How are your spring gardening chores coming along? Are all your beds cleared yet? 😉 I think we are about 25% of the way through our garden prep and man oh man, our muscles are sore!
It took us 2 days just to clear the blueberry patch! Last year about midway through the picking season, all the plants and grass in the area were so out of control, I gave up on picking because I was so afraid there were oodles of ticks just waiting to hop on me as I attempted to pick the berries. This year though, I have a plan in place to control the weeds and tall grass.
As you know, I am a BIG FAN of Casoron {or Noxell as it’s called here on the East coast}. We used it in our pea gravel and all of our flower beds back in Washington and let me tell you Bob, it works like a charm.
Chino the Handyman introduced me to it about 15 years ago and I’ve been a fan of it ever since. YES, it is a chemical. And YES, it will pretty much keep weeds and grass from coming up wherever you spread it around for up to an entire year, but what it doesn’t do, is kill your established plants and shrubs. That’s the beauty of it.
Home Depot and Lowe’s carry it, but it tends to sell out quickly once gardening season begins and it is a little on the expensive side. But to me, it’s totally worth it not to have to pull weeds out of brick paths or flower beds all summer.
Also, I like the fact that I only have to apply it once at the beginning of the season and then I am totally done with having to think about weeding in those areas. {Vegetable garden beds are a totally different story, you wouldn’t want to use it there, so in the vegetable garden beds, all I can do is add a heavy layer of mulch and hope for the best}.
They key is to make sure you wet it down after you apply it and it works best if you apply it in the early spring just before gardening season begins or right after you’ve weeded the area you want to apply it.
It’s hard to imagine that this entire area will be a sea of green in about 6 weeks. Everything looks so drab right now! Are arms though, those are a lovely shade of bumpy red thanks to the poison ivy and sumac we pulled up. Good times.
The newly weeded strawberry patch! {It’s much bigger than it looks.} I think we got all the nasty blackberry vines yanked out. I ordered 100 bare root strawberry plants from Johnny’s and they should be arriving any day now. Lucy LOVES strawberries so hopefully 100 plants will be enough for a few jars of strawberry jam and to share with Lucy and the wildlife. 😉 Bahahhaaa I hope so anyway.
Manny, my Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Cultivator and I carved 4 rows for the {100} raspberry canes that are due to arrive soon. What a difference a year makes. When we first moved in, this entire area was a big patch of grass.
Figuring out where perennial beds should go, and getting them established takes a little time, but once the beds are in, there’s nothing better than being able to walk out to your garden and pick your bounty year after year.
This year we’ll have giant beds of strawberries, raspberries, asparagus and blueberries in the ground. A few fruit trees, and a proper herb garden in place as well. 🙂 🙂 🙂
My new favorite gardening gloves: SKYDEER Working Gloves.
They match the little peony buds popping through the soil.
I picked these up at the Home Depot yesterday. Don’t you just love the color combination? I am going to plant these in front of the potting shed. I’ve tried growing echinacea from seed before, but it’s tough.
I’ve never started echinacea from roots before {hollyhocks, yes} but even if just 2 of the 4 roots flourish, it will still have been less expensive then buy the established plants in one gallon pots from the nursery. So we’ll see.
And last but not least, according to my pictures from this time last year, I am about a week behind schedule in the seed starting department. My tomato and pepper seeds still have not broken through the soil yet, but since I can’t plant them outside until the end of May anyway, I think I’ll be okay.
How are YOUR garden chores coming along? Got all those beds cleared yet? 😉
What are you MOST looking forward to growing this year? {Tomatoes. It’s always tomatoes for me.}
Have a great Tuesday everyone,
~Mavis
chickengrandma says
No working in the gardens for us. The ground is still frozen in central Wisconsin. We are expecting a severe winter storm this week with 6-10 inches of snow. Just when most of our snow is gone! All I can do is water the plants I am growing, start more seeds , clean out the garden shed (unless the snow blows against the door), and clean the garage. I am ordering chicks today also.
Right now just enjoying the sunshine and watching the geese on the river.
Peggy says
I haven’t seen this before. I’ve got some places I would like to clear but too much poison ivy! I thought you might be interested too. Well I was going to post a pic but I can’t. Anyway, Roundup has a product called Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer.
Maria Zannini says
If ticks are a big problem you might want to consider free ranging guinea hens. Ticks are some of their favorite foods.
When they’re chicks, keep them penned to teach them where home is, but once they’re big enough, let them go. They’ll clean up the woods and come home to roost at night.
Mavis Butterfield says
I would never get guinea hens. They are so loud. I couldn’t’ do that to my neighbors. 😉
Maria Zannini says
They are loud, but then I don’t have problems with ticks. If I did, I’d put up with the noise. They only make noise to alert the others anyway.
I came down with lyme disease once. Since then, I would move heaven and earth not to have ticks near me again. I wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer like I did.
Carrie says
I grow wildflowers from seed for my workplace’s annual wildflower sale. Echinacea is a tried and true grower for me. I just sprinkle the seeds in a flat and cover with a little soil, water as needed and in 2 weeks they are sprouting. You should give it another go in the greenhouse. I haven’t had luck just throwing the seed out in the garden bed though.
Leslie H says
What varieties of raspberries are available in the North East? As a raspberry grower in the PNW, I’m curious what varieties are commonly used in your climate.
Also, I use Casoron and call it “better living through chemistry”… Fewer weeds = happy gardening!
Mavis Butterfield says
I went with Nova raspberry plants do to their minimal thorns. In the PNW I planted Cascade delight.
Suzanne Shaw says
Mavis – I’ve never used Noxell. I’ve always been terrified to use these types of things because of my dogs. They are the world to me. You said “key is to water it in” – and if I’m extra careful about not letting them go on there for a couple of days – do you believe that would be safe?
Mavis Butterfield says
That is what I do. 🙂
C Sirca says
Have you considered garden landscape tarp/ fabric around your berry bushes?
I work near Ohio’s Amish country and last year I asked some Amish women that were selling plant starts what they use to save time and not spray chemicals. Most of the women use the landscape mulching fabric between tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and definitely around their berry bushes. I tried it and had great results as well! Keeps the ground moist, warm, and no weeds or grass to worry about!
Mavis Butterfield says
We used landscape fabric two houses ago and it worked great. I just don’t have the desire to do that here because I would need an insane amount of it and would still need to cover the landscape fabric with something. I think in certain areas, it’s awesome, just not this yard.
Alison says
Do you scrub your body with a soapy washcloth after working in the yard? The poison ivy chemical is an oil and you’d have to get it off the same way you’d scrub off auto grease. I read that somewhere after my last bout and I haven’t had it since (though that could be because I’ve been trying to avoid the areas that have it).
Rebecca in MD says
Wow, you have been working hard! Really enjoy seeing the garden pictures.
Here in MD I have planted out my onions and am behind on getting the cabbage into the garden, but plan to harden off the cabbages next week for planting. My tomato and pepper seedlings have their second set of leaves and I just potted them up in cow pots to continue growing on until mid-May. Will be starting watermelon and cantaloupe seeds this week. Flowers I am growing from seed include Cosmos Bright Lights, Zinnia County Fair Mix, Nasturtium Whirly Bird Mix, and Marigolds. These were started a few days ago, and I already have zinnias coming up.
I have always had problems starting peppers from seeds, so this year I bought a seedling heating mat and that has made all the difference. I planted the seeds and then kept them on the heating mat until they germinated, and they were all up within 2 weeks. I used the heating mat for about 8 hours a day. I am growing Iko Iko Sweet Peppers, Greek pepperoncini, and jalapenos. I love to pickle the hot peppers and I freeze the bounty of sweet peppers.
I also have eggplant that I started from seed. The beans, squash, and cucumber seeds will be direct sown in May.
Good luck with your Echinacea. I have a variety called “Cheyenne Spirit” growing in my garden that I started from seed. I have also grown the Magnus variety at my previous home. I have found that if I leave the flowers stand after blooming (for the birds to enjoy) they happily reseed in my garden.
Heather in MA says
Keep an eye out for those town Garden sales – great (cheap) way to round out the yard for a few bucks per pot!
Keep an eye out for mid-May. May 18 & 23rd are the garden sale weekends around us. It’s a gf date day I look forward to every year!
Marcy Jensen says
My tomato and pepper seedlings are doing good not quite ready to out outside yet though. I also have zucchini sprouts popping up in an old oak stump I filled with dirt. Plus my garlic patch is looking great already. We have had nice weather here in the Ozarks of Arkansas.
Linda says
I love watching you work when I can’t yet! I looked into Noxall and Casoron. The descriptions don’t make it sound like the same product- the Noxall says for use where you want NO VEGETATION, while the Casoron is a pre-emergent that it says “for use around roses and other listed shrubs/bushes. I have no experience with either- just sayin’ Have you used both?
Also wanted to let you know I started out with 25 strawberry plants and last year got approx. 12 quarts to freeze myself and let 2 friends pick out what remained. I bought Ozark Beauty June bearers. I planted all the runners, so this year have a TON of plants.
As for raspberries (I have Latham and Heritage because of the easy care) be VERY careful not to plant near blackberries or black raspberries or even where they have been in the past.
I love, love, love having fruit to pick fresh. Nothing like it! Enjoy your own. Wish I had blueberry bushes but am running out of room, and energy.
Mavis Butterfield says
Noxall and Casoron both have the same active ingredient which is 2% Dichlobenil: 2,6-Dicholorobenzonitrile.
Gee says
Echinea is easy to grow in my sandy soil. I think you have the same? I didn’t put it in pots. I just raked it into the soil and watered every day for a couple weeks. I had the most beautiful border.
Geunita Ringold says
Mavis,
I have poison ivy issues, but I use Dawn dishwashing soap when I come in on my hands and up my arms and I use prednisone religiously once a bump comes up. That is the only way I keep it under control. Also, wash your clothes in hot water when you take them off. Don’t put anything else with them or it might spread to those if the washer doesn’t get it all. There is a great Youtube video from a guy who talks about preventing getting poison ivy. It’s really good.
Mel says
We’re just now picking over-wintered purple sprouting broccoli and carrots. Our overwintered brassicas are bolting, so we will leave them for a few more weeks for pollinators. Potatoes, lettuce, peas, and new carrots are already growing. I’ve cleaned out all the beds except one, so I mostly just need to harden off plants (flowers and veggies) once the temperatures warm up a little. We also installed a bluebird box (finally have the right habitat) and 4 pollinator beds. So, spring chores are off to a good start.
We were, however, up until 1:00 AM last night building a larger brooding box for our 24 chicks.
Debi says
I am so envious of your spring gardening. I live right across Lake Champlain and our garden is still frozen! My raspberries are from the neighbor’s berry patch… they snuck under our fence into our herb garden! I’m finding them really hard to contain and so far they haven’t produced many berries so they may get “deleted” after this season if things don’t change.
Mavis Butterfield says
VT of NY? We got a little snow last night.
I’m looking forward to going to the Shelburne Museum later this spring, are there any good bakeries in the area you can recommend?
Debi says
I live on the NY side of the lake. I haven’t been to Shelburne in years, so I’m sorry I can’t recommend a bakery. My great uncle once worked at the museum as a steamboat captain. My grands have been and they love it there, I’m sure you will enjoy it.
Amber from Ontario says
The ground is no longer frozen in my garden, and like you Mavis, I have been out there every nice sunny day since March 21st ( ground still frozen then, but no snow cover) pruning, and preparing flower beds, as well as my veggie garden. I am just cleaning it all up, removing old dried perennial and annual tops, and pulling grass as well as creeping charlie. About the time we see the first robins in late March, the serious gardeners are out there, but most people around here wait until May to clean up, and plant a few annuals in their flowerbeds.
Working in the garden this Spring is such a delight because after having a total knee replacement last Oct. 9th, I can now stand and work in my garden for 3 or 4 hour stretches with no pain. I can also move around much more quickly. and have so much more energy. I was afraid of the surgery and waited years longer than I should have. Friends had great success after a surgeon in our area worked on them, and so I made sure I had him too, and it turned out really well ! The day I went to get my stitches out, I used my fancy new walker, and wheeled in a box of homemade preserves for my orthopaedic surgeon, and the nice anaesthesiologist who kept me so comfortable. That was a big hit, and I found out afterwards they loved the homemade crab apple and red pepper jelly ! The nurses on the surgical floor, and in the OR suite all got Belgian Chocolates. I was just so grateful. Everyone seemed to love the idea !
I love seeing your pictures Mavis, and hearing about all the progress you are making !
Candice says
Hi Mavis,
I use newspaper to keep weeds out of my garden beds. I have several large garden beds on my property that were professionally landscaped by the previous owners. My youngest son became very ill 5 years ago and we were unable to care for the gardens. I started cleaning up the beds once my son recovered but they were really overgorwn with weeds so I laid 3-4 sheets of newspaper over them and mulched over the newspaper. I would spritz the newspaper lightly with water if it was slightly windy to keep it from blowing away, if needed. I did not use any glossy pages just the ones with newsprint. A few weeds might have popped up but it was nothing compared to what was in place. I found the newspaper broke down completely in one season and I did not need to put it down again as long as I keep up with the mulching now.