It’s time for a spring garden update. Everything in the perennial garden is leafed out and ready to be frozen next week if temperatures go below 32°F. Last week, the forecasters were saying 28°. I just walked around my house and like Scarlett O’Hara, I paraphrased, “Fiddle-dee-dee, I’ll worry about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.”
I’ve learned not to let early, mid, and late freezes bother me much. I control what I can and let go of what I can’t. Shrug. What else can you do? I will be sad if all of my Japanese maples freeze, but now the forecasters are saying 32° will be the lowest. I’m hoping they’re correct this time.
The only tulips I planted are now coming up in containers. You may remember I bought them from ColorBlends. I was really busy last fall and didn’t get around to soaking them in Plantskydd and planting them in the borders. I do miss them in the garage border, but not as much as I thought I would.
Oklahoma’s climate is a prairie one, and that means lots of changes. Our last average freeze date is April 20 in the central part of the state. Now, look at the map, above, and search for where you live. Unless you live in those red areas above, your average last freeze date is not March 31, even though it’s felt that way. I see your hands on those tomato plants. Do not plant them outside. You are welcome to babysit them in the house for a couple of weeks if you must. Remember to take them out for their walks every day. That way they stay acclimated. Or, you could just wait and order them from the Tomato Man’s Daughter. To see how to order during Covid-19, follow her wise directions. I put my order in last week. I pick mine up on April 22. They will be fine to plant then.
Bustani Plant Farm is doing something similar too. I’ve already turned in my order to pick up, and they have a signup on their Facebook page.
I have my areas all ready for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. I am excited about this summer. Would you like to know the tomatoes, peppers and other plants I bought? Sure you would!
Tomatoes:
- ‘Black from Tula’
- ‘Sioux’
- ‘Delicious’
- ‘Doug’s Delight’
- ‘Rutgers’
- ‘Royal Hillbilly,’ One of Lisa’s dad’s creations.
- ‘Gary O’Sena’
- ‘Dr. Wyche’s Tomatillo’
- ‘The Yellow 1884 Pinkheart,’ my hands-down favorite last year.
- ‘Cherokee Purple’ I’ve grown this one many, many times.
- ‘Black Hawk’
- ‘Black Cherry’ I love this tomato!
- ‘Asian Traveler’
- ‘Caspian Pink’
- ‘1884 Red Tomato’
- ‘Mortgage Lifter’
- ‘Sungold’ grown from seed. They are golden and very sweet.
Peppers:
- Ancho Poblano
- Fish pepper. I’ve always wanted to grow them.
- Shishito. We love these. In fact, I’m trading some tomatoes I’ve started for plants.
- Ancient Sweet NuMex
- ‘Confetti’ peppers because they’re so pretty.
- Poblano peppers. A different variety from the Ancho Poblano types.
Eggplants:
- ‘Pingtung Long’
- ‘Bride’
- ‘Green Knight.’ I’m trading some of my eggplants for more peppers.
Other Plants I ordered from the Tomato Man’s Daughter:
- Night Scented Tobacco
- Pink Sunday Salvia
- Blue Monday Salvia
- Blue Spice Basil
I also went up into the upper pasture and planted more annual wildflower seeds for my meadow. I hope this weekend’s rain will water them in. Fingers crossed.
In the vegetable garden (potager) I’ve been thinning kale, lettuce, peas, and poppy seedlings. I’m also moving things about because this is the best time to move plants be they vegetable or perennial.
I planted an entire bed of sunflowers yesterday, and one of zinnias last week. I decided to do the cut flower garden differently this year. We shall see if I like it better or not.
Springtime in Oklahoma is a magical season especially this year. We are having some of the best weather we’ve had in a long time with plenty of rain too. In fact, it may rain tonight so get those tools and bring them inside your garage before you finish working today.
That last bit was for me as much as it was for all of you.
your garden looks amazing! time to work on ours too! thanks for sharing
The path views are lovely. Very peaceful.
I have mixed feelings about tulips. Sometimes I dislike their formality. Sometimes I am moved by their colours. (The colours you have here are lovely.) I think I’d like tulips better if they didn’t have such clumpy leaves.
Impressed by the list of varieties of vegetables you are growing. You have more of a farm there than a garden. Wonderful!
Hey Lucy! Nice to hear from you! I planted the tulips in pots so I can just throw them on the compost pile when they’re done. That way the stupid foliage doesn’t take up room in the garden. 🙂 I’ll probably only grow one plant of each of the tomatoes. It still is a lot isn’t it? I always grow too many. Ha!
OOh! You are about a full month ahead of us, so I’m super envious (not to mention a foot of snow is in the forecast for Easter Sunday). Everything looks so wonderful! I took note of your tomato varieties- I’m always on the hunt for new ones to try, but Black Cherry is indeed fantastic and I grow it every year!
Honestly Cortney, we’re about a full month ahead of ourselves too. We look more like May than mid-April. It got cold last night, and our high today is 46°. Welcome to the prairie. ~~Dee
Your garden is looking good Dee. My goodness you have quite a list of veggies to plant. Something wonderful to look forward to after all this crazy weather. We are having a colder than normal April. April 15 is supposedly our last frost date. With what they are predicting that might not be the last date this year. Ho hum… what next? Just so happy all looks healthy so far. Be well, bee happy… Happy Easter too. Doesn’t this seem odd? We aren’t getting together with our family this year. It won’t seem like EAster.
Absolutely Beautiful, love the pathways with all the Gorgeous plants and maple trees, and the Veggies yet to come.. Thank you for Sharing..
Thank you, Elsie! I enjoy sharing what little I know with all of you. It makes me feel even more comforted during this Covid-19 trial. Stay well. ~~Dee
I love the way your phrased your Spring Garden update! “Everything in the perennial garden is leafed out and ready to be frozen next week”. Alas! And I’ll have to update my frozen sighs to your Scarlett O’Hara “Fiddle Dee Dee”. And thus incorporate your name as well. 🙂
I’m sorry to have gone and on about changing the direction of my backyard paths the last time I commented. I then went on to think I would install a backyard Zipline into my Garden plans. Such is the way of extra time to have garden drems.
Anyway, thank you for your wonderful posts.
Donna
Donna, I love hearing about your garden dreams. Never feel badly for sharing them. They often spur me to think of other things too. Keep on keeping on. Our gardens will recover. ~~Dee
Your gardens are looking lovely. I can vouch for the vigor of Sungold tomatoes. All I do is stick them in the herb bed which is filled with mushroom compost and they perform great. Durham, NC zone 7.
Hi Caro, yes, they and Cherokee Purple are super hardy. Just what we need in Zone 7. Oklahoma is in Zone 7 too, but not as humid as North Carolina. ~~Dee
Maybe you should take out the mugo pine and add another abelia!
I’ve thought about doing that, but I love the mugo pine in winter. I do not like the abelia then. It is an ugly batch of sticks. So, I suppose I’ll just leave things as they are. ~~Dee
About how far apart do you thin your poppy seedlings?
Hey Carol, a lot thinner than they were in that photo. I actually pricked some out this morning and planted them in another bed of the potager. I’ll keep doing that. They will eventually be about two inches apart. Do you approve?~~Dee
Everything is looking so wonderful! Your Japanese Maple is just glorious and I am going to have to go take another look. Have a good day!
Thank you so much Christine. I love my Japanese maples. They have very specific requirements to grow in Oklahoma, but once you get them going, they do just great. ~~Dee