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Running out of time
21 May 2018 10:22 pmOnce again, I was too ambitious or had too much to do. Somehow my seedling starts have yet to make it into the ground. Seed potatoes too. A combination of work, weather, and other chores have prevented me from transplanting all my food.
Today I populated the Kuiper belt with kale, collards and Spanish onions. The soil is plenty moist and rich. Deer just come through and eat everything to the ground. Over the last couple of years, I lost my buckwheat cover crop, 20 strawberry crowns down to 3, over 30 potatoes down to nada, Bok choi, zip. I think one year I got a handful of radishes and some arugula. I took my 6 wire hoops and spaced them along the bed. Then I clamped on some tule fabric, leaving the ends open for pollinators. I'm hoping the remaining three strawberries recover. Before I installed the hoops, I put in one kale and a collard with some onions. The deer left that alone, preferring the strawberries. The shade should keep the cool weather plants ftom bolting too soon. Fingers crossed. The blackberry has been left alone by the deer and is growing well on the trellis. I will need to fill in all the hoof-print holes with soil or mulch.
I also dug out a large section of pure weeds at the top of the terrace in the front yard, leaving a huge pile to compost in the sun. Red cloud potatoes went into the new section. Potatoes liked to be spaced about 10" apart, taking up a lot of room. Only nine got planted. Must find more planting spots! These potatoes are all late season varieties so the goal is to get them in by June 1st. The butterballs that got left outside overnight got planted by squirrels. Next year, I may just put all the potatoes out and let the squirrels plant them for me. We found potatoes in two weird places so far. Then I have some in the mandala that I missed last year. OMG! Waist high. I have been hilling potatoes all week. That goodness for coffee grounds. As soon as I bring a bucket home, it goes straight to a potato patch. The bookcase garden and cinderblock garden are French Fingerlings. The grow bags are blue potatoes. The front yard garden has German butterballs and red cloud potatoes. I still have three containers of potatoes to plant, at least four beds worth. I don't have four beds.
So when I checked the seedlings tonight, the half-off sale plants were all dying. Toward evening, I cleared an additional section for two Monarda and also put in our zucchini because it grew very large today. We figured out a section along the front walkway for the purple sage. Chrono babied the thyme and majoram, finding them suitable habitat. They looked the worst. After watering, I put together another trellis, this time for the watermelon. I mowed the back section of the yard as well. I snuck in some nasturitiums and another amaranth into the terrace area. It's possible that I can weed one more terrace section for potatoes. Basically removing a boatload of coltsfoot. So a home for nine more taters maybe?
Earlier I had a discussion with a yellow jacket. It was very confused by my work. I think it had designs on a new colony where I tilled and planted potatoes. All its landmarks were gone. I told it it could easily find a place in the neighbor's yard. The yellow jacket moved on. The neighbor has yet to even mow her lawn this year. I've been mowing the neighbor's grass along the curb. The gas company has not finished fixing the curb or put in any grass at my house. So I only have a tiny bit to mow. It's easy just to run the mower down her section. I also cleared a path for the mailman. Creeping Charlie is taking over everything. Then I trimmed the neighbor's side. Her grass was about 24" high along the path. We both need weed wackers. Not sure why she has no interest in maintaining her yard. She comes and goes. Each time she appears to be surgically attached to her phone. It was her husband who wanted a house. He died very young. She doesn't maintain anything, just lives in her own little world. She's lucky a neighbor kid comes over and cuts her lawn every once in a while. He does this of his own accord. He wasn't asked to. When he can catch her, she does pay him but a heck of a way to run a railroad.
It's going to storm tonight. Got to get my empty pots in so they don't blow away!
Today I populated the Kuiper belt with kale, collards and Spanish onions. The soil is plenty moist and rich. Deer just come through and eat everything to the ground. Over the last couple of years, I lost my buckwheat cover crop, 20 strawberry crowns down to 3, over 30 potatoes down to nada, Bok choi, zip. I think one year I got a handful of radishes and some arugula. I took my 6 wire hoops and spaced them along the bed. Then I clamped on some tule fabric, leaving the ends open for pollinators. I'm hoping the remaining three strawberries recover. Before I installed the hoops, I put in one kale and a collard with some onions. The deer left that alone, preferring the strawberries. The shade should keep the cool weather plants ftom bolting too soon. Fingers crossed. The blackberry has been left alone by the deer and is growing well on the trellis. I will need to fill in all the hoof-print holes with soil or mulch.
I also dug out a large section of pure weeds at the top of the terrace in the front yard, leaving a huge pile to compost in the sun. Red cloud potatoes went into the new section. Potatoes liked to be spaced about 10" apart, taking up a lot of room. Only nine got planted. Must find more planting spots! These potatoes are all late season varieties so the goal is to get them in by June 1st. The butterballs that got left outside overnight got planted by squirrels. Next year, I may just put all the potatoes out and let the squirrels plant them for me. We found potatoes in two weird places so far. Then I have some in the mandala that I missed last year. OMG! Waist high. I have been hilling potatoes all week. That goodness for coffee grounds. As soon as I bring a bucket home, it goes straight to a potato patch. The bookcase garden and cinderblock garden are French Fingerlings. The grow bags are blue potatoes. The front yard garden has German butterballs and red cloud potatoes. I still have three containers of potatoes to plant, at least four beds worth. I don't have four beds.
So when I checked the seedlings tonight, the half-off sale plants were all dying. Toward evening, I cleared an additional section for two Monarda and also put in our zucchini because it grew very large today. We figured out a section along the front walkway for the purple sage. Chrono babied the thyme and majoram, finding them suitable habitat. They looked the worst. After watering, I put together another trellis, this time for the watermelon. I mowed the back section of the yard as well. I snuck in some nasturitiums and another amaranth into the terrace area. It's possible that I can weed one more terrace section for potatoes. Basically removing a boatload of coltsfoot. So a home for nine more taters maybe?
Earlier I had a discussion with a yellow jacket. It was very confused by my work. I think it had designs on a new colony where I tilled and planted potatoes. All its landmarks were gone. I told it it could easily find a place in the neighbor's yard. The yellow jacket moved on. The neighbor has yet to even mow her lawn this year. I've been mowing the neighbor's grass along the curb. The gas company has not finished fixing the curb or put in any grass at my house. So I only have a tiny bit to mow. It's easy just to run the mower down her section. I also cleared a path for the mailman. Creeping Charlie is taking over everything. Then I trimmed the neighbor's side. Her grass was about 24" high along the path. We both need weed wackers. Not sure why she has no interest in maintaining her yard. She comes and goes. Each time she appears to be surgically attached to her phone. It was her husband who wanted a house. He died very young. She doesn't maintain anything, just lives in her own little world. She's lucky a neighbor kid comes over and cuts her lawn every once in a while. He does this of his own accord. He wasn't asked to. When he can catch her, she does pay him but a heck of a way to run a railroad.
It's going to storm tonight. Got to get my empty pots in so they don't blow away!
