Planting fever

This is the first year in the seven I've been  back in Missouri that we've had an actual months-long spring.  What a joy.  Planting conditions have been perfect for several days in a row.  I've now got everything in the ground aside from the tomatoes, which are still too small, and a few flowers.

This is what I started with:

My last attempt at propagating roses has failed.  'Poseidon' was the last holdout, and I thought it was taking hold.  

Alas, this method of pinning a branch to the ground in hopes it would sprout roots eventually failed, just as all my attempts at rooting cuttings and air layering.  I think I'll give up.

My late timing this year has robbed me of grass clippings for mulching to retain soil moisture while plants are getting established.  So I had to resort to other things, like scissor-chopped cilantro on small patches...

...and chopped up fall leaves from 2019, which didn't last through the next morning's winds, even though I thought I had watered them down enough to hold at least some of them.  This isn't the first time that's happened.  I may have to give up on that method, too, unless I chop them much more finely using the lawn mower.  That worked out pretty well one year.

The overwintered lettuce has gone into the fetal position.

While this year's tender babies are coming on strong...

One of the free seed varieties I got from Baker Creek this year was 'Russian Red' kale.  It's pretty.  I haven't tasted it yet.

'Calima' French style green beans are up.  This is my first year planting green beans.

Basil transplants are in the ground all in an arcing row.  I've planted several varieties this year: 'Cardinal' and 'Purple Ruffles', which I've planted before, and three new to me varieties, 'Amethyst' (a purple variety), 'African Nunum', and 'Mammolo', both green (as is 'Cardinal').

Cucumber transplants are in.  I stuck with my standard 'Marketmore'.  I thought about running string from the plants to the top of the wagon wheel for them to climb, but I'm afraid, unlike tomatoes, cucumber stems are not strong enough to hold the weight in that method.  I'll have to install a wire fence piece, I think.

Pepper transplants are in and mulched with a humus/manure mixture. There are yellow and red bells from saved seed of grocery store peppers, 'Quadrato D'Asti Giallo' bells that I planted last year as well, a kind of neon gold/red variety, chilis, snack peppers (also saved seed from grocery peppers), and Tam jalapeños. I never have very good bell peppers, and I'm hoping some extra fertilization will make a difference.

So far, the garden is coming together nicely, with herbs and rhubarb already large and bushy, and the grapevines with oodles of tiny little flower buds...

Finally, here's a nostalgic look at the garden in the beginning...

 

What surprises me most is how much the mimosa tree (left side of the picture) and smaller of the two redbuds in the background have grown!  I didn't realize they were that much smaller seven years ago.

Enjoy your spring...we're bound to be feeling the heat soon.