If you haven’t turned the dirt in the garden yet, it is not too late. And this weekend the weather will be just right for outdoor gardening.
It is time to get the plants or the seeds in the ground for this year’s vegetable or flower gardens.
Recently, I’ve been interested in our native wildflowers and plants in the central Great Plains part of the state where the grasslands are greening up as I write.
About three years ago, I started finding a lot of wildflowers native to the surrounding prairies that border many of our semi-suburban, semi-rural housing additions.
I found my favorite of all time, a barrel-head cactus. Never had I seen one like it. And it was growing in a place where it was about to be bulldozed for a new home. I had to save it. So I was able to get a shovel and dig it up, place in a small, four-wheel gardening wagon, and cart it off to save it for my native Oklahoma plot. On this piece of dirt, I have also arranged some other artifacts I’ve found on hikes on land where once the pioneers farmed and cattle roamed. I have a few bones of cows, even deer bones, victims of coyotes not hunters. A bit of barbed wire and some western-themed furniture pieces, and an old black and white TV found at a former farmhouse.
But back to the plants. The purple flowers of verbena are blooming nicely already. Spanish bayonet yucca plants, do not transplant very well. There are plenty left in the red dirt nearby.
The wild white sage is taking off right now. I find sage more interesting than Bermuda grass to look at at least. But I do like Bermuda grass. No one wants to play football or soccer on a cactus or a sage patch.
As for things to eat, it is about time for all things to start to sprout that grow around here. I look forward this week to reaching out to the Canadian County Master Gardeners to find out more about spring planting in the area. Cotton farmers are going to plant in about two weeks
Okra, tomatoes, cantaloupe, peppers, corn, radishes, and cilantro I’ve had great luck with. I have not had luck with pumpkins. Watermelons will hopefully grow well this year and as the soil warms, more and more seeds will be planted and sprout soon.
It makes sense to work outdoors these days, and to do anything to stay healthy and even grow produce to avoid a trip to the store. So, get out and get dirty this weekend with the ground, or raised beds with store-bought soil if you prefer. There is a pretty good chance for sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s for the weekend.
