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Tilde
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Well seedlings are popping along. Direct sewn carrots and lettuce and kale are showing bitty plants.

Transplanted a few more tomatoes and herbs. Did up a jalapeño, need to get a hot banana and something ... Brought home some broccoli and some more greens ....

Oh, and 200 corn starts - we will see if they survive ... Transplanting next weekend

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Tilde
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Very big sprouts. Gonna have to move to real pots ASAP! I didn't keep my key near the plants so not sure what the biggies are.

Lettuce & kale are green and tiny but no true leaves yet. Carrots are peeping up more. Strawberry bigger, herbs thriving. Toms & peppers still settling in; pinching flowers.

Trees aren't dead yet, yay.

Broccoli still has whiteflies. Maybe I need to wrap the ball in cloth & take a shower with it, lol.

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Tilde
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"monday" plan - use sourced bamboo to make a couple of shelves to put plants on (wrap bind and set on buckets).

Move nightshades out to the back of the house; side of the house isn't cutting it.

Set up side of the house as a 'greenhouse' some how - start with a shelf on which the starters are repotted. Move other side yard detrius to make space for the worm bin.

decide if the garden storage bench is to repurpose as the worm bin or build something from sourced wood.

"tuesday" - plant corn and started peas at friend's house. Save a few to replant on the real monday @ lunch.

Get the whiteflies OFF of the BROCCOLI

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Tilde
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Getting real leaves on some of my starter plants. Not sO much on the carrots & lettuce - those cheap paper towels are tough. Now I see why seed tapes are made of cheap toilet paper.

Above ground nightshades are doing well. Seem to be over xplant shock.

Potted up some weeds as a gift for a friend. Should be well rooted once she's back from vacation in a few weeks.

Today me & a kid trimmed back some bushes. Starred raining so I quickly put them in the front composters.

Worms seem okay. I think I'm going to put them in the old tower this weekend. We still have more food waste than they can eat for now; I'll probably take a big big big pot & dig up some dirt from the yard & "trench" compst that way. As I start dumping spent bagged dirt (December) I'll use that, too.

Also started collecting coffee grounds at work. Yay, nitrogen. Compost it, worm it, refresh potting soil ,...

Sounds like for tomatoes I'll need to buy bagged dirt each time. I can refresh the dirt for a couple go arounds in greens or beans or carrots but unless I keep expanding I'll end up with more dirt than I need. I know: cart, horse.

I may yet end up with mini raised beds, lol.

Made a salad bowl for a friend, will take up & plant it & corn this weekend. Peas in a few weeks.

Need to plant Potatoes this wkd, as well as beets and daikon. If I can, I need to plant the rest of my salad & peppers. Peppers need one pot. Salads four. Radish beets 1. Corn ?????

Also need to start a lot of peas.

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Tilde
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Oh my. It has been pouring buckets for two hours. Guess I don't have to worry abiut the level on my rain barrel being low. Also drowned some of my plants a bit, they were in trugs & floating water.

Got them moved to a basket, glad for all the extra water. Wish I had my extra pickle barrels handy.

When I went out back I sunk in mud up to my ankles. Dang.

Yeah, it's going to be a grreeeeeeaaat weekend to plant corn starter plants

Image

At least the lake level will rise some more. #needsit

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Tilde
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Potted the peppers. Moved all nightshades out back. Potted big broccoli and some cabbage. Ran out of dirt and weed block (lining baskets).

Got the mesh hardware cloth and the zip ties out, put together some mutant planters. Tall ones for potatoes, smalll ones for greens and beans.

Tired. Bought more dirt and a big plant on clearance to hide some of the side yard clutter ;).

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Tilde
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Plant or get off the pot with that corn. I don't think it's worth the effort of planting up north, will pot a few and some peas and just see what happens.

checked in on the cabbage - surprisingly all still alive. Kind of migrated them in from the pot edges and put more dirt "behind" them in the corner.

All this rain I haven't had to water for days. I dug out my pickle barrels yesterday (still smelling of pickle) and set them out on the back yard. Got some rain, need to xfer to the rain barrel tonight before the skeeters find it.

also got a used shelving unit to set out back as a mini greenhouse once I get some plastic. Can put "jiffy boxes" out there for now. This will get my starter pots off of the front porch. Need to start some flowers and more beans.

1. plant the small plants and some potatoes.
2. Make a table for the rest of the greeens - flat hod-trog like basket with plastick - set on bamboo shelves for now
3. build big shelf for nursery, temp cover with plastic
4. start more seedlings (flowers!)
5. drill and plant some corn
6. Feed worms
7. think about how else to compost ...
8. plant radishes in the last green bucket up front


Next week

start more carrots and more leafy salad greens
start more peas and build trailer things for the squashes
start onions

Question for anyone reading along - I want a LOT of loos leaf salad. Any reason I cant plop some into the tomato and chilie plant pots for now to eat as baby greens? I don't think there's an issue but don't want to miss a good reason ...

Also sold my kids on planting some of the beans at the base of a tree (in baskets) so the plants can climb the tree (bean tree!). The tree is very stunted and doesn't grow much - if it still had supports you'd htink it was just planted instead of 15 years old. Probalby planted too deeply (had that issue with one of my pecan trees back in the day).

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Tilde
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All right! Carrots are showing true leaves.

Boy, this whole gardening at lunch is not yet working. Probably because I just have sooo much to do to get the garden set up.

Maybe once I get my nursery shelves up and something resembling a potting table it will be easier.

don't know if I've been lifting too many bags of soil or just need to get in better shape or both. oh my back. Container gardening isn't easier if you don't take it easy on yourself. I think me and the furniture dolly will be doing the bag moving this weekend.

Planted a couple of small fruit bushes in the front ... a few leaves are yellow from stress but hven't dropped yet. Funny that I bought them from someone in PA and their origin tag says FL ... duh! but it was cheaper online than local.

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All that wind the last few weeks had a consequence - broke our rain gutter, yay!

Well, not yay but yay because it means I need to get the gutter guy out (I'm not allowed on ladders at the moment). He has a minimum job charge and for that charge I can get him to gutter the rear of the house and pipe the downspout into a couple of rain barrels ...

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No dead mini blinds anywhere to be found. I have some tyvek to repurpose but I haven't gotten there yet. All bottles for recycling and repurposing have been clear ... it's been a bad year for finding something to use for tough plant markers!

Finally just bought a bunch of "craft sticks" at the craft store. Made up my plant markers last night to answer the mystery of the mystery seeds.

Most everything sprouted except some of the chilies and onions. I'll water them a bit longer to see if they germinate.

Got my nursery shelf built last night - want to try to site it this weekend. I was going to put it up against a wall but now that I might get rain barrels I may need to rethink that. Not sure where to put it, frankly. It's almost the height of the fence so I might look into siting it there. Alternatively, just freestand it near the bushes perpendicular to the rain barrels.

Rain barrel placement is tricky with the flow of water currently and the zero-line restrictions.

"monday" plan:

Set up nursery shelf unit. Likely "against" bushes, "planted" and leveled in pickle barrels with holes and plants (snow peas?) (flowers?) or sand. Maybe water with a screen on top ;)

plant as many starters as possible.

Plant potatoes.

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Tilde
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mmm cold weather crops ...

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Nursery shelf set up with some protection from direct rain. Need to drill and fill buckets its in.

xplanted winter squash, summer squash.

planted 1 potato in my potato tube.

set up second garden shelf for ready plants - need to set up a third and keep xplanting

poor nearly dead corn ...

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Broccoli is getting bigger ... need to pot out the little ones

Light rain last few days - rain barrel is full yay. Not gotten others or scheduled gutter guy yet.

White flies, I never did get them all off of the broccoli as they moved to the tomatoes and peppers. Squishing like crazy only found one today.

Little super tiny black bugs around the bok choi - moved against the fence and a smart little spider set up shop and is doing fantastic business.

Found a stink bug - usual shield body - green ish with a brown or red tint on the edge and legs - hope it wasn't a soldier bug ooops if it was. Squished it before I got a pic ooops.

xplanted squashes are sooo happy and exploding. The peas are envious. Must plant those soon.

finally just threw in the towel and got a basic cheap compost pyramid style thing at Big Orangy Boxy Store (clearance) (boy are their rain barrels useless looking). Will try to assemble this weekend.

Started using the hitch on my runabout to haul bikes around. one repaired, two to go. So nice to have decent weather again.

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wow it's Friday again!

Busy week, time change is good for morning gardening. :)

Big broccoli I posted last week is getting big. Has a second plant coming up near the main plant stem, yay. Have small xplants to plant soon.

Tomatoes are doing okay. Biggest/first xplant Husky cherry has shown and had pollinated a couple of flowers - should be bitty tomatoes in a few days. Bonnie hybridy tomato growing - had to strip a bunch of leaves for fungal black spots. Will make a milk spray this wkd. Other husky cherry starting to show flowers - might flower next week. Also had to strip a few bottom branches. Killed 3 whiteflies. I think a couple of my starter seeds are ready to uppot.

Peppers are just kind of there, growing but slowly. Looks like flower buds are trying to form but it's slow going. My starter seeds are getting bigger, need to uppot.

Bok Choi is perking up nicely. Long way to go but nice to see them mostly healthy. Not much more holes on the leaves, I keep checking but not finding bugs. I'll hold off on moving more xplants for now, but need to get some icebergs in.

xplanted squashes are happy. one winter squash had leafminer - picked and dumped the leaf.

Potato is damp but not poking out of the dirt I stuck it in last week yet.

Hasn't been raining significantly for a couple of days, just some sprinkles, so I've been pickle-bucket watering from the last downpour. I hope to get and set up a rain barrel over the weekend - just open air near the back garden for watering, started with some hose water I'll let sit.

Avocado tree looks good, getting taller. I've got to pick a height (probably 8 foot) and eventually start trimming it. Mom has a HUGE pot I'd love to put him in ... we'll see.

Clementine tree is going gangbusters. I'm getting leaves atop it, as well as from the graft host ... tempted to leave that on to see what I get. :P Meyer lemon not so much, but we'll see. Maybe it needs more sun than what it gets.

Carrots are doing well, I'm getting ready to start a third pot of them, maybe Danver this time.

Kale is awesome, lettuce being destroyed by leaf miners, darnit. Since so little of the lettuce and kale are popping up (mostly around the edges) because of how I had the kids seed it I may re-seed some of those pots a bit.

Strawberries are just sitting there. Moved to a sunnier spot but they're just hanging out. I think they need some fertilizer as I popped them in "used potting soil" without any food (just about everyone else except for the carrots are in "new" potting soil).

Herbs are hit or miss. Rosemary and lavender are nearly dead. Dill and cilantro suffered from over watering and possibly a fungal infection - I'll give them a few days and a milk spray. Mint and basil (basil is from 4 years ago, been volunteering all over the yard) going gang busters.

all my seedlings are doing well. Need uppot and weather protection. Maybe this weekend ... we'll see.

Also doing research to make a 'garden calendar' for some young friends hither and yon. Remote gardening and cheering them on should be itneresting. One of the house kids here doesn't like the planting part of gardening, is fine with everything else - likes looking at things growing, catching whiteflies, and thanking pollinators. I attribute a lot of it to a change in the weather and 'growing' interest in what we can eat from the yard ...

Given the projected weather for the next few weeks, I'd better get on enclosing a couple shelves of my nursery shelf for plant protection this weekend, and xplant a few things if I can find the time ....

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Ack, spittle bugs on the avocado ... Good thing they're harmless

Xplanted the surviving corn (yeah, I let some die eek) & all my peas. Broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant & I think some lettuce? I don't remember.

I think the potato is poking out a bit; still some ways to go on it.

I can't remember what else but I drilled all my pickle barrels. Waiting for my chilies to get a liilte bigger. Slow starters.

Love peas so I'm gonna start more. Oh! Cukes! I xplanted the cukes. As all the climbers get bigger I'll need to trellis up.

I put sticks in with the peas; I don't expect to be able to let them climb the corn but you'll never know if you don't try.

I managed to assemble the giant cheapo compost bin & moved the worms to the tower. Ants in the darn thing, ugh. I'll move it back inside in a week or so.

Also put some of the found wood I've been scavenging to use; made a potting table that folds up if needed. I can't put a lot of weight on it but it works. Yay zip ties

My lawn out front is suddenly full of borrowing creatures. Step and crush their trails in the yard, & I think they are coming onto the porch & disturbing the carrots. Dug a few up. Nothing but greens yet. Patted them back in place ...

Might move them to the back yard or make cages ...

TIRED.

Oh! Ittttttty bitty tomatoes! Husky cherry yum.

Starting to get flowers on the bigger tomato, & flowers on the other husky.

A flower on the jalepeno, buds on the other peppers I was worried about them.

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I love reading this thread! Keep up the great work. :D

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Thanks, applestar. :)

I don't know why I can't sleep tonight. Weird.

I think I'm going to start some onions and schmancy organic garlic from the schmancy food store in my last 5 gal buckets (until I get more). I did put a couple of onion starters I made in with ... cauliflower? I don't know. I'll know when they keep going (or not). I don't know how many hours I spent outside today but I've nearly used up all my 5gal and my dirt. Yay/boo. Can't wait until the next fall when I estimate I can start digging it out of the backyard big ol' composter bin. Maybe summer but I am not going to get my hopes up.

Meantime I'll direct sow some and get more carrots started. Maybe I'll leave the front yard ones for the critters to have ;).

Probably by the end of November I'll have to stop planting fully. We might start getting frosts then and I've only got so much in the way of plastic bags for all these pots (or I could put down a tarp in the den and drag everyone in a few nights in a row)

I'll do more starter plants at the end of the year but will start them in big 3" pots rather than the little ice-cube ones I'm in now. That will give me more time to mature them. Probably just newspaper - I've saved some of my pots from the garden center but I don't really want to go buy bleach just to sterilize the darn things.

Need to look for brussels sprouts starters at the big box stores. I've heard they're delish fresh from the garden.

Hard to see, but here are the first autumnal bitty tomatoes:

Image

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Looks like the big tomato plant is flowering today or tomorrow. The squashes are about to lose their starter leaves? They're kind of yellow and at the bottom.

Everyone looks pretty happy; I didn't water yesterday morning and then last night it 10% rain-chanced all over the back yard for about 15 min. So everyone is nice and wet.

I don't get why the pepper plants aren't growing; maybe they're establishing roots or I just don't notice the gradual change enough to notice they are growing. Or compared to the tomatoes they look like they're not growing, lol. Lots of buds, hopefully to be lots of flowers soon ...

I counted up my containers and I have 24 ... so far ... of plants and that's not even a third of what I want to plant (and doesn't include fruit bushes or nut bushes on order). The average width of the containers is 12x12 so I've got 24 square feet of ground under cultivation. This includes the herbs, but not the fruit bushes (half in the ground, half not) or the nut bushes (where ARE THEY!?!?!).

When I was doing in-ground gardening back when my kiddos were babies, that was about where I maxxed out, 24 square feet, due to time (babies do take a bit of doing, 2+hrs commuting daily) and just starting gardening at the wrong time (I always used to start in the spring here).

Now I think I've only got a quarter of what I want to plant planted. Not going to need the lawn guy to do the back yard for much longer, not going to be much of anything left.

One of the cauliflowers died or got eaten by whatever is going after the bok choi. I need to get starter plants going on that again. Or see if there are any at the store ...

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Quick check before work, dumped coffee grounds and edemame skins into the compost bin ...

okay, more jalapeno and pepper flowers. The onions planted with the broccoli seem to be doing well. More flowers on the second husky tomato plant. lettuce and kale are growing ... slllloooowly ...

"winter" is coming ...

Image

Post in another section reminded me - I saw a bee this morning. I had the kids cleaning up their breakfast dishes and doing the shoes/backpack/homework dance while I watered the back yard (FYI, the 2lb 10.25oz coffee cans hold just over 2qts water) while I hit the rain barrel. Right by the barrel was a little bee wandering about. :)

A few days ago I saw a wild swarm about 60 feet up and three miles out on the drive from my house to somewhere - late afternoon on Sunday I think. I have driven that way once or twice since then but not seen it.

Have also sighted a few dragon flies, a couple of butterflies, done some whitefly squishing and also seen tiny little flies that I worry are medflies (we've had a few quarantines over the years). I guess I need to make some yellow sticky cards to catch and check with the ag office.

The lizards LOVE my garden. I be they are keeping the pests down; whenever I go out I see at least half a dozen.

There are little tiny black flying bugs (I mean TINY) in the compost bin but it doesn't smell. When I first loaded it with kitchen scrap it STUNK but I smothered it with leaves and coffee grounds (by the back fence, don't want to wreck my neighbor's enjoyment of their yard). I'll need to get out my pitch fork to give it a stir ...

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ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHH!

Glad I have a garden, a good cure for a RAGEY FEELING DAY. I should not read medical studies on grumpy days. GRR.

Took the kids out in the garden this morning - we had a touch of fog and it was pretty out. :) Looks like one of the Bonnie tomatoes is about to fruit (the flower has that wilty look). I'm going to shake the rest of the plants at lunch today (grumpy = shopping I'm going to go buy that second rain barrel).

A LOT more pepper flowers, so hopefully they'll get pollinated - might take a small brush to them tomorrow or "garden monday" if I'm still feeling ragey and not get-work-doney.

Carrots are perking up, and all my watering seems to be waking some of the carrots that didn't germinate at first. so a nice staggered batch. Must plant more ths weekend since it's going to be balmy for us through the next two weeks.

Goal: plant ALL my starter plants this weekend, set p the new water barrel, and start new starter plants. Plant potatoes if I have dirt/buckets.

Image
Potatoes!

Image
Corn (perhaps) and snow peas


Image
bok choi or other chinese cabbage

Image
Carrots
Last edited by Tilde on Fri Dec 16, 2011 2:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Rain Barrel is balaneced on a pickle bucket in the back yard. Might 10% in it tonight & will set up something more permanent this weekend. Maybe more scrap lumber will do the trick. I only need to get it up about 18 inches for watering; or just toss another pile of cinder blocks together. Its another fancy overpriced on but it's a "sensble" color & has a brass cutoff and hose connection.

Kids begged for tomatoes at the grocery store, so I got a pint for $2 on sale. I'm going to have to get more tomato plants to keep up with them. Jeepers.

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Speaking of my snack-sized garden(s) ....

Thank GARDEN it's Friday!

So I ran to the big box store to pick up more tomatoes. Not much bitty ones out right now - mostly sandwich tomatoes. I got a yellow something, something patio, and more husky cherries. Hopefully six bite size tomato plants will keep us going until I get the new ones started from seed.

Also got cilantro to replace my dead one :boo: and found ... STARTER ONIONS. Short day Texas white ones, smell goood. I'll stick a bunch in my current pots and plant some up north on the holiday weekend. Will also talk to my remote gardener friends and see about trying to save a few to mail out for the holiday (I'll stick them in the fridge and mail them in a wet paper towel in a zippy bag).

Will also plant a few in cut-up soda bottles to "watch" them grow, misshapen as they'll be, but FUN! Also found Brussels Sprouts, will plant some down here and some up north a couple zones away to see who has better results.

I'm also doing a garden calendar project, like I said, for my young gardener friends - will use it for me, too. I'm starting the food garden for my family very very expensively with all these $3 starter plants ... I want to be seed-driven the rest of my season.

come on parkseed, start a seed sale!

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File under: I left it too late:

Image

Going to harvest it now ... only a couple of yellow buds, no worries. But they sure weren't yellow yesterday.

Put a few starter onions in with the night shades. Probably won't be "done" by the time we cut down the 'shades and put in squashes or lettuce, but they shouldn't mind new room mates.

I have a ton of things to plant this wkd. Going to do a quick count and then make planting baskets and bags tonight.

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Very tired tonight, busy tiring day in general.

In the garden department is getting there. Potted up all or almost all of the new tomatoes. I think I'm finally out of 5+ gallon containers; the last few pickle barrels I found weren't drilled out :(

Also did up another chinese cabbage; need to get more of that and some herbs potted up for Turkey Day gifts. From what I'm reading, I can grow those in coffee cans (why call them that when they are plastic and square now?). Finally, went through on a couple of the tomato plants and stuck onion starters here and there.

Also had a bit of rain this afternoon ... the new rain barrel wasn't filling up fast enough for me so I grabbed some coffee cans and added to it from the gutter drain 2 quarts at a time. I guess I got it filled about a quarter of the way before the rain petered out and so did I. Left the coffee cans and 5 gal pickle barrels out in the rain, maybe they'll catch a bit more overnight I can use this week to finish my potting.

Made a bunch of growing baskets for things about 3 gal size; need to make a few more and the landscape cloth liner. Experimented on a couple of tomatoes with newspaper only; we'll see how it holds up over the season.

Thought of a last minute funny to confuse the kids - planted the yellow tomato in a yellow milk crate. mmmm too bad I'm not growing anything purple - but if I set it next to the clear crate maybe I'll convince them those tomatoes are going to be clear ...

Have a good holiday, everyone.

Oh ... Looks like the warm weather is at an end. We are going to be hitting the 50s & lower at night. Time to do some serious sheeting thoughts.

Probably put my garden shelf on one end of garden row, then posts in pickle barrels on the other, & sheet around, opening during the day & closing at night. Might do a rush order on some frost cloth instead of plain plastic ...

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I was afraid this was going to happen.

I cut that broccoli ... and it's still in the fridge. :hide:

Thinking very hard about raised beds. just thinking though, I'm reluctant to commit to that again. Helps that we have a guy in to do the mowing, maybe that and a good grass - incursion plan will make it possible.

I'm really admiring the ones I see with seating on the edge. Makes me think about getting some cinderblocks and facing them with a milk painted wood, lol. Nice balance between practical and pretty enough for landscaping opinion ... I used to have just plain brick out but mildew grows on EVERYTHING ...

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Great holiday weekend so far, except when the milkman's son phoned up. I looked at caller ID and said it was the milkman (recently deceased). AWKWARD ... :( :(

Okay happies: plants! FOOD! GREEN! Gonna build a raised bed for spring crops whoooooo! Even if it kills me ;).

Image

Image

Got a bit of planting done at the north garden. Been thinking hard about sweet potatoes - maybe I'll grow them in the front yard under the bushes! No more mulching, they are natural mulch.

Trimmed a bunch of tree (leaves composted by some stranger with love, I imagine) and some palm fronds. Have ideas for them so I didn't curb them. Gonna experiment.

Thinking about getting the rest of the garden planted already! Running out of containers I need to have raised beds, period.

Thinking about peanuts. I was going to front yard them, but maybe I can back yard them in the old kiddy pool. Might be deep enough, but I'd also hate to run it for someone by drilling holes. Maybe I'll chicken and pile a sweet potato plant in there instead. Must think about a way to keep it from not draining without ruining it ... or just suck it up and ruin it. But then, growing in plastic is not my favorite thing ...

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WHAT a holiday weekend. :) Woke up this morning to some red tomatoes ... whoooeeee! This is why I'm gardening. Dang.

Talked myself into a raised bed garden. Will start building the first one next week on lunch, loading up bricks and getting it laid out. Figure two beds to start side by side, one for planting, one for some composting and growing the last of the in-container plants.

compost bin smells good. Very happy about that. You guys were right about a larger containment field, almost a cubic yard is doing it (not that full yet).

Worms seem to be okay, going to start bringing them in soon because of the impending 50 degree weather.

Garden calendar stuff for the kids is bought, will write it up as soon as I finish one other writing project (or use it for taking breaks).

All of the squash plants are flowering. Considering pinching them but eh, let them have fun. :P

Probably have the beds 3 bricks by 5 cinder blocks in size, stacked three high. I know, get a few half bricks so I cna pattern the blocks to interlock. I'll also build a potato well out of some small bricks I have left over from another project - build a circle about a foot high, put in spuds, then keep bricking and dirting up as I go.

All I want for the holidays is a wheely barrow, a wheely barrow ...

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Well, my peppers are apparently delicious. Most of the buds have been eaten clean off - I suspect the lizards who were assisting earlier in bug mitigation. That or the squirrels. Or the birds. Or the jolly green giant. Could be anyone, really.

Not a lot I can do about it at this point. The weather is going to get into the 50s tonight, so I'm going to move all of the plants to the ground and throw a freezer blanket over them tonight. Little noobs in the middle, larger caged plants on the outside.

I've figured out my raised bed plan; start with one and work my way up. I toyed with a bunch of options but am going for cinder block - eventually faced with decorative brick if needed (one option was all decorative brick but beyond my technical abilities and time limitation).

I'll do it 3.5 concrete blocks by 5 - in an overlapping arrangement three blocks high @ 48 per bed. Start with one and work my way on, 30 square feet of garden space at a time. The second one will be for corn, peas, and something leafy, a squash probably - I can make that one lower at 2 bricks high for the first year or so.

I can put those rescued bamboo poles at the corners and the midway point - then wire chicken wire or something a bit bigger-holed around as hinged access points. Though until I know what's eating things, not much point. If it's squirrels or birds, I can do it. If it's lizards, I'm pretty screwed. I'm sure its birds or squirrels, though. Must get bird food and scatter it away from the plants ...

So all my peppers but for three fruits are gone (two banana, one jalapeno). Tomatoes are doing well enough, just succession planted a few more. Everyone else is meh, they fruit or not, I started way too late again, even with pre-started plants.

Tonight I'll move and frost blanked the plants, see if I can pot up the last two tomatoes and peppers or just shove them somewhere in the warmth pile.

I'll bring the starter plants I did from seed in the house, and then hope for the best.

Need to start more lettuce sooon, and kale, and either not let the children help (boo) or just not bury it so deeply.

The carrots haven't been disturbed by my underground friends (seem to have moved to the back yard) so they can stay on the front porch. Need to start a third bucket.

If I can get the bed done in a couple of weeks, I can start putting bushes and other debris in the bottom, then start putting food waste and left over mulch from under the bushes in there. The bamboos are mostly 6ft long (as is the interior of the bed is) so I can probably just kind of tarp it as I build it up with organic waste. Then pile the container garden in there until Jan 31 when I can start xplanting things in there for good.

If Jan 31 is my last frost date, I need to start my new plants from seed in two weeks or so. I got some tall seed starter domes from Park Seed but they seem kind of meh. I might give them to the kids and just build out my seedling boxes (been reading biointensive gardening) myself and start them there.

I hope to get my garlic softneck starts this week (found them!) and pull up the side yard where they'll plant. Must low fence the area to keep the lawn guy away. Also need to do some potato wells with the old bricks from an older project.

Hazelnut bushes should show up soon. Probably two on the fence line and one in the side yard... I think I'll take out a side yard bush and put it there. Then the blueberries next once I build out the bed (I'll be able to lose the garden turtle I've got half done compost in and the bench I have bricks in).

Got a frost tent for the miracle berries in the front yard. Those are doing well, new growth. The tent looks like an igloo, so I'll sketch some "bricks" on there and pretend it's a holiday decoration. Will also (bought a pressure cleaner) redo a border out front with decorative bricks, and start sprouting sweet potatoes to plant out there. No more mulch if I just let the sweet potatoes grow and flower all over. If I plant one every six weeks we'll start having potatoes out our ears in a few months continuously.

Citrus trees are doing well; probably won't prune the branch from the graft root, lol. Meyer is slower than dwarf Clementine but no worries. I'll keep them on the front porch and move them indoors at night when we dip in the 50s.

Holiday shopping is over. Need to write up the rest of the garden calendar for the kids and mail it off. The rest of the witner is sooo booked.

Got the property taxes paid (ouch) and looking forward to the holiday break and crazyness. Always fun, and I'll get to meet my new nephew to boot. Need to book someone to repair the sprinkler box (replace) and the gutter guy.

Luckily with the lack of rain my rain barrels are almost empty so I can move them to the side of the yard - need to get a diverter, too. I kind of want to move the one that's on the side of the house, but I'm not sure where to. It is positioned pretty well under a corner where water runs off significantly. Maybe if I just fix the hose - it seems as if it's got a bit of a drip. I'm also madly in love with my new ("ugly") barrel with a brass spigot - but I can just put a twist nozzle on the end of the hose :) I know I've got one around here somewhere. Will also put a couple of pavers leaning against it to prettify the cinderblock it's resting on.

immediately acquire: cinder blocks, chicken wire (below the bed), mulch (around the beds) cardboard (free), tree and brush discards (free), diverter (look at prices and comparison shop).

eventually acquire: wheelbarrow (can use 18 gal buckets and furniture mover for now), third rain barrel, more bricks for more beds.

I can get some dirt when I did up the bushes to add to the beds ....

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Wow I'm tired. I've been running around like crazy at lunch when I usually kick back and pick at the garden.

So I picked up more scrap lumber @ my cool spot tonight, offloaded it into the garage (going to use it to make my seedling boxes and maybe a kid doll house and to help make potting tables for the north garden) and then potted those last two tomatoes.

Most critical to pot left are two peppers - I'll try to get to them tomorrow.

I bet I sound like a first time mom to some of you guys ... worrying so much about getting into the 50's with my widdle pwecious pwants. :P I tented the miracle berry plants and I'm just going to not worry - everyone is fine.

The rest of the things to pot are mostly random stuff that won't be ready to really plant until the end of dec; I'll move from their starting cells to 3" pot container I have (cupcake holder).

Trying to figure out how to get all those cinderblocks here on lunch or a weekend. Maybe I'll make a run saturday morning in the runabout with the carseats out if I can; otherwise ??? Not really something I can do at lunch. I'll have to think about it. Otherwise play hooky from work half a day and just get it done ... that actually might not be a bad idea, and well worth it.

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!!!!!!!! I think my yacon is here from !potatoes! !!!!!!!!!!!!

Pick it up, pop it in a pot, wait for it to sprout a bit. I hope.

I am thinking about planting it in the side yard where I want to uproot some of my bushes anyway ... but it's pretty shady over there. I have to remember it's going to take up a LOT of room since he mentioned to RG that half a whiskey barrel might not be big enough. The alternative is in a corner under the weirdo tree (not really sure what it is but it grows at funny angles) near the compost bin.

got my three blueberry bushes in the mail yesterday. They're dwarf so they'll go in a BIG pot, probably out front, just going to water them and get them over travel shock for now.

This weekend, tho, I will get the first 16 concrete blocks for my first row of the first raised bed. I've got enough cardboard and newspapers for it. Will stack it up and start layering dry dry yard debris in it with kitchen waste (bypassing the compost bin for now, just collecting in a 20 gallon ... I mean liter ... bin).

Later next week I'll add in the second and third rows, piling in the half done leaf mould and compost I've got going - hopefully enough for it all to fill about 2/3 of the way through. Then a few bags of dirt and compost from the store. I don't know that I'll plant anything yet - I might just plop the container garden I"ve got going in it for now; not going to uproot anyone, just dump them in when they're exhausted.

Other plans - pull up the pavers from the side yard, put them in the back and move the grill out there. It's grilling season! Move the chairs back out there, too, I want the room in the garage.

Once the pavers are up, convince the kids to plant the garlic and onions where they were. I've still got some greens to plant, I might send some up north to the mini garden I've got running up there or just get them planted on the porch somehow.

Once this last week of planting spurt and building is done, that's it till spring. Just watching and protecting. And starting plants for xplanting in January ...

Oh, have to finish up the calendar for the kid gardening to send out next week to get there in the holidays ... Hanukkah, Yule, Xmas, birthdays ... woooooo

Tempted to plant a couple of onions at the office, or maybe carrots - I wonder if anyone would notice a pot o carrots on my desk?

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Whew. Okay, got the first layer of the raised bed in. Filled in about half way with dry browns, once I water it & get more in it it will be solid. Airy & poofy it fills the space but I have to break it down. I've been collecting people's fridge cleanings & coffee grounds. Got about a five gal bucket so far. Once I get the second layer down I'll pour on the food, then some more stuff I've got - dead grasses & leaves that have been mouldering a while, & a bunch of old mulch from under the bushes from the past few years.

Got my yacon - popped in a bucjet, planning a place for it. Got garlic, moved the turtle & will try to get the garlic there this week.

Mostly I just need to get ready for spring & the backyard cleaned up. All those containers are starting to look like a junkyard ....


Blueberries & bay laurel aren't in. I need containers. Still waiting on hazelnuts. Not sure what to do about them. I want to plant them but I know if we ever sell they'd have to be ripped out. I might end up raised bedding them just to make them easier to move one day. Or convince someone up north to plant them for me & keep them in the coop family.

My plan(t)s bigger than yard ....

Must do seedlings for spring next weekend ....

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"Momma's building a BRICK WALL in the BACKYARD!" - comments from the peanut gallery last night as I laid most of the third layer of cinderblock in the back yard.

CB is ugly. I was going to try painting it, but I think I'll just wrap it in fleece, I've got a fat lot of it just mouldering in the back storage anyway. Boring but easy, I can yank it off and throw it in the washing machine every few weeks if needed.

About 1/3 full of yard debris. I may need to empty the composter into it! I've got nearly 10 gal of food waste to spread on the yard waste, then a lot of assorted soils from here and then, then a few topsoil and compost bags from the store. It's tempting to want to plant now, but it's too early.

Once that's done, next task is garlic and the rest of the onions. I have a space by the side of the house, just need to paint p the plastic boards that will contain it so they aren't so garish for the neighbors (heck, fabric wrap them, too!). My plan is to just plant along the side of the house all year, onions, garlic, stuff that will grow on top of the sand - lay down some short boards, drop in some dirt, toss in my starts and cloves.

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okay - been very tired lately, so I haven't done a lot in the garden except watering and bug hunting.

Had some issues on the peas with caterpillars but that seems to be receding.

The potato plant is getting tall; I think I Need to carefully split it out of the bag and put it in something bigger. It's about a foot tall, needs more dirt and food.

Put more food waste in the impending garden. Spent a lunch hour digging old mulch out from under the bushes to put atop the food waste in the impending garden.

STILL have not planted my garlic, grr. Unsure if we are going to paint the house this year - if we are I don't want to plant it on the side yard. And I'm not sure it's sunny enough. Decisions decisions. Maybe since it's just a plant and forget food I'll put in in the northern garden this weekend (and tuck a couple in the garden kits for the kids).

Tomatoes are ripening. I think they are doing okay in the containers, though not prolific yet on their production. I think on the weekend I'll put the bamboo poles atop the cement block garden box and move all of the containers up there, away from the squirrels.

Away-er from teh squirrels, I don't tnink you can escape them completely.

Carrots are getting bushy but the lettuce and kale SUCK. I need to replant those and start another batch of carrots.

The Clementine is doing fabulous. but It's starting to curl over - I need to put a stick in it to grow up. Meyer is slow but steady growing.

I'm actually eating clementines right now - my favorite holiday snack. Saving the mini crates to use as plant starting containers in the new year.

I dumped a couple of the squashes and cuke plants. I planted them in way too small containers and they pretty much died. I'll start new ones soon.

Corn didn't make it (of course) so I'll chop them down and put the Brussels sprout starter plants in instead. I should have a bit more cool enough weather to get them grown.

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Just harvested Peppers alongside nearly ready little tomatoes

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Broccoli sideheads

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Chinese cabbage (grow faster! I'm hungry!)

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Tiny Toms again with yellowing leaves

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Bigger Tom plant

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Just about dead corn and peas :(

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Well it's going to be warm all winter. Aren't going to hit below 60 before the new year, though some natives said it's going to get very chilly in February. Maybe I should hang onto those freezer blankets.

I'm getting anxious to start using my spring bed - especially with the potentially warm winter. I'm thinking that I'll put in the last layer of kitchen leavings, then a couple of bags of dirt on half the bed and plant the last of my cold-weather plants.

Then next weekend (new years) I can start the xplants for next year.

Spent the last couple of days packaging up the seeds for the planting projects for the kids. I hope I get them there in time for Xmas - they have a long winter break even if I don't. So much fun I can't wait to see it going!

Plants up north look good, growing somewhat more slowly than I'd like ;) but everything does. Going to plant garlic up there this weekend, and a bucket full for myself down here. :P

Need to add more dirt to the potatoes and let them grow, also plant more carrots and some radishes.

Happy holidays everyone. See you next year.

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I wonder if the pumpkin I bought from the factory farm pumpkin patch was a pie pumpkin? It kind of exploded behind the front yard bushes before I got it to teh compost pile and I was not very dillgent bout getting up the rest of the seeds - just scraped mulch and humus over it ...

Unless I kill this or transplant it, we will have pumpkins in April ... I wonder if I can just pinch flowers all spring until about May and let it grow for foliage (my original plan with my sweet potatoes). The kids' votes are to let them grow and sell them to earn money. Might be a good idea, actually ...

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YACON!

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!potatoes!
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IT BEGINS!

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Tilde wrote:Well it's going to be warm all winter. Aren't going to hit below 60 before the new year, though some natives said it's going to get very chilly in February. Maybe I should hang onto those freezer blankets.
Holy moley it got cold this week. So much for "February", glad I held onto the freezer blankets. Those things are big, I hope my tomatoes survived.

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I sheeted my brassicas planted in the "brick wall" planter. Need to do more planting soon but life has me booked the next two weekends. Maybe when the kids are back in school I can get my lunch hour back to do garden work.

Need to start seedlings THIS WEEKEND inside ...

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The holidays and deadlines have been KILLER these last couple of months. Plus some other junk going on keeping me out of the garden.

But NO MORE!!!!

The RAISED BED IS DONE!!!

Most of the winter style weather is GONE!! Save a few exploded tomatoes (who knew!) my plants survived and will be transplanted into the raised bed with some garlic.

The herbs will be repotted with olla around them ...

And I have pulled half the carrots and will pull the other half this weekend, to start them and others ASAP.

I wasn't going for miniature carrots, but I sure got there:

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