80 degrees
8 Apr 2021 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ursulas_alcoveNew Moon. Rain. Petrichor!
Time to plant all the things! Lugging soil is hard on the shoulders. That 60 pound bag of sand, OMG. But first, let's start with the cat. Yes, the cat who weighs all of 7.5 pounds. She decided she liked sleeping in dirt. She really likes sleeping in dirt. I had some plants over wintering in the house last year. Nothing compacts soil like an animal. Meaning there was no air in it at all. All the plants died. The soil was solid like concrete. Yesterday, I took a hand rake and pounded that soil like mash potatoes. I broke it up as best as I could and added some peat moss and sand from that 60 pound bag. The pot is about 2 feet across and 8 inches deep. Shoulders are feeling it. Oh, what's going in the pot after all that work? I planted Nettles from Baker's Creek.
I got an email today that my plants are coming in tomorrow. Panic ensued. I needed to mix up the secret soil blend. I am taking a class on how to raise better strawberries. That was my Covid relief splurge. I grabbed the trash bin I bought to haul yard waste to the compost pile. I made up the blend. Then I had to haul up a planter from the basement. It's a tower and very awkward. Shoulders. I also made a mess as I brought it upstairs and outside. I thought I emptied it. Apparently, not quite enough. I set that up outside. Last year I raised potatoes in it. The potato dirt went into grow bags. I have potatoes coming soon too. I have three planters dressed and ready to go. Tomorrow I'll grab some big pots from the basement for the rest of the strawberries. The calculation from the class was that I should get .75 pounds per plant per year. The plants are a specific variety that are called day neutral as opposed to June Bearing or Everbearing. They should produce 3 to 4 times this year. I ordered 25 plants. Which means about 18.75 pounds of fruit. I am hopeful. I need 15 pounds to make one batch of wine.
I also worked on the herb spiral as I knew rain would be coming in. The fennel needed a home soon. It is getting big. It likes cool weather. I removed all the bricks on the back side. Big heavy bricks. Shoulders feeling it. After leveling them, I grabbed a kitty litter bucket and hauled several loads of leftover compost and sand up the hill. I think the fennel will like it here. I moved a little of the yarrow to a new location. More yarrow needs a new home but the area I have in mind also needs soil.
I really really need one of those three bay compost systems! There is just never enough dirt/soil/sand/worm castings. The compost area is a project for another day. It also needs work. The spinach got transplanted too. Here's yesterday's tomatoes.
I got notified that the Center for Coalfield Justice is doing a seed swap on April 24th. I wonder if they need plants? I expect I'll have extras. My seeds are already planted. Yes, I did that too. I planted the cucumbers from Faun. I also had Armenian cucumbers to try as well. They didn't survive last year. This year, I'll start them in pots. I also started melons and pumpkin plus a zucchini packet that only had 2 seeds in it. The rest of the cucurbits will get direct seeded once I know the weather is settled. With everything in pots, they can come inside if we get unexpected weather. So many seeds from so many friends! Thank you all. Butter lettuce went in today as did an assortment of cold hardy lettuce. Also from friends. My garden isn't sure if it belongs in VA or in WI. 😉
Good thing I have two porches! The cold weather plants are in trays in the cinderblock garden. I have 15 collard greens and a multitude of chard as well as cabbage to plant. The cabbage moths are having a field day. Buying BT spray is also on my list. It's an organic way to control the chewing. I may set aside some plants for the sale. Going to rest my shoulders now.
Time to plant all the things! Lugging soil is hard on the shoulders. That 60 pound bag of sand, OMG. But first, let's start with the cat. Yes, the cat who weighs all of 7.5 pounds. She decided she liked sleeping in dirt. She really likes sleeping in dirt. I had some plants over wintering in the house last year. Nothing compacts soil like an animal. Meaning there was no air in it at all. All the plants died. The soil was solid like concrete. Yesterday, I took a hand rake and pounded that soil like mash potatoes. I broke it up as best as I could and added some peat moss and sand from that 60 pound bag. The pot is about 2 feet across and 8 inches deep. Shoulders are feeling it. Oh, what's going in the pot after all that work? I planted Nettles from Baker's Creek.
I got an email today that my plants are coming in tomorrow. Panic ensued. I needed to mix up the secret soil blend. I am taking a class on how to raise better strawberries. That was my Covid relief splurge. I grabbed the trash bin I bought to haul yard waste to the compost pile. I made up the blend. Then I had to haul up a planter from the basement. It's a tower and very awkward. Shoulders. I also made a mess as I brought it upstairs and outside. I thought I emptied it. Apparently, not quite enough. I set that up outside. Last year I raised potatoes in it. The potato dirt went into grow bags. I have potatoes coming soon too. I have three planters dressed and ready to go. Tomorrow I'll grab some big pots from the basement for the rest of the strawberries. The calculation from the class was that I should get .75 pounds per plant per year. The plants are a specific variety that are called day neutral as opposed to June Bearing or Everbearing. They should produce 3 to 4 times this year. I ordered 25 plants. Which means about 18.75 pounds of fruit. I am hopeful. I need 15 pounds to make one batch of wine.
I also worked on the herb spiral as I knew rain would be coming in. The fennel needed a home soon. It is getting big. It likes cool weather. I removed all the bricks on the back side. Big heavy bricks. Shoulders feeling it. After leveling them, I grabbed a kitty litter bucket and hauled several loads of leftover compost and sand up the hill. I think the fennel will like it here. I moved a little of the yarrow to a new location. More yarrow needs a new home but the area I have in mind also needs soil.
I really really need one of those three bay compost systems! There is just never enough dirt/soil/sand/worm castings. The compost area is a project for another day. It also needs work. The spinach got transplanted too. Here's yesterday's tomatoes.
I got notified that the Center for Coalfield Justice is doing a seed swap on April 24th. I wonder if they need plants? I expect I'll have extras. My seeds are already planted. Yes, I did that too. I planted the cucumbers from Faun. I also had Armenian cucumbers to try as well. They didn't survive last year. This year, I'll start them in pots. I also started melons and pumpkin plus a zucchini packet that only had 2 seeds in it. The rest of the cucurbits will get direct seeded once I know the weather is settled. With everything in pots, they can come inside if we get unexpected weather. So many seeds from so many friends! Thank you all. Butter lettuce went in today as did an assortment of cold hardy lettuce. Also from friends. My garden isn't sure if it belongs in VA or in WI. 😉
Good thing I have two porches! The cold weather plants are in trays in the cinderblock garden. I have 15 collard greens and a multitude of chard as well as cabbage to plant. The cabbage moths are having a field day. Buying BT spray is also on my list. It's an organic way to control the chewing. I may set aside some plants for the sale. Going to rest my shoulders now.
