Welcome to my Garden Journal. Let's see how the garden looks at the end of April 2018

April got off to a slow start here in North Central, MO, United States. Zone 5.
We had colder than normal temps, setting 3 record lows in the first half of the month. Along with a couple of snows.
So now I'm trying to play catch up with my garden.

I am working on trying to establish my lawn, vegetable garden, fruits, shrubs and flower beds. We really like butterflies and birds, so will keep that in mind as we go forward...

In case you missed it, we recently moved back to the family homestead (I'm 5th generation). The old house was bulldozed out and we moved a doublewide in for our home. The home place and garden had grown up into quite the brier patch with scrub brush, multi-flora rose and a few trees. The bulldozer took out a lot of that, but I'm discovering many roots as I till in the garden.

Things I'm focusing on this year in the veggie garden include:

• raised beds - I'll build as many as I can as I go.
• Companion Planting - Before I plant something, I check online to see what makes a good companion plant.
• Crop rotation - Looking to next year and beyond. I've done this a bit, but just "by guess and by gosh," as Grandpa used to say. I plan to actually formulate a plan...

Already posted about this year - New additions and work done :

• weeping willow for backyard shade
• Pulling Stumps
• New asparagus raised bed
• Plant deals from Aldi
• Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower new raised bed + Taters
• 200+ onions
• New raised strawberry bed + hanging growing bag

So, let's see what we've got as April ends and May begins...

Beware: Commencing photo overload
I'll start you out front and walk around to the garden.

West side of the front of house

First are some bird feeders by the dining room window.
Then this azalea.

Also on the west side of the front:

• a small clump of transplanted hostas
• new rose fountain grass.

Looking to add rocks and other decorations, and some shade loving flowers.

West end of the house

Transplanted shrubs, roses, daylilies, iris, hibiscus
Added a new dwarf cherry tree and a rugosa rose.

I know, I know... Gotta work on that skirting. It's just something I threw together in sub-zero temps to block the wind...

Added a bed of the shorter sunflower varieties behind the daylilies.

Looks like the roses made the move.

Roses

Grandpa's Tiger Lily

This is one of my prized possessions. Grandpa had several tiger lilies that grew beside the front porch. I dug around as best I could and only found one bulb to salvage before the bulldozer moved in. It is growing! Woohoo. I will be propagating this later in the year.

South a little bit by the old cistern I found 2 tulips I had planted 20 some years ago. I thought they were Red Riding Hood species tulips, but those have striped leaves. Hmmm As you can see, they are in a high traffic (dogs) area and will need to be relocated...

Tulips

Out by the driveway is where they put the electric power pole. I figured they wiped out my red peony I had planted there, but LOOK!!!

Out by the mailbox are some iris I planted 20 some years ago, when I lived here in the old house.

• They are silver. I had tall, mid and short versions of the same variety.
• The trumpet vines and grass have invaded this bed.

South of these toward the garage are some surprise lilies. I'll be dividing these, since they are the only ones I've seen this year. They used to be in about a dozen places around the yard.

Surprise Lilies

Trixie and Brutus - always willing to supervise my work haha
This is standing in the cellar house looking out. In the cellar is the old well pump. We hooked up to rural water instead. I may try to get that going though for a cheaper way to water the garden.

• Grandpa used to grow a LOT of potatoes and stored them down there. He also stored onions and apples down there.
  

The Garden So Far

On the left is my new raised bed of peas.
The long metal raised bed has all the cabbage family + onions in between those.
To the south of that is my potato hill and then the rest of the onions.
Between the long metal and the 2 round raised beds is reserved for hills of zucchini.
The left round raised bed is strawberries.
The right round raised bed is asparagus.

On the far right, are my 5 transplanted goji shrubs.

• I only bought 3 a couple of years back, but when I moved them ~~~ABRACADABRA~~~ they magically turned into 5! I will keep this in mind and divide them every few years...

Goji

Behind those will probably be my fruit area. Still trying to decide where to put them. Apples, pears, peaches, kiwi, grapes. At least that's what I'm planning.

Here's a few random pics of the garden so far...

Onions

Peas

Potatoes

Empty Tomato Cages

Tomatoes are my favorite vegetable to grow. I'll let it warm up a bit more before putting them out.

To the left of that picture is my new sunflower bed. These are the gargantuan kinds. The birds should love this!

Sunflowers

West and southwest of the house

The mulberry tree planted in 1900 split and nearly wiped out the white pine I planted 25 or 30 years ago.
I've transplanted some shrubs around that tree. Yellow twig dogwood, forsythia, hopefully a lilac and rose of sharon, and a couple more I'm not sure of. I added a row of sunflowers behind these.

Shrubs Sunflowers

Sedum Autumn Joy

This is a great plant. You can just snip a branch of this and stick it in the ground and within a couple of years will have a nice plant. They are very easy to grow, have nice flowers and look good in the winter landscape.

To the left of those along the fence are these peonies Grandpa planted. I'm really not remembering what colors they are. Guess we will know soon enough.

Peonies

Still to be planted

I'll never run out of things to do or places to plant.

Planter

Pots

That's my garden!
Thanks for stopping by
Y'all come back, now, ya hear?

This post is my first entry into @simplymike's contest.

What a great idea to get people creating a journal of their gardens!!!

• Read all about it here
  • This will be monthly thing, so if you missed this one, you can join the next one.
    • Even if you don't join the contest, use her great idea and start posting a journal of your garden!

Who I am @WizarDave	The KEY to Life!