PLANTING!

Well I got done what I hoped to get done and today I am paying for it as expected.

I started off by transplanting freelancing marigolds and tomatoes (growing on their own in the veggie garden) into six packs to be planted or given away later. I also dug up a couple of baby oak trees and potted them, someone at work wants one.

Next I put up the cucumber fence (5 ft high PVC coated fence).

The I planted tomatoes plants (30: celebrity, whopper and Juliet), pepper plants (14, Fat N Sassy and New Ace) and cucumber plants (24, Hybrid Sweet Success). I started all of these from seed indoors. I didn't have time this year to get manure from the horse farm and so this year I tried something different. All of the pepper plants and all but two of the rows of tomatoes I planted with a handful of finely ground up leaves. I did this to help my sandy soil retain moisture.

Then I planted a row of sunflower seeds.

I wish my marigold/zinnia/cosmos seedlings were about ready to plant, I would be planting them next week. Unfortunately they are just starting to sprout, so I guess next year I will be starting them earlier.

I am still not over my cold so I ended up taking frequent breaks and drinking a water bottle each time. During one of my breaks I did notice a chipmunk running through the backyard.

Notes for October 19, 2008

I'm still picking and yesterday I picked tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and a few small peppers. I will probably be picking radishes next week. My radishes and carrots are looking nicely and I did water them too.

I had every intention of mulching the leaves that have fallen either today or yesterday but I cut my thumb pretty good yesterday so that's out of the question until next week.

The weather has gotten seasonal again and we turned the heat back on yesterday.

Notes for October 15, 2008

Its now officially mid October and I'm still picking. Last night I picked tomatoes (cherry and regular) and a couple of peppers. Then I watered my radishes (which are starting to form) and my carrots (which are getting bushier).

What kind of made my day yesterday was when as I entered my veggie garden, I waited for the monarch butterfly to finish as he was on the cosmos drooping over the gate into my garden.

Notes for October 6,2008

Saturday afternoon I was able to work in the yard. I first used the leaf blower and cleared the leaves out of the driveway into the grass and then cut the grass throughout the yard (mulching the leaves along with it). There weren't that many leaves yet, not enough to bag really for mulch. I had a scare with the lawn mower. I ran over something (a stick I think) that bent the inner mulching housing. I was able to fix it by using a hammer and bending the housing back away from the blade which was hitting it. I had to do this one more time after I bumped into a stump. So I kept the hammer close by for the rest of the day.

I picked tomatoes and cherry tomatoes and peppers. I pulled the Lima beans and the string beans. The Lima Beans weren't really worth it (what I picked wasn't enough for a serving). So I may have learned that I need to plant them earlier. I then thinned the radishes and carrots and weeded the carrots as well. Then I watered the carrots and radishes.

Notes for September 24, 2008

Last night I picked tomatoes and cherry tomatoes and peppers.

I then watered my Lima Beans, Green Beans, radishes and carrots.

The radishes I planted on Saturday have not germinated yet.

Did I mention that some of my cosmos are nearly 7 feet tall?

The sunflowers in my garden are starting to get eaten, there are sunflower shells all over my veggie garden.

Notes for September 5, 2008

Last night I picked a pepper, a couple of cucumbers, a bunch of tomatoes and a heaping of cherry tomatoes. After picking I watered the veggie garden.

I noticed last night...

... that the cosmos which most are in bloom are getting unruly (they are getting wider at the top and blocking my path.

...am I the only one who has to reach UP to pick cherry tomatoes?

...I wonder how well the sunflowers will fair tomorrow in the wind and the rain expected from Tropical Storm Hanna?

Notes for September 1, 2008

What a jam packed weekend (situation normal here). Always too short and tomorrow its back to work and my son goes back to college (he's commuting this year). My daughter goes back to High School on Wednesday.

Saturday I picked vegetables (tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, couple of cucumbers and one green pepper). I also planted carrot seeds and I had to water them five times before the water started to soak in instead of just run off (we haven't had rain for 17 days). I think next year I will plant the carrots as soon as I clean out my onions.

Also on Saturday I went through the onions I had drying in the shed. I threw away (into the compost pile) about one-third of them because they were getting soft and rotting. I wonder if I left them in the ground too long, or on the picnic table too long or in the shed too long? Is it too hot for them in the shed?

I also tried to transplant a 30" tall dogwood I had growing up against the house but the roots were entangled with a nearby bush and were about an inch from the house so it was hard to isolate the roots. So I ended up just digging it up. I think I found another one but its much smaller. Next time I am working outside I may dig that up and give it to a friend.

I also found some garlic chives growing on their own next to the flower pot I have the chives in. I did dig them up and placed them in another pot and I will pass them on to one of my flowering friends.

Sunday was another picnic day but later in the day I watered everything in the veggie patch.
Today I picked tomatoes and cucumbers and wax beans. We had some of the wax beans with dinner and again I swear they are sweeter tasting than green beans. I also watered the carrots.

Notes for August 28, 2008

I picked about 30 tomatoes and about 60 cherry tomatoes last night and about 6 cucumbers.

Some of my cosmos are about 5.5' feet tall. they come up to my nose.

The wife cooked up some of the wax beans for dinner last night and I actually thought they tasted sweeter than green beans (if that's possible).

Notes for August 25, 2008

Well we returned from vacation on Saturday after a week at the Jersey shore. We had great weather and had a great time (at until the alarm went off this morning).

And what equaled great weather on vacation meant that the garden didn't get any rain while we were gone. So in addition to picking, I had to water. The tomatoes and peppers didn't look bad but the cucumbers were really wilting so I watered them and the beans again on Sunday.

On Saturday I picked about 60 tomatoes and about 150 cherry tomatoes and about 8 cucumbers. We took a bunch of the tomatoes to church on Sunday and I took the rest to work this morning. My wax beans are ready to pick and I plan to pick them either tonight or tomorrow.

Sometime this week or this weekend, I plan on planting carrots.

Sunday afternoon I cut the grass, or at this time of year... I lowered the crabgrass.

Notes for August 13, 2008

Here is a picture of some the Sedum I have. It seems to done very well in my yard with very little care.

Last night I picked a bag of cucumbers (although they are slowing down now), a bag of cherry tomatoes and a bag of regular tomatoes. I also noticed that one of the cosmos has a small bloom on it, a white one.

Notes for August 11, 2008

Saturday I did get some yard cleaning done and planted another row of green beans (hopefully October will be nice to me). I did take some pictures over the weekend and I hope to put some up soon. I also picked cucumbers, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.

Yesterday was an interesting day. The rain that usually passes us by didn't. When I got home from church it started raining and I had to take down the two loads of laundry I hung up before church. Luckily we have room in our basement to hang clothes (which we do all winter). But it rained off and on all afternoon and the thunder and lightning never stopped. It would have been a beautiful thunderstorm had it not knocked out our power. When we got home from church the clocks were stopped at 11:30 and power came back on around 1:30. Power was only on for an hour before going out around 2:30 and not coming back until 5:15 (as I was headed out the door to pick up something for dinner; since the local delivery place was backed up and said delivery would be an hour). Any way, I emptied 1.7 inches from the rain gauge yesterday afternoon and I emptied another 0.6 inches this morning. Very nice!

Notes for August 6, 2008

I picked cucumbers and and tomatoes (cherry and regular) last night. I wanted to water but I had an annual appointment with the veterinarian for the dog so he can go in the kennel when we go on vacation. And the forecast was for rain last night but I think all we got was sprinkles this morning while I was at work. So I will be watering tonight. I also put my two racks of onions in the shed. The third rack remaining on the picnic table will go in the shed next week.

Notes for August 1, 2008

Watered the veggie garden last night and picked a bunch of cucumbers, a couple of large tomatoes and a couple dozen cherry tomatoes (after eating about 6 while picking).

I ought to get a couple of pictures of my sunflowers, they are all at least 8 feet tall. One of them is now in bloom. My daughter asked how come they are so tall. My answer was that "I water them?" I planted a row of them in my veggie garden (sacrificing a row of beans) just for my wife and daughter to enjoy because they like them. It was rather ironic that I read this week that sunflowers make wonderful trap crops (meaning they attract the bad bugs away from other crops). I thought that was pretty neat.

Notes for July 29, 2008

It looks like I'll need to pick tomatoes and cukes every other day now. I picked cukes, cherry tomatoes and a couple of large tomatoes yesterday.

Notes for July 26, 2008

Had a busy day today. Picked cucumbers and a few cherry tomatoes and green beans. Trimmed tomato plants and tied the new growth to the stakes. Picked the last of the onions and now I have three trays of onions on the picnic table. Pushed the mulch back so that its now up against the Lima beans. Finished mulching the yellow beans. Then I cut the grass. The grass wasn't tall but it was thick in spots so it took me longer. I stopped about every half hour for a drink break. I plan on watering tomorrow if we don't get any rain tonight.

Notes for July 24, 2008

We didn't get any rain during the day yesterday but we did get some thunder. There were some really heavy storms that passed by to our west (watching the radar they traveled from southwest to northeast, passing to our west) but we didn't get any of that. I had to pick up my daughter and a friend of hers last night and went through some really heavy stuff only to find that it had hardly rained at our home.

But this morning its raining. Nothing heavy but a nice gentle rain. I didn't empty the rain gauge but curiosity got the best of me. I walked up a took a glance and it looks like we have near a half an inch so far. So the grass and the gardens are enjoying it. It looks like the rain will be stopping some time in mid morning but I had hoped for more to alleviate some stress on my well. All signs of a half an inch in my yard will be gone in two dry days, but I will take it. One less day to water.
I picked some cucumbers last night and ate a couple of cherry tomatoes.

Notes for July 18, 2008

Last night I picked green beans from the second row. I almost hated to pick them, they were kind of limp. Everything needed water. I really should pick beans the day after I water. But unfortunately, we all have to deal with the cards we're dealt with and last night was the first chance I had this week to tend to the garden since the weekend.

After picking beans, I watered. I watered everything. When I say everything I mean everything in the veggie garden (tomatoes, cukes, peppers, cosmos, marigolds, beans, sunflowers, beans and onions) and then I water all the flower beds in the backyard (watering mainly the perennials I planted this year and not so much the iris or tiger lillies that are already established).

My lima beans have sprouted and looks like I got good germination. The yellow beans I planted two weeks ago are ready to be finished mulching. The cosmos are looking healthy (nice thick stem). Most of my tomato plants are averaging 6 feet tall (remember they only get about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight, so its like they are looking for sun, which gives me later season tomatoes but I am usually picking until frost in November), my sunflowers are over 6 feet tall. I will be picking some of the onions this weekend (about 97 percent of the stems have fallen over and some of them have turned brown, and that's when I know that they are ready to be picked). I plan on leaving them on the picnic table for at least a few days and then putting them in the shed for a couple of weeks. Anyone else do onions?

Surprisingly I did not find any hornworms on my tomatoes last night. I have two cherry tomatoes getting ripe so it won't be long. I'm pretty sure that both of those tomatoes probably won't make it out of the garden. I love to eat a few when I am outside. When I am picking, I usually eat about a half a dozen (at least, yum).

Notes for August 3, 2007

I didn't get to water last night and the impatiens were crying out to me too. Although this morning they didn't look bad. I hope to water them tonight as well as everything else.

I did pick veggies last night (cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes and cucumbers). I hope to pick green beans tomorrow.

I picked off my first tomato hornworm of the season last night. There were no egg casing attached, so I smashed him on the ground.

Notes for July 31, 2007

Still no rain. So I had to water last night and fight off the mosquitoes. I did pick several large tomatoes, about two dozen cherry tomatoes, about a dozen onions and about two dozen cucumbers. My cucumbers are doing well this year. I probably should have thinned them just a little more but so far so good. And during the last few years I always seem to lose a few plants so I left them thick this year.

I did notice that I probably should pick green beans before this weekend, maybe Thursday.

I am surprised I haven't seen any tomato horn worms yet.

weather radar?

If I wasn't there I probably wouldn't have believed it. I watched the radar. I watched a wall of green dissapate as it approached from the west and watched it reform to the east in yellow, orange and red. All we got at my home was a few drops and alot of thunder and lightning. I will have to water tonight if it doesn't look promising.

I am now picking regular sized tomatoes along with about 2 dozen cherry tomatoes and about a dozen cucumbers every two or three days. I will probably be picking green beans next weekend.