Gardeners: how's it looking?

[lightning]

This is a really dumb question, but I'm getting desperate.

I can't seem to rehab the bare spots in my lawn, which are mostly near the street. Puget suggested growing food like tomatoes. But, what if I go buy some (a bunch of) fully grown tulips and just plant them into the bare spots? I think rows of tulips between the sidewalk and the street would look kind of cool.

This is the strip between the sidewalk and street? If so the grass is probably being killed by dog pee and/or winter salt (if you are someplace that is used). You may need to dig out the soil and replace with fresh soil, or whatever you plant there may likewise fail.

Also, most places the homeowner doesn't actually own that strip, the city does. It's sort of an interesting arrangement because, at least by social agreement, homeowners are expected to maintain it. But there may be rules about what you can plant there, so check first.

Are the bare spots bare because local dogs pee on them and kill the grass?
Tulips are lovely, but they only look good for ca.3 months of the year. Could you put small evergreen shrubs?

I honestly have no idea if dogs and/or salt are killing off the grass in between the sidewalk and the street.

I used to have a nice full bed of grass covering that entire area, but in the last couple of years, it has simply deteriorated.

I'm abandoning the tulips idea. (I got the tulips idea because I have tulips surrounding my mailbox, which is also on the part of the strip of grass between the street and sidewalk, but on the other side of my driveway.)

Thanks for the tips! I think I may try clean's idea of laying down some topsoil.

[clean]

You may also want to treat your yard for grubs.  In SC I used Milky Spore to treat the grubs of the Japanese Beetle. 

We have (I think) june bugs here, and I have to treat every few years.  My neighbor didnt treat, and they ate all their grass and all of mine on that side of the drive way. 

[Aster]

I won a bid on eBay for some difficult-to-acquire star anise seeds.

But none of the seeds sprouted. Boo.

[mamselle]

They didn't make the ontological connection with your forum name, apparently....

M.

[Puget]

I traded extra tomato seedlings with a neighbor for some hostas to put in a shady corner, via a Nextdoor gardening group (yes, the site is filled with people who think rabid coyotes will eat their dog/toddler, but it is good for stuff like that). I also bought some more herbs however, and started a few more pots of seedlings, which have taken over the real-estate freed up by giving away the extra tomatoes, so my grow table is still completely packed!

All the seedlings I planted are growing well. About 10 days until the tomatoes can go in the ground, so time to start hardening them off.

You may also want to treat your yard for grubs.  In SC I used Milky Spore to treat the grubs of the Japanese Beetle. 

We have (I think) june bugs here, and I have to treat every few years.  My neighbor didnt treat, and they ate all their grass and all of mine on that side of the drive way.

I've used milky spore as well and it seems to really help with the Japanese Beetle infestation. Worth doing even though the stuff is pretty expensive--The grubs will eat your grass roots and the beetles will eat your garden.

[clean]

How does it look? 
Yesterday it looked great!  It must have looked very appetizing to the opossum that ate the middle part of my squash plant!  It ate all of the current blossoms and the squash that were just starting!

I have a game camera showing the guilty party, but not the actual munching! 

I am hosting a job candidate today, so I wont be able to deal with it tonight.  But TOMORROW !!!  I will get the live trap out and make sure that I know how to use it!

Once I practice on the opossum, I will reset for the cat that thinks my garden is a really nice cat box! 

[lightning]

All my flower beds have been cleaned up!!!

[clean]

At 9 or so this morning, I was watering the garden, and assessing the opossum damage.  My biggest tomato plant continues to put on lots and lots of blooms, but I dont see any evidence of anything setting. I also have not seen one bee once. 

As I was watering everything, what do I see, bold as brass?  but that damn opossum walking the top of my fence!!  I squirted it with water and it changed course and went to a neighbor's yard.  From what I can tell, this neighbor has not done anything in his back yard. there are weeds growing as high as the fence and a nasty tree is springing up all over.  That is the yard the wet opossum retreated to. 

[Puget]

My biggest tomato plant continues to put on lots and lots of blooms, but I dont see any evidence of anything setting. I also have not seen one bee once. 

You can use a small paintbrush to be a bee. Planting flowers near your tomatoes also helps attract pollinators.
Tomatoes will also only set fruit between about 60-90 degrees, so if has been too hot or too cool that may be why.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

At 9 or so this morning, I was watering the garden, and assessing the opossum damage.  My biggest tomato plant continues to put on lots and lots of blooms, but I dont see any evidence of anything setting. I also have not seen one bee once. 

As I was watering everything, what do I see, bold as brass?  but that damn opossum walking the top of my fence!!  I squirted it with water and it changed course and went to a neighbor's yard.  From what I can tell, this neighbor has not done anything in his back yard. there are weeds growing as high as the fence and a nasty tree is springing up all over.  That is the yard the wet opossum retreated to.

Opossums eat/kill a lot of deer ticks, which can be found in tall grass and woody areas. It probably eats/kills most when grooming, but I bet the yard is a good hiding place for it.

[clean]

You can use a small paintbrush to be a bee. Planting flowers near your tomatoes also helps attract pollinators.
Tomatoes will also only set fruit between about 60-90 degrees, so if has been too hot or too cool that may be why.

I dont know if my wife would like it if i were helping with tomato sex!  she doesnt really even like tomatoes!
I had heard about using a feather to pollinate.  However, as you point out it has been warm the last few days for sure!

I wanted to add a bee hive in the back yard, but my bride insists that there can only be one queen on the property

Opossums eat/kill a lot of deer ticks, which can be found in tall grass and woody areas. It probably eats/kills most when grooming, but I bet the yard is a good hiding place for it.

to save my garden, i will risk the ticks! 
I doubt that we have many in this developed neighborhood! Probably the only source of ticks in the first place is the opossum!  There arent many other wild critters (other than birds) that are in the back yard. 

[AmLitHist]

I could sit on the patio and watch the kale grow (or it seems like it....)

The tomatoes are blooming, and the zucchini, yellow squash, and cukes are all coming up, as are the lettuce and spinach.  It's finally warmed up/hot this week (low 90s), so a nice change from the cool wet weather of recent weeks.

The peonies are just loaded with buds this year.

[Harlow2]

Ate the kale after clearing it out of the raised bed to make room for peppers.  Weather has been too unreliable at night to plant the tomatoes.  Looking like Memorial Day may be plant out, one of my latest starts ever.

[Puget]

It went from cool to very hot (may hit 90 today!) all at once. After Monday it returns to more seasonable 70s, but I didn't think my starts would survive the enclosed porch greenhouse-turned-sauna until then, so even though hot is not ideal for transplanting I planted most things out yesterday with a few more to go today. I'm transplanting only in the AM and evening, when it is a bit cooler, and giving lots of water. So far everything seems happy (especially the cucumbers, which I swear have grown visibly in 24 hours), with the exception of some greens-- we'll see if they make it.

[sinenomine]

My perennial flower garden is starting to fill out, and I'm chasing down weeds every couple days. Since I'll be housesitting all summer and half of autumn, I got artificial hanging plants rather than annuals, much to the frustration of hummingbirds that keep checking them. The couple I'm housesitting for have put in red lettuce and elephant kale for me, and I look forward to harvesting their blueberry bushes.