for that in the "More" section. Chewy will be celebrating his 13th Birthday Christmas Eve. He is my best Christmas present as he has been my sweetest little companion all of his life. God has truly blessed me with my Sweet Shelties. Our yard and gardens are ready for winter and we have some good plans for the next growing season. Jane Magnolia continues to be a good bird mother and even though she has lost all of her leaves, her bark is very beautiful and she stands proudly holding her bird feeders. We wish everyone a Blessed Christmas, most Peaceful Holiday and celebration with our Friends and Family. We wish peace and goodwill in our Country and World and are hoping to be good stewards of our Earth and are hoping for government to help in that and good times for our Farmers. We celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.
10-15-19 I just posted some pictures of the raised beds ready for winter and a new bed of Chrysanthemums and Tall Sedum and a new growing patch of " Hound Dog" Fescue. The new bed of mums and sedum is for next summer and fall for cut flowers. The " Hound Dog" fescue is a variety that was recommended by Oklahoma State University. I have been very pleased with its fine blade texture and the fact that it blends in very well with my common u3 bermuda sod. It will stress some in dry conditions. But, that might be because this is the first season for it. I am hoping that with a good fertilizer if will develop a good strong nap for next year. I am ready to thank my garden and put it to bed for the winter. I am hoping for some nice fall color from my newly planted mums and red dragon sedum. But, I am sure they will be much nicer next year.
My cut flowers are just about done to take to the Farmer's Market. I will still have a few Sophy roses and some miniature roses for cutting until we get a hard frost. I heard from some of the vendors at the Market that live in northeast Oklahoma that they got a hard damaging frost last week. It seems like we always go from late summer to winter in Oklahoma and kind of bypass a lengthy fall. I am envious of the falls in New England. But, will take the Oklahoma winter. I would like to experience first hand a New England snowy winter day just one time. Their Christmas weather on the Hallmark Channel looks so beautiful. We can have some beautiful snowy days in Oklahoma and thankfully they don't last too long.
It is very welcome to be spending some time at my sewing machine and know that most of my outdoor yard chores are done. Mainly just watering once a day until we get rains or we get so cold that the hoses need to be sheltered and the faucets wrapped. Chewy, Flora, and Tori and I are getting busy getting our craft items ready for the craft shows and I will be at the Farmers Market this winter with my candles and wooden garden/tool boxes and carry-all boxes. We are hoping that everyone enjoys the cooler temperatures and hopefully less garden chores.
I and my Family will be continuing to work on our imaginary story "The Adventures of Felicia the Princess of the Boot" and will hopefully have the first stories posted soon. Please keep watching for that. I also have some new items listed on my etsy page with links that will take you into my etsy shop. Thanks for reading.
10-3-19 It is finally cool here in Central Oklahoma. A welcome high in the 60's today. Yeah! Our summer has been hanging on and the snow is falling in the northern states. May God Bless the Farmers and Ranchers that are trying to harvest their crops and take good care of their Animals. I am just about ready to put most of my flower gardens to bed for the winter. I do have a new bed of Chrysanthemums and tall Sedum that I may be able to cut for fall flowers and my Roses should keep blooming. But, the Zinnias have been pulled and the tall Marigolds will be next and I will be moving some Carnations into some different growing beds. Then, I can apply some fall fertilizer to my grass and thank the Lord for the bounty of my summer garden.
I have been trying to get my bermuda grass to really get established with a good nap and root system for the last 2 years. I have re-seeded bermuda. But, with the long rains in spring, dry period in summer and constant appearance of summer weeds and crabgrass, I have had kind of a battle on my hands. I can apply a spot weed killer on the crabgrass in the front lawn where the weeds are too many to pull. But, in the backyard, I am left to just pulling or digging the weeds out and re-seeding with bermuda grass. I have to protect my Shelties from anything toxic. I am even using processed Alpaca poo as fertilizer in the backyard to be safe and it is great. Not as easy to lay down as the traditional fertilizer. But, very safe. And, full of micro-nutrients. My backyard grass has never had an even green color. I do not know why. Some spots are very green and lush and most other areas are a lighter green. It is all suppose to be U-3 sod. But, very different looking throughout the backyard. The grass blades are the same, just a different green. I wanted the backyard to be a lush dark green though out. But, my little Shelties just love their yard. So, I am going to start thinking of it as my backyard prairie. I kind of like that.
I am busy working on iphone and ipad covers and Christmas stockings and pillow cases for my two big craft shows that are coming up. I will be moving inside the pavillion for the Farmer's Market for winter and that will be a welcome change. My Canopy has served me very well for the summer. But, I will be happy to pack it away for the winter. I will have some of my craft items listed on this sight soon and there will be a link for them for my etsy shop. Chewy, Flora, Tori, Rusty and I are wishing everyone some well deserved cooler weather and a happy entry into Fall. We will leave you with one of our beautiful Oklahoma sunsets on the "Garden and Special Sheltie Helpers" page.
9-5-19 We are still having some hot temperatures (around 91 to 96 degree daytime temps.) But, our night time temps are getting cooler and I can see that the bermuda grass is starting to take on that darker green color that indicates Fall is coming. Yeah! We have about 3 more weeks to the official start of fall. So, I hope by that time we can tell the 90 degree temperatures good-bye. My cut flowers for the market are less as my annuals that have produced so well for me are really getting tired. My zinnias and marigolds did not ever produce for me this summer as I had hoped. So, new plans for next spring on where to seed them and I will direct seed them next spring. I did have 4 hills of zinnia seedlings that I direct seeded the first of August and they were looking great (about 6 inches tall) and something ate them to the ground. I think it was a grasshopper. So, I will need to use a row cover next spring. My carnations have grown well this year and should produce well for me next spring. The miniature roses have done well along with "Sophy" rose. I will add 4 more Sophy roses next spring. This is a David Austin rose and is a smaller rose, not many thorns and blooms well all summer. The dwarf daylilies should produce much better next spring. I am planting fall mums now in a new planting bed and will be adding tall sedum and scented geraniums to that bed. These plantings are all for cut flowers and I can use the scented and the pelagonium leaves in bouquets for next spring. I also had good luck with some "Red Dragon" creeping sedum seeds and look forward to planting them this fall for a good bloom next spring and also for some sales at my Market booth. Another plant that can be brought up from seed is Gaillardia. It is easy to germinate and it will bloom all summer after the plants have been in the ground about a year. I know I am looking forward to putting the mower and trimmer away for the fall and winter months. And, to enjoy some nice crisp weather. Chewy, Flora, Tori, and Rusty are all doing well and they are wishing everyone cooler temperatures and good Fall weather. Those little pie pumpkins will be appearing soon and they make great pies. Just wash the pumpkin really well. Then, cut it into quarters, remove the inside seeds and stringy tissure, and wrap in foil to be placed on a baking sheet and bake at about 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Once the pumpkins have cooled, it is very easy to remove the outside rind and the pumpkin flesh can be used immediately or placed in freezer bags for delicious pies and breads for holiday time. Make sure the pumpkins you purchase have no abrasions or holes as these could have some problems with bacteria and mold. The little pumpkins are great as a table decoration until you are ready to bake them. I have also cut a large pumpkins for pie making and they are good. It is easier to cut up the smaller pumpkins and they are grown for the best pie making. But, if you want, there is no need to waist a large pumpkin that has not been carved. They can make a nice pie also. And, if you plan to carve a pumpkin for Halloween, just know that the inside flesh will mold very fast. Especially if you burn a candle in them. So, carve them just a day or two before halloween and burn the candle for one night. Or, you will have a ghost pumpkin. Happy Fall!
8-18-19 Oh My. A very hot day at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. The temp predicted for central Oklahoma was 100 degrees. And, the market was at 94 degrees when I quickly packed up at 1:00 PM. But, that Market has the greatest, loyal customers. My candle sales has been very good (most greatful and that was my goal for entering the market) and I have been lucky to have at least 3 small kitchen garden bouquets for each Saturday. My minature roses, gaillardia, carnations, veronica, tall sedum, zinnias, marigolds, and thyme have bloomed great for me in all this heat. I have to hurry and pack up at the market and get back home to take care of my sweet Shelties as I have to leave early for the market for set-up. If I am lucky enough to get inside for the winter market, the hours will shorten. That will be much better for my Chewy, Flora, and Tori.
I made the decision to pull up my tomatoes and cucumbers last week as they had no fruit production. The plants looked great and many blooms. But, I think my lack of butterflies and honey bees in my new home garden prevented enough pollination for fruit. My Best Friend told about the great Mason Bees that they are trying to get a habitat established in their yard. I did some research and a good site is "One Green World". The Mason bees do not make a hive or produce honey and all the females lay eggs. They find a protected place with a cylinder shape and lay their eggs and use red clay mud to seal the area where the eggs are laid for protection. And, their pollination rate is very high. They require flowers within about 300 feet and they will have their nesting site in that area. I have ordered a mason house and am doing my homework on these "Great little Creatures" and hope that I can help their species and they can help me in my garden. My little toads are doing a great job of keeping the June bugs and spiders in check. I am hoping that we have only about 7 more days of high 90 degree temperature and then we will be back down on the temp scale. More on the Mason Bees to come and Chewy, Flora, Tori, and I wish everyone cooler temperatures, enough rain, and safe days for our school Children. Wishing for Fall.
8-6-19. We are having some of our hottest temperatures this week in central Oklahoma. Hopefully next week and going forward will start going into the low 90's and continue to go down. We are all so sorry here for the heartbreaking loss of lives and injuries from shootings in our Country. May our Lord Bless those courageous Families that are mourning and may the Holy Spirit guide us and our Government in trying to overcome this in our World. Chewy, Flora, Tori and Rusty and I are Praying for everyone during these hard times and for our Earth and our Farmers.
My raised beds are looking nice. But, I have had some failures. I am not sure if it was due to the many rains we had this spring and early summer. Or, if the varieties I chose just did not do well. My cucumber vines look nice and plenty of blooms, but no cukes?? The same for my cherry tomato plants. These are the best looking tomato plants I have ever had going into very hot August. But, I have only harvested 5 tomatoes. They were very good though. I planted 17 varieties of Zinnias and they are producing but very small blooms and mainly white. I will wait until the end of fall to evaluate for the last time. But, for right now, I will not plant the cukes and tomatoes next season and give that space to 4 more Sophy roses from David Austin and more carnation plants. I can buy all the good cukes and tomatoes I need from the Farmer's Market I attend. The Sophy Roses and the carnation blooms, I can sell at the Market. I had one variety of a mixed color zinnia seeds from Eden seed that I planted in July in 2016 and they produced lovely big blooms. That is the only Zinnia I will plant next year. I think my tall Marigolds are going to be good. Just need a little more growth. I have 2 large asclepias plants that I purchased this spring that have done well for me. I am trying to help the Monarch Butterflies. But, the plant in my raised beds has a aphid infestation right now. The other plant on the south of my home has no aphids. The funny thing is that the raised bed gets the most wind.??? I will say that I have seen many beautiful tomatoes and cukes and big beautiful Zinnias at the Farmer's Market. So, I guess it is just my garden that had this failure. That is all Jo's Garden has to report right now. We wish you all cooler temperatures and good rains. We really need a good rain right now too. I have posted a picture of the really healthy asclepias and I will be trying to divide and replant into 2 of the 7 gallon smart pots that are made here in Oklahoma. I will document how that goes. One last thing. I have started some red dragon creeping sedum in planting cups and they germinated very well and fast. More info to come on that.
7-28-19. Very hot here in Central Oklahoma. The temperature today is 96 degrees and we have a forecast of 100 degrees in a few days. I have completed all my garden beds and will include some new pictures and also some pictures of the local Farmer's Market. I am about 3 weeks out for the tall Marigolds and Zinnias for long stem cut flowers, have gotten a couple of good cherry tomatoes, and am waiting for the cucumbers to start producing. Hopefully around the middle of August, we will get temps back in the low 90's and a good rain. It is time to watch for spider mites and aphids since the temperatures are hot. I am having to water wash one of my Ascelpias ( butterfly weed) for bright orange aphids. Chewy, Flora, and Tori say Hi and wish everyone a cooler summer and a good rainfall and a good harvest for the Farmers.
6-25-19 I am almost finished with all the planting beds at my new home. The main raised beds are doing well. The rains have delayed the growth of my tomatoes, cucumbers, cutting marigolds, and zinnias. But, they are now coming along since we have been receiving some hotter days. The planting areas around my new home are working out great and just the right amount of work to maintain. I have been lucky to obtain a spot at a very great longtime Farmer's Market near me and the web side is included here. I have had good candle sales and that was my main goal. I am hoping that the cutting marigolds and zinnias will be ready in about 3 more weeks. My Magnolia Jane is looking very good and being a great bird mother as she holds 2 bird feeders and feeds many Mexican Blackbirds, Sparrows, and Doves. I know she feeds more birds, but I am not good at bird identification. I have a wonderful little Berkman's Gold Arborvitae growing and I hope that in a couple of years it might be a haven for Cardinals and Blue Jays. I have not had them at my new home because of no mature pine trees or conifers. I also am missing the Robins. Hopefully they will come. Chewy, Flora, Tori and I wish everyone a very safe and happy summer planting season.
I started at the Local Farmer's Market this May. I am glad to be back at this great Market and the link in on the home page. I had vintage tea cup candles, jar candles, a couple small fresh bouquets, some small plants and a neat wooden Garden box. I have all my raised beds planted now and the zinnias and marigolds and thyme are coming along for some nice summer cut flowers and bouquets. Chewy and Flora are doing fine and of course missing our Sweet Dora. Please check back for more in a few weeks. Thanks, Jo. Here is the website for the Farmer's Market I attend: https://osuokc.edu/farmersmarket
April 16, 2019. All of the raised beds are completed and now setting up supports for the cucumbers and tomatoes. I am trying to decide what to use in the walk area between the raised beds. Chewy likes to chew on the wood mulch which is very bad for him and I really have to watch him. I am going to check out some of the rubber matting material that I have seen in the garden supply magazines. Chewy and Flora only have access to the raised beds when I open the gate to them, but Chewy is very fast for being 12 years old. Hopefully, I can take pictures in a few days. I have lightly trimmed the roses and they are budding up. I sure do miss not having any iris blooms this spring. My Grandmother had long rows of beautiful iris on her farm. The iris rhizomes that I purchased from last year, did not make it. It was probably my fault. I should have potted them up instead of keeping them wrapped in newspaper. The root system just did not survive. I have more rhizomes ordered and there is a beautiful iris show and sale at this weekend. https://www.evensi.us/color-world-iris-ois-show/301829949
April 9, 2019. I finally have my dill and parsley in their raised bed. The garden bed of repeat bloom iris and dwarf repeat bloom day lilies is planted and the next beds to fill will be tomatoes, cucumber, zinnias, marigolds, asclepias, and finding spaces for more carnations. All those plants are growing and are in different stages of being ready to go into the garden. I also have many extra plants for my booth at the local Farmer's Market that starts near the end of April. Just a lot of watering and shifting plants around right now. The weather forecast is for a couple more night time temperatures of 35+ degrees. That should not be a problem for the garden. It was 85 degrees here today and forecast high of 46 in a couple of days. That is Oklahoma Spring time.
March 28,2019. "Jane Magnolia" blooms are beginning to open. The wind is at least 25 miles an hour here today, but my best Friend reminded me that "Mother Nature" will protect those blooms. I just love this Magnolia and so do the birds because she holds their feeders very well. Hoping to get the rest of my raised beds done within the next 2 weeks as I have seedlings in every window sill and I have dill and parsley that is now hardening off and will need to go in one raised bed to make room for more seedlings to harden off. I was able to get some orange asclepias seeds to germinate. Yeah! I have seeds for white, yellow, and pink asclepias. So I am excited about hopefully getting them to germinate also. I had the orange seeds in egg cartons in some moist planting mix for about 25 days in the refrigerator and then removed them and put them in the double cup system (at room temperature and under a light to germinate. It took about 7 days for the seeds to germinate. I hope that I can be that lucky with the other colors. Pictures of these seedlings to come later.
March 25, 2019. Well, we are fastly approaching spring-like weather. Our nighttime temperatures are
starting to stay well above 35 degrees. My sweet Shelties and I are hoping for the best for the parts of our Country that have suffered from severe flooding. I started seeding annual and perennial plants late February and was able to start transplanting into larger pots yesterday. I am finishing up my new raised beds and should be ready for the transplants in a few weeks. My Jane Magnolia has held her precious bloom buds over the winter and has put on many more. I am hoping for the blooms to open this week. I will have some new garden pictures added soon.
February 2019. We have been very lucky in Central Oklahoma to have had an easy winter so far. Compared to the eastern seaboard and the northern states we are great. Hoping for warm conditions for them soon. Still working on the raised bed area and I have noticed that the Jane Magnolia in the front yard is full of flower buds. I have read that this variety of magnolia can have a tree full of blooms with no leaves sprouted out. I am hoping for a good bloom. I will include pictures of Jane on the "Garden and Shelties" page. She has been a great tree Mother to many birds since I put the feeders up last summer. I love this magnolia. It is suppose to mature about 10 feet tall and it has a beautiful rounded type leaf canopy. It withstood fierce winds from the south and north also. The tree bark is a very lovely light color also.
January 2019. Chewy, Dora, Flora and I are working on getting the raised beds completed at our new home. We have a small flower bed in front that provided some very nice table flowers for us last summer. I had much work to do on the wonderful Home that we left to get it ready for sale and so was only able to get the front flower bed and a small bed on the north side of the house done last summer. The new yard and gardens will be much simpler and easier to maintain. But, I am hoping for the same amount of harvest of flowers and vegetables. And, I am hoping to be able to attend the wonderful Farmers Market this summer that I attended some years ago. More to come when the raised bed is complete.
