Raspberries, tomatoes and stuff

So, I planted 8 red potato seeds and only 1 yukon gold today. That is all I had : (
I am using potatoes that I got from Boston Organics I couldn't use them all cooking wise so I let them grow 'eyes", then cut them, and then placed them in a sunny window to harden up. Hopefully this works because digging a 5 foot long, 12 foot deep, 12 foot wide trench for no reason will certainly make me mad!
i was also able to up-pot my chocolate cherry and sungold tomatoes. The first picture is back from March 28 and is of both those and the green zebra.
This second picture is the chocolate and sungold just before up-potting.









And here is my inconspicuous raspberry trellis. If you look closely you can see the wire running about 2 feet from the bottom and then again about 6 feet high. This all started out as a itsy bitsy bush in a 4 inch pot that I bought at Home Depot three years ago!

Over the weekend I was also able to transplant my kale. Some is in the garden and some is along the back fence and them even more is along the side fence. I just don't like wasting perfectly good seedlings. Kind of like my spider plant, when it grows babies I need to find a home for them - I just can't throw them away.
In two smaller sized whiskey barrels I started the Northern Lights Swiss Chard. Nothing has come up thus far in the garden with the Fordhook Giant but they say 5-17 days for germination. I did have lettuce coming up but all of a sudden poof - it is all gone. Kinda pisses me off so I started more salad bowl in my window boxes along with some Jericho. I think the birds are having a field day in my garden this spring!
Some good news is that the spinach is finally coming along. I haven't had luck in the past with spinach but it is looking somewhat hopeful right now.

And on to the winter crops

Hard to believe in 90 degree weather that I am planning my winter crops, but apparently this is the time of year to do so. A few weeks ago I planted parsnips in my yard in an area that will need to be dug up in spring anyway, so I figured 'why not?'. I also planted some over in the V-yard (victory garden) - 4 or 5 rows, I can't really remember now. I have them protected w/ the oh so famous chicken wire in the hopes that the birds and squirrels don't harvest the seeds.
Today I transplanted the ripbor kale into both my yard and the V-yard. I am hoping that I placed mine high enough up on the hill that the dogs won't trample it - you never can tell with the three amigos! I direct seeded some more kale along with some spinach over in the V-yard. The spinach only takes 40 days (give or take) and I have plenty more seeds, I just ran out of room. I am hoping to find some more space somewhere to plant more.
I added a bit more of the salad bowl here and valamaine lettuce over in the V-yard. Both are hardy in the summer heat. And with the weather we have been getting lately it is hard to tell if it will be hot and dry like a typical August or rainy and cool like it has been the majority of this growing season.
I think that this is the first and last growing season for the V-yard. The bank came by earlier this week and they are putting the house up for auction (again). I am not worried about any of the winter crops that have been planted. The inside of the house needs so much work that if the house is bought the outside will be the least of their worries.
Although the place is an eye sore. I am hoping it goes unsold. With all the trial and error that Tom and I have gone through this year with that garden, I think that next years will be stellar. Let's just hope no one buys it!

So much work to be done!

These two pictures show you what type of work I have in store for me. This is the yard of the abandoned house across the street that my neighbor and I have decided to make into a semi-community garden.
Most of the knee-high weeds were taken out prior to this picture and a very small amount of the leaves. There is so much more to do! We need to clear the whole area, till the soil, order compost (no one can make THATmuch, section it off, find and place walking paths - ugh - so much to do and so little time! The last frost will be here before I know it (typically May 5th around these parts). Oh and the size of the grubs I found in what little area I was in was amazing! Curled up they were the size of quarters - the local wild bird population will love me one I set those suckers loose!
On a separate note I built my raised bed for my asparagus yesterday. I realized that I am not the best with screws, drivers, drills and L-brackets. It looked ok to me but that friggin' thing fell apart today when I was adding in my compost and manure! Forget the screws - I am going straight to the old fashioned hammer and nail.
I also planted some spinach seeds in my window boxes as well as two different types of lettuce seeds indoors. It is only March and this New England weather can turn in a second. I thought about putting my boots away, or at least away from the back door, but figured I will wait till the last frost just to be safe : )