Ground Beetles

Harpalus pennsylvanicus 

aka BIG DINGY GROUND BEETLE

Today I got reacquainted with one of our gardens beneficial predators. 

I was out pruning a rose bush and disturbed his habitat. I was lucky enough to get these great photos of him. 

This is a regular ground beetle. It is one of our most common beetles. 

Quick to scurry when disturbed.  Usually found under rocks, plant litter, old pots or just below the soil surface. 

Never harm them as they are ferocious eaters of many of our pest insects.  I love the way the light shows off his iridescent shell. Beautiful.

Spring is Teasing Us

Snowdrops along the creek

The weather has been spectacular and warm and sunny the past three days. We have recorded a high of 12C during the day but it went down to -1C last night with hard frost this morning. It was even colder up in the open fields. The weather in general has been above normal since late January. The propagation greenhouse is bursting with seedlings but they are afforded the warmth and protection of a more controlled environment. We can close the doors and put covers over the heated propagation tables. It is all too tempting to try and plant something out too soon. Our records show that we have received frosts as late as the final week of May. I have a few videos from the last 3 years alone that show all too clearly how quickly a hail storm can wreak havoc here. We always have plastic covers ready to put over plants just in case. More than once we have been found scrambling to get tender, precious seedlings under cover out of the weather. A good guide is to prune your roses when the forsythia bloom. Forsythia are one of our earliest blooming shrubs with their bright yellow flowers. Branches can be cut and brought indoors for a forced bloom. What this tells you is that this plant will only bloom when the temperature is of a reliable warmth. Some plants are genetically predisposed to bloom at a certain time irregardless of temperature and some can gauge when is the right time. Forsythia is of the latter. Roses can still die if they are pruned back too far too early. So as tempting as it is to get started with clearing and cleaning and planting and pruning be wary of what time of year this still is. It is only mid-February folks.Go out, stroll through your gardens and take a peek at all the lovely plants bursting forth to spur on the coming of spring. Turn the compost, clean up the yard, order seeds, plant seeds indoors. There is lots to do. It feels good !

Aconites

Sweet Violets

Stringing the Tomatoes and Setting Up the Hoop House

Want to show you all some of what we have been doing. Yesterday it rained enough to call for a job that kept us out of the wet weather. Tomatoes needed pruning and stringing so that is what we did. I went ahead of the others and pruned each plant, Bryne tied the strings from the wires and the gang attached the clips and carefully wound each stem around the string.  After it was all done each plant was watered. Its always a tedious job but so important to get done. Every week we will prune and wind the growing point of each plant around the string. You want the energy of the plant to go into developing fruit and not growing more stems.

There are about 300 plants in this hoop house and about 12 varieties. Black Krim, Black from Tula, Black Prince, Black Cherry just to name a few. Looking forward to a good tomato harvest.

Early last week we reassembled our original hoop house into another field. We have planted it full of basil. The location gets the very last rays of sun for the day. Good for basil. Those are my dahlias on the right side of the hoop house and snow peas on the left.

Bryne putting the finishing touches on the hoop house before the planting begins. We planted first, watered the transplants in with the sprinklers on and then put the plastic on the next day. I will post some photos of the basil soon. Here on the west coast you really can't grow large amounts of basil successfully without cover. Made some pesto for supper last night. What a great smell and flavour.

After a week or so of rather good, albeit cold temperatures it is raining today as is so typical of our west coast winters. Don't mind the frostier days at least the sun is out or trying to. Gives lots of incentive to get outside and do outdoor chores.

Its the time of year to prune, prune, prune ! I have done the grapes, the roses, working on the perennial herb beds now and then will tackle some of the fruit trees. Still time to plant new trees if thats in your plans for this year.

The rhubarb is definetly starting to make it's appearance and is also a good time to divide them, side dress them with finished compost. Last year the rhubarb was resting so hopefull it will produce in full force. Need to weed the beds too now and cultivate the soil with a rake or fork.

The heated tables in the greenhouse are bursting with seedlings. Lots of transplanting to the second stage has already been done. New seeds being put into flats and onto the heated tables all the time. Good time to start oriental greens, cabbages, peas, some lettuces, spinach, beets. We start them all in flats at this time and transplant them once hardened off after about 6 weeks start to in the ground. Lots of them will go into the hoop houses and some can even go out into the field with remay cloth at the ready if temperatures go too low ( -0 or lower ).

Sorting, cleaning, grooming, tidying after all the storms of winter is an ongoing job. Interesting how glaringly obvious everything is when the green lushness of spring and summer isn't there to distract the eye. This is really the best time of year to get at all these kinds of jobs done or at least started. Gets me motivated, eager for the season to get going and gets my body acclimatized and used to being outside and moving again. Love it !!