Tess' 2021 Garden

It's still way too cold here to do much. But this is my "new idea" (stolen from the net)

You get a tall plastic laundry basket with "holes", line with newspaper, fill with dirt, and plant your strawberries! in the "holes." I bought a dozen everbearing plants and will be doing that this year. I can't get down on my knees much anymore for a traditional garden, so this will work and I can have it near the back deck. I have to cover all my berries with netting to stop the birds from picking them clean.

I've had my tomatoes ruined for the past 2 summers by tomato worms (hornworms). Never had any problem for the last 30 years, until lately. Last year I planted marigolds in the same pot. The moths that lay the hornworm eggs dislike marigolds--not mine! In my cherry tomatoes I planted sage--which is also supposed to repel the moth--not mine! Any other suggestions? By the time you see the damage, it's
mostly too late.

Also, last year cardinals kept "picking" my cherry tomatoes. I guess I need to cover them also with netting?

Braconid wasps. They lay eggs under the skin of the hornworm and it’s eaten from the inside out. Not sure if you can buy them, but I have an old picture from the ridgetop somewhere. It’s worth cheering if you see them.

I've decided to plant rosemary in my garden this year. Info says that it is an annual in my area (zone 6), but a perennial in zone 7. I'm going to cover it during the winter, and perhaps I can make it a perennial!

The most important is that the roots don't drown during the winter. Ask in the garden store about which varieties can handle the cold, and then give the plant good drainage. Vienna is supposedly also 6, and every rosemary I planted in the ground (heavy clay) has died, but the one in the plant pot on the gate that has no temperature protection has survived several winters. I have to admit that most years it has not blossomed. But we cut it now and again for the kitchen, and that is my purpose in growing it.

If I can overwinter lavender in Zone 3, I'm sure you can do it with rosemary in Zone 6 :) In my area, snow cover is the key. It insulates the plant against temperature fluctuations. Not sure how much snow you get, but there are always alternatives.

>6 tardis: We get more ice than snow; that's the killer. But I will cover and see how they do!

Monday is our clean out the flower garden day and also I will plant some potatoes........boy do I have eyes!

What's growing best around here? Wild onions! Such a pestilence---no, they never get large enough or sweet enough to use!