May Weekend Freeze, Why Minnesota?

As a little reminder to myself, these are the bulbs that I will need to pull up before winter:
2 Cana bulbs
6 Calla Bulbs
84 Gladiolus Bulbs (about)
15 Dahlia Bulbs (about)
20 Peacock Orchid
20-30 Fairy Lily
15 Ranunculus
40 Double Anemones
20 Twinkle Toes

Before Jumping into the real reason I'm writing this post, I'd like to put up some pictures from around my garden that I've been meaning to get to for a week or so. And for the record, these looked much better before I uploaded them to snapfish:

I know this looks terrible with all of the weeds but I assure you those are gone now. I didn't have time before but it has been taken care of :)

I'm worried this little bloom will be dead now because of the frost.

I got to use some of this lettuce last night on my tacos, how exciting!




I am very worried from the freezing this weekend. I don't have a whole lot out but a few things are finally starting to come up. Well, before yesterday I didn't have too much out, and whatever is out is mostly perennials. Since the weather was nice yesterday afternoon though, I ended up planting a whole lot of stuff. I'm curious though if I need to worry or not. They were from seeds, I didn't put any seedlings out so am I safe? I have no idea. I again wonder why I still live in Minnesota.
I took a few pictures last weekend though. Lots of things are happening out there though. I can't wait for the weather to warm back up. My raspberries are starting to bud along with my Hibiscus. Flowers on my strawberries, a few tips poking out from gladiolus bulbs(one of the things I'm worried about), a few sprouts of which I hope to be Violas, carrots, broccoli and the wildflowers I planted. We'll see though. I just hope everything survived but I won't know for awhile.
Friday night I heard there could be a freeze so I gathered my buckets and boxes and bags and covered the things I was worried about. I uncovered everything on Saturday around noon, thinking we were in the clear as the forecast Friday predicted warmer weather Sunday night. Apparently I need to check into this more often because I had no clue whatsoever that it would freeze Sunday. Luckily, I had been hardening plants off for the last couple weeks and decided to bring them in since it was fairly cold...thinking I was just being safe. Well had I known, I would have been out there covering everything. Oh well, there is nothing I can do about it now. Just wait and hope.

Things I planted yesterday(that I remember):
Sweet Corn
Zucchini (burpee and T&M)
Pumpkin (burpee)
Popcorn
2 Canna Lilies
Columbine Barlow Mix
Chianti Sunflower
Marshmallow
Aztec Gold Sunflower
Foxglove-Apricot
Taiyo Sunflower
Johnny Jump Up
Cosmos
Cilantro

(and the week of april 25th included: Coneflower, Lupine, Pink hollyhock, Gaillardia, Oriental Poppy-Red, Broccoli, Garlic, Carrots)

On a better note, my two shipments from Gurney's and Michigan Bulb Co. are sitting on my doorstep as I type. I have a bunch of goodies in there:
Hardy Carnations
Double Anemones
White Bleeding Heart
Fairy Lilies
Peacock Orchid
Ranunculus
Rosemary
Dwarf Pomegranate Tree

Michigan Bulb Co. Emailed me back about my dead bleeding heart and strawberry and has already shipped the new items. It's nice to see a company actually functions like they say they will. Thanks guys.

I also got some seeds from them as well. I can't wait to get them into the ground but I will be patient and wait for this icky weather to pass. In the meantime, I will purchase any cheap cheap sheets I run across, in case the weather drops again. I will be prepared and be better at checking the weather every day and night.


This is the only Iris I have that is showing buds.



I believe this is Creeping Baby's Breath. I got it last year after the blooms were gone so I don't remember what it really is now.

Best of luck to those of you in Minnesota!!! Or in the north in general.

Different Problems

It seems I keep running into little problems. Which all gardeners do I assume. Of the plants I have ordered I am somewhat disappointed. I thought everything was great with the bareroot plants that I got from Michigan Bulb Co. but my Old-Fashioned Bleeding heart went from doing absolutely nothing, to drying out and wilting to the ground. It has been in the ground for 3 or 4 weeks now and everything (almost) else I got from them is showing new growth. I emailed them almost a week ago to ask about a replacement and still have not heard anything. I wouldn't mind so much but it is a spring plant, as soon as it warms up, it won't flower and I've wasted a month of growth time. Along with that from MBC. One of the 6 Strawberry plants I received has also not done anything, while the rest have new leaves and are doing well. 1 out of 6 isn't very good odds I don't think. The last thing I have to complain about is my packet of seeds from Park Seed for some Hibiscus. The packet had 10 seeds in it, and it instructed me to soak them overnight which I did. Only 3 came up. Which is a huge and ridiculous dissapointment. 3/10 is terrible. I have emailed them too and am waiting for a response. I'm trying to be optimistic since both companies have guaranties but I have very bad luck with things like that...there are always conditions and such. Boo.
On another very different note, it is cold here this weekend. My boyfriend and this years gardening buddy has the entire weekend off with me which hasn't happened for probably 2 or 3 months. Being that next week is our last frost date, I was hoping to get all of the final preperations done for the garden beds. There are 3 more beds that need to be cleared and prepared with compost and fertilizer. Two should be simple and the other one is the largest and hasn't been touched in 4 years. That should be quite the chore. And we don't have a wheelbarrow :( That problem needs to be fixed. Anyways, with the first plant date being so close, I had hoped to have much more done but I only have the weekend and a few 2 hour nights per week that I can work outside so I have not been as productive as I wanted to be. I might have to push things back so that I don't rush into planting in the wrong places just because it wasn't prepared yet. I have a bad tendency to do those things, always getting overly excited.

Reading blogs from other zones makes me very jealous, and makes me wonder why I am still living in Minnesota/Wisconsin. I am seeing pictures of all kinds of flowers and wonderous things that have come up and already in bloom while my yard is very sad with the only color being the wild (what I believe to be) violets and dandelions. Luckily for me we have lilac bushes in the backyard or I'm simply be going crazy. Hopefully everything will fall into place this next week, I know I will get anxious and probably end up working till dark every night that the weather permits. There is nothing wrong with that but I should really learn not to procrastinate.

60 days until Last Frost Date!

I am getting more and more anxious as the weather is warming up. I need to force myself not to plant everything outside right now. But better over-prepared than under-prepared.
I'm planning for the last frost date to be around May 11th-21st. Leaving us Zone 4's only 60 days or so until we can plant 80% of our seeds.
I have started an account of this years activities on indoor and outdoor planting. Being that I am fairly new at this, I started very early with peppers and some flower types that require starting 8-12 weeks BLF (before last frost). I am okay with this seeing that peppers take a long time to grow to their fullest potential.

I would like to keep track of what I bought from where:
PS- www.parkseed.com
T&M- www.tmseeds.com
Jung- www.jungseed.com
Burpee- www.burpee.com


I had a busy weekend.
March 18th-21st--
Started 2nd set of Peppers-Red and Green Bell Peppers((Burpee) along with a hot pepper mix(burpee) consisting of the following:Anehime, Hungarian Wax, Red Long Cayenne, Ancho and Jalepeno,( possibly large cherry peppers as well but It wasn't very clear.

Inside I started a few Zucchini Plants(Burpee), 3 Watermelon Plants(PS), Hollyhock-Pink(T&M), Checker Poppies(T&M), Bergenia Rose(PS),Hibiscus-Disco Bell Mix(PS), Scarlet O'Hara-Morning Glory(PS).

Also, planted 2 different types of Cold Weather Lettuce(T&M,Burpee), Snow Peas(T&M) and Sweet Peas-Miss Willmott(T&M) directly in the garden.

(My Morning Glory Vine)


I soaked the Sweet peas, Hibiscus and Scarlet O' Hara-Morning glory in water overnight before planting to encourage germination.

After taking a look to see what else was coming up for spring, I found 4 or 5 daylilies behind our garage that I had not transplanted last year, I moved them to the same spot as our growing tulips.

I found some Irises(I think) behind the garage which I also moved to my spring blooming flower bed.


Regarding the bulbs that I think are Irises, we have some bulbs that are leftover from whoever lived there last which I am thinking are Irises based on the foliage that has started to grow. However they are long bulbs with multiple lumps which I am ASSUMING is the flowers multiplication process from not being separated for years. I should post pictures and see what people think. Granted, I will know in a few months if they really are Irises. Regardless, I transplanted them to the same spot as the Tulips and Daylilies. After looking at this site, I am almost positive I am looking at Irises.

Now recognizing my Irises, I found a great article on dividing them as well as making sure they are taken care of (Iris Borer damage). I know mine are in need of this because the ends of some were soft and rotted.

I am so glad the last people that lived here left me some gifts, I bet they didn't know how much they would actually be appreciated!

Excited about March

We have been experiencing nice warm weather this month...it has been in the 50's and 60's for the last 3 weeks.
My tulips have already started emerging however I'm afraid they will flower before the real winter is over.
The ground is workable and I have begun tilling the soil, taking advantage of the extra time.

So far I have been right on schedule for starting seeds, assuming the last frost comes around May 11th (probably sooner with how nice it has been).
I have already lost track of what I have started (something to learn from for next year) but I have a general idea of what is what. So far I have started Jalepenos, misc. colored bell peppers, multi(hot mix) peppers, sweat peas, hollyhocks, bellflowers, colombine, and some other flowers. They all started growth quick and I haven't seen much happen in the last 2 or 3 weeks but with the sun we've been getting, I'm hoping they will have a growth spurt soon.
This week I need to start my "6-8 weeks before last frost" plants, and I'm running out of room!

This years plants include the following- edibles first, then flowers:
Jalepeno Peppers
Multi bell peppers
Pumpkins
Carrots
Tomatoes
Onions
Zucchini
Squash
Peas
Beans
Watermelon
Leaf lettuce
Chamomile
Cilantro
Garlic
Raspberries
Strawberries
Rhubarb
Broccoli
Potatoes
Basil
Chives

Tulips
Canna Lillies
Gladiolis
Sunflowers
Cosmos
Hibiscus (most excited for)
Bellflower
Sweet Pea
Many different colored Poppys
Black Pansys
Cathedral Bells-Vine
Canterbury Bells
Balloon Flower
Clematis
Colombine
Cypress-Vine
Four-O-Clock
Johnny Jump Ups
Foxglove
Lupine
Morning Glory-Vine
Nasturtium
Shasta Daisy
Red hot poker
Zinnia
Larkspur
Violas
Ornamental grass
Wildflower mixes, butterfly mixes, cutting mixes

As the season continues, I will update this with where things are planted, and when...

2010 Garden

This will be my third year of consecutive gardening. Last year (as well as this year) I grew misc. vegetables and flowers in my yard in Fridley, MN. I started very late last year with very little knowledge of the layout--where the ground is mostly shaded, what kind of soil I had to work with, what was already planted etc. The previous owners of my house left a few goodies behind including 20 or so Tulip bulbs, many daylilly plants, chives, 7 or 8 hostas, ferns, rhubarb and a plant that I am unsure of but looks nice.

* EDIT* I just realized another unidentified plant that was already there, we have a bunch of Iris bulbs behind the garage!!! I am transplanting them the second I get home! :D **

Many areas that are bricked off for planting have been untouched for years, overgrown with weeds and grass making it a huge chore to dig up considering I do not have a rototiller. Regardless, I am taking on more work this year and planting every area I can that gets sun. One of these areas is directly in front of the house which currently filled with ugly, plant/tree/bushes that my boyfriend and I are taking on the task of removing this year. This bed is very large and is one of 2 spots that receives sun all day; making it very valuable space to me.
Here is a list of my successes last year, accompanied by what I attempted but planted too late in the season (again, last years garden was essencially an afterthough, probably not planted until into june):
Succesfull plants:
Jalepeno peppers(all peppers bought started)
Mole peppers
Red/Green bell peppers
Tomatoes
Leaf lettuce(multi-colored)
Zucchini
Carrots
Beans
Cilantro
Chamomile
Strawberries
Broccoli
1 large sunflower (many premature, small sunflowers)
Various flowers--no idea what I planted

Attempted:
Watermelon
Squash
Peas(caught a disease)
Onions (still growing as we speak)
Pumpkins

I would like to start journaling this year so I know what I planted, when I planted and where...Also what works where and what didn't.

Starting Early

I would like to record all of the items I have started and when, I have backdated this so I can referance it next year.

I would also like to keep track of what I bought from where:
PS- www.parkseed.com
T&M- www.tmseeds.com
Jung- www.jungseed.com
Burpee- www.burpee.com

Started many seeds indoors very early:
Jalepenos(Burpee
Mixed Color Bell Peppers(Burpee)
Sweat Peas(Burpee)
Columbine(PS)
Bellflowers(PS)
Pansy's-Black(Burpee)and Multi-color(Burpee)
Hollyhock-White(Burpee)
Morning Glory-Black Knight(T&M)
Penstemon(PS)