Garden notes

Taking a break from Stargate, since we worked in the garden & yard today.

So.

Took a trip to the hardware store.  Bought a bunch:

- 5 packs of marigolds
- 12 tomato plants
- 2 candy corn vines
- cardinal climber
- hyacinth vine (both of these because I haven't started my seeds yet, and it's mid-may)
- lemon thyme
- some other herb that I forgot
- 4pk of purple verbena for the kiddo

And then:

The tomatos are in the garden, which meant transplanting the mass amount of volunteer dill and tomatillos.  Saw the first swallowtail caterpillar munching dill, too. 

Planted the surviving dahlia roots.  We'll see how they do.  I'm ready to throw in the towel with these, getting them to over-winter is a lot of work and not very successful.

Marigolds around the mailbox and the front beds.  Finally got the rail planters out front going - cardinal climber in one, hyacinth vine in the other, and they will be filled out with either morning glory, moonflower seed from last year, or scarlet runner beans if I can find the seed.  Or all three.  Thinking about putting the candy corn in bigger pots, then setting those pots into the ground below the rail planters, to make a vine curtain like last year's.

Cut down 3 of the 4 pokeweed stalks, pulled mass amounts of weeds.  Put 4 bags of topsoil in the maple stump hole, and seeded it. 

The bluebirds are back!  I've been dragging sparrow nests, and later wren twig piles, out of the box for a couple of weeks.  Cleaned out a twig pile last Wednesday, and by Friday there was a neat nest, about 4 inches deep.  Not sparrows or wrens, so I was hopefull.  Saw the bluebirds today, but unfortunately we were gardening near the box.  I hope they aren't pissed off enough to leave again.  We got the stink eye and some aggravated tweets though.

Still to do: third rail planter with herbs, big pot of basils, the herb and mint stack.  Possibly 2 window-box planters with spinach, since it won't grow in the ground.  Rosemary and a leftover-from-last-year fuchsia to plant.  Oh, and that coral bells that I nevr planted last year.  And seeds - cosmos, zinnia, etc.