Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day...

I'm glad I wrote two entries yesterday because I didn't have the time to garden today. I spent the better part of my day with my mother. We spoke about the garden and why I hadn't brought her the radishes I'd harvested. She didn't realize that only 2 were ready to harvest and harvested. My older sister, Angela, apparently loves to snack on radishes so the Cortes family will definitely be getting the full harvest. I knew my mom liked them but I had no idea my sister did. Good to know because the two I harvested and put in the crisper here are still just sitting there along with the lettuce. I probably should have taken them over just so that they wouldn't go to waste. It may have been a tease, one radish each, but at least they would have been enjoyed. 

               My mom (L) and Tia (R).

Windy...

It was windy all day but around 6pm when I got home from celebrating with "la mama" the wind picked up even more. I was sitting in the basement reading when I heard a "thwack." For some reason, I immediately thought of my Topsy Turvy. I looked out the window in, which happens to look out onto Patch at ground level, and didn't see the TT bobbing in the wind. I looked down and saw it sitting on the sidewalk. I grabbed my coat and ran outside, it was a cold wind, to find the Topsy Turvy sitting on the sidewalk unharmed. The shephard hook had buckled but because of the weight it slowly lowered the TT. Thank GOD! It seems that all that rain had weighed even heavier on the TT and caused the earth to soften significantly, so the hook didn't hold in the wind. I took the Topsy off the hook and re-positioned it. Then I tried getting the Topsy back on the hook, no luck. I ran inside to grab pliers and another type of hook. No go. Finally, I asked Mike to come out and help me get it on. He was able to help me but the earth was too soft and the hook didn't hold. In the midst of trying to get it on the hook I broke a few stems, I'd feared that exact scenario. I had to resign to taking it off the hook and leaving it on a chair. I could have left it on the sidewalk but I figured I can avoid some pests if I leave it up a little higher. Oh, and when I went to look at the hook it was basically bent in half, I'd loosened the rusted adjuster with the pliers but I didn't think it'd done anything because I couldn't adjust, at all, it had weakened the hold though allowing it to bend. That hook is done for... I'm going to have to figure something else out for the Topsy before I break every stem on the darn thing and never get a berry. Topsy Turvy's should only be used if you have a solid place to hang it, in a sunny place, like a support beam.

Georgia's Don't Jet...

Sadly, when I was running back and forth, to Patch, dealing with the Topsy I noticed that the sweet potatoes haven't made any progress. They look just as limp and dead as they did when I planted them, maybe even more so. I planted them on a good day but at a bad point, weather-wise. I had no idea it was supposed to be so cold today. I mean, technically, it was 73 and sunny but the wind chill was serious. It didn't feel any warmer than 55 degrees and sweet potatoes like warm/hot days, leaning towards the HOT. We have a few extras and can buy some plants with "shoes" at Home Depot if we need to replace them. It won't be a waste either because Burpee will reimburse us if they all die. That's why I take the chance ordering from them.

                 Still not looking so hot. 

            

Strawberries Galore!

Or beans...

I went out this morning to water everything. It was a beautiful sunny May day and I had read some tips from Burpee about how to water the tomatoes. I thought I'd tackle that today. Since we don't have a great hose at the moment I fill up a plastic juice jug that holds 3/4 of a gallon of water and then pour that into the water can that holds 2 gallons. It's nice because it's marked from 1/2g to 2g. I filled the juice jug 4 times and poured then started on the first tomato plant. I was able to eyeball when the watering can was about half way full then I'd move on to the next. Since the can only holds 2 gallons and we have 6 plants that need 1 gallon each once a week I had to refill it three times but I think it will be worth the trouble. The Burpee tip, along with other references, said that watering the tomatoes deeply but infrequently was the trick to getting a "bumper" crop. Since Smart Gardener suggested this method of watering as well I went with it. I finally finished watering the tomatoes and moved on to watering everything else. It seems the rain did our garden wonders and I know it seems like "wow one gallon plus all the rain" but that isn't the case. The rain we got lasted 2 days but only have us about .5 inches of water. So I water the beans which are going crazy. We have about 18 plants now and more were popping up. I thinned a couple of the new seedlings because I knew that I'd have to thin them later and didn't see the point of letting them grow any longer. After the beans I checked on the spinach and noticed that the plants are growing there second set of leaves already. They went much quicker than my spinach. I thinned a few plants out the other day and a few more today. I am no longer scared to thin. I officially KNOW that the reason my thumb was a slow was, was because it was actually a slow one. I was waiting way too long to thin and the plants weren't getting there nutrients. I watered the lettuce and the mesclun mix, which also has its grown up leaves coming in, and moved on to the onions, basil and lemon balm. The lemon balm has about 50 bright green and new leaves, the basil is looking fresher every day, and the onions are another inch taller. So things are good in Potagar Schoultz. Once I watered everything there I refilled the can and moved over to Patch. 

Patch Progress...

I watered everything in the raised bed and noticed that my lettuce is not only bushier but taller and more of the carrots have real leaves on them now. Then I moved on to my prized strawberry buckets. The 5G bucket has finally filled all the way in you can't see any of the soil unless you move the leaves over and the 8G bucket has 2 strawberries coming in... SUPRISE SUPRISE!! The container doing the best is the Topsy Turvy it all of the sudden has big beautiful leaves and flowers on it. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I don't know if moving the container up higher so it got more sun had anything to do with it but it's thriving. I had my major reservations about choosing the Topsy Turvy because of the issues I had in the beginning but I'm glad to be proven wrong on this one. It's pretty amazing to know that those beautiful little white flowers will soon be juicy red berries. I can't wait! 

Finally, I watered all the strawberry containers and all the stuff in the greenhouse and went inside. I wanted to get some weeding, spraying, and research done today but I had a haircut at 2pm and it didn't go well so I put all that off for tomorrow. I spent the day inside trying to fix the disaster I call my hair at the moment but tomorrow I'll set out copper to deter the slugs and snails. I'll pick an insecticide and organic weed killer. And I'll hopefully get the sea magic and "predalure", I mentioned, and spray and put that out.  

Yarn trellis for the beans.

Strawberry flower on the Topsy. Amazing and Gorgeous!

Another Topsy flower just opening up!

The 5G (Right) and 8G (Left) buckets. 

Grown up carrot leaves!

Patch, raised bed. Bushy taller lettuce, carrots, onions on the climb and radishes that have just  hit there growth spurt. 

Twine Wall

...Trellis...

Last night when I was looking through the Pinterest gardening section I came upon a pin about a twine ball trellis. It looked amazing and decorative but also sounded like it would really work. What you had to do was build a tall frame out of bamboo shoots or wood and wrap twine from the top to the bottom and back until you got to the other side of the frame. Then you put the tip of each bean plant in the loops made out of wrapping the twine and they would, eventually, grow up the twine in fancy little lines. Mike's dad had just advised me that the bean poles were too short so I took a screenshot and saved the directions. 

This Afternoon...

I started building the frame, it was about 5 feet tall and then I leaned the frame against the wall and started wrapping the twine around it. When I got half way done the frame started warping. I held it between my toes on each foot to try to keep it straight and it worked but the second I let go it would lean heavily to one side or the other. Finally, I decided it was because the frame wasn't evenly put together. I started pushing and pulling, trying to get it even but that didn't work. I finally got so frustrated I ripped the whole thing apart and took the twine off. I sat down and started wrapping the twine back into a ball so that I could try again with a shorter frame. I used 4 bamboo shoots and made a new 3 foot frame. I wrapped the twine around and it was good. It leaned a little but not as much as the first. I took it outside, in the constant drizzle, and tried it out. It was too small. I knew it would be so I grabbed one of the worthless tepee trellises and brought that inside. I dried it off and started taking all of the poles off except for the 4 I needed for the frame. I untied each piece of twine and set it aside. As I was working through this I suddenly see an EARWIG. I abhor earwigs. They are so disgusting and they have pincers and they're extremely bad for veggie gardens. I didn't know what to do I didn't have anything on hand to smash it, not even a shoe. So I grabbed the closest book and SLAM. I smashed it. UGH! Then I put plastic kitchen gloves on. I was too scared to touch the trellis without them. I figured it had been hiding in the twine or in one of the holes in the shoot. So I continued and finally was down to 4 poles about 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. I wrapped the twine, lifted it up, and it didn't lean. I had done it. It looked good too. I took it out and put it in place. It really adds something and I think that the beans will look all that much better when there growing individually up there piece of twine. It'll look decorative and we'll be able to see there progress easily. 

Patch...

After that I went to check on Patch. The constant light drizzle has done everything really well and so has my thinning. I didn't realize how important thinning was until today. My radishes are like 3 times the size they were before, the carrots are sprouting real leaves like crazy, and the spinach is an inch taller. The inch doesn't seem like much but believe me it is... they've only grown 5 inches in more than a month so one inch in a few days is major. On a not so nice note the 7 strawberry plants in the 5G bucket don't have any flowers, not one. They are bushy and growing like crazy but they aren't blooming. I don't know if I need to thin them out a bit or if they are just going slower or what but the Topsy Turvy has flowers and the 8G bucket has a strawberry starting and several flowers. The 5G bucket doesn't even have the promise of a flower. All the new growth close to the crown looks like leaf growth, no buds. I hope they bloom soon because I would be disappointed if they just turned out to be greens and nothing more. 

Beanstalk of an Update

Rain, rain, and more rain...

It has been raining all day. It's just totally soggy outside but I did promise a picture update of everything. I am so happy that today is the today I chose and promised to post because the beans have gone crazy, FINALLY!

Green Arrow beans planted April 6th are now about 3 inches tall. The rain has been really good for everything and especially the beans which have boomed.

Bloomsdale, thinned down to three. Growing 4th set of leaves.

Texas Sweet Onions, planted April 18th, have grown about 6".

Iceberg type lettuce planted April 12ish. Hasn't grown taller but is double the size in bushiness.

Cherry Belle radishes thinned to 3" apart and have grown about an inch since.

Topsy strawberries have gotten bushier and have about 4 flowers so far.

Sweet potatoes, grown about 6 slips in 8 weeks.

First strawberry started, April 28, in the 8G bucket. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Come again another day...

When I went outside to finish all of my renovations to Patch it was raining. It wasn't supposed to rain today. It was supposed to be cloudy and rain for the next 3 days. So naturally I was disgruntled and frustrated. I'd spent yesterday working outside and getting things settled or planning on it because I knew it was supposed to rain all week. When that went all wrong I swore that today I would get things into order and then my plants could absorb all the nice rain for the next 3 days and end in a climate revision. Usually the rain brings cold, breaks the heat, but around this time in NOVA it brings the heat. So I was hoping that would happen. I didn't even have to water today because of the rain. All I did was pout and take a look at the Topsy Turvy, raised beds in Patch and Potagar, and brought the greenhouse in out of the rain. Luckily, I headed up and out right when the rain started to hit so it wasn't soaked, water logged. 

Green but Slow...

I remember writing about my green but slow thumb and wondering what was causing the plants to slow grow, to the point that they were taking almost double the time. Well I figured it out. It was thinning they needed. They needed it badly. I finally sucked it up and thinned out the radishes (3" apart) and the spinach (down to 3) and the radishes, a much faster crop, has boomed. It looks like they grew an inch overnight. I even thinned the tiny carrot germs. and now they have REAL carrot leaves. Not just the seed leaves. I am so excited. I was being so careful with the thinning just in case plants died that I didn't realize I was stunting their growth. Now all I have to worry about is what I assume are carrot flies. When the carrots popped out so did the flies and thats why I assume thats what they are... I of course can't be sure because all of the pictures online are close-ups so that I can't compare but I think I'll need to invest in some row covers, otherwise, I'll be left with larvae filled carrots and completely disappointed. 

I only viewed these things very quickly so I didn't get to take the pictures I promised but I will go out and get them, rain or shine, tomorrow. If your growing carrots and the bed isn't higher than two feet get row covers because the carrot flies will appear, even if you've never seen them in the area in your life and you've lived there for 20+ years. Trust me they don't just bug the carrots. They are all over the place and to be honest I don't know that they haven't already killed most of them and that's why I only have a few of the real leaves in what 3 weeks. I may actually replant if I hit 1/3 of the way to my second rotation and not much has happened. The second carrot rotation should be around mid-June, so if nothing much happens to the carrot plants after I thin, more, and cover them. They are OUT and new ones are going in with immediate covers. 

I still need to steady my topsy but it seemed to be out and it was rainy and windy out so I guess I shouldn't have been so upset after all.

Wrong Day

Trellis...

So the plan was to finish making the tepee trellis today, which I did, but it didn't quite tepee. I made two straight trellises and the plan was to lean them up against each other like the ones from Home Depot. What I didn't realize was that I probably needed thicker longer bamboo and boxes that were directly across from each other with space in between the two beds. The two beds are slightly off to the side of each other and right up against one another too. So the tepee didn't quite work out. It also looked silly because it wasn't the length of the bed. Anyway, I'll have to think of something new, maybe I'll just use them as is separately. I don't know yet. I do know that they aren't very sturdy and that they just don't look great. I might even take one and put it in place for the peas and use the other as a trellis for the vines that grow randomly in Patch, as a little decor.

Patch Tree...

As you've probably seen in Patch I had a tree that looked pretty dead. It turns out it was and that I needed to rid my little garden of it because the vines were growing up in such a way that they could have invaded my bed. So I got rid of it. That was a grand disappointment. My once cute and symmetrical garden was off. I needed to move the Topsy for two reasons 1) to fill the void and 2) because it was so low the vines were getting close. I tried using my current shepherd hook and moving it around but that didn't help the height so I switched one for another. I took a very tall old shepherds hook from Potagar and put the wind chime that hung on it on mine. It actually looked nicer and I had a taller hook. The rust didn't matter because in the corner by the patio there was a 2 foot tall hook with a candle lantern that I'd moved into Patch and it had rust so it all matched very rustically ... Now all I had to do was get the hook in place and the Turvy on it. That was a big to do. It was so tall I needed a ladder. I tried getting it on the hook by myself but I feared for my life. I was so scared the ladder would topple and that I'd fall head first down the hill that my legs were shaking. On top of the Topsy being so heavy I couldn't really lift it without crushing everything. So I called Mike out. We tried and tried. Finally we got it on but had pulled the hook out some so it was no longer sturdy. I tried sledge hammering it back in but it still isn't sturdy. I was so frustrated I left it. I am just hoping I don't wake up to 15 smashed and mashed strawberry plants because it didn't hold. I also didn't quite deal with the symmetry issue. I got my mom a hibiscus tree (she keeps it here) that I'd forgotten about that I plan to place in the spot of the old tree. I won't plant it there I'll just place it there for looks. Hopefully that'll restore my Patch to its former beauty. It doesn't have the serene feeling anymore. It just feels a bit vacant. I am hoping once I add some tea lights to the lantern and the hibiscus it'll be even better, but as of tonight today was all wrong.

Note: I couldn't take pictures because it was so late when I got done, I was too frustrated, and it was too dark to really display what I'd done. I'll take some tomorrow and add them to the post along with the trellises and images of plant progress all around.

Sugar Baby!

Watermelon...

Today was not much of a gardening day for me. It rained this morning so the outdoor bed in Patch, the Topsy Turvy, the spinach and the 5G strawberries was watered sufficiently. By the time the rain had stopped the heat had broken. It did warm up quite a bit from last night's chill but it wasn't even close to the 90's. The cooler weather isn't meant to last which is okay with me because the watermelon seedlings like the heat. The rest of my plants can tolerate the kind of heat we're looking towards; high 70's and low 80's. As I was putting out the greenhouses and checking on things I noticed that there were 4 watermelon plants. Three in one neat row and 1 in another newspaper pot. It was interesting to me that they sprouted where they did. They sprouted in 1 row to the far left of the pot.I'd originally planted 4 seeds in each corner but my guess is that the first watering washed them around. I take care to water gently when planting and otherwise so that I don't over-water but it seems that didn't matter much in this case. Like I mentioned before, the watermelon seeds actually germinating were my "reach." I told my mom this and she said that, that was weird because "in Honduras people spit [the seeds] out all over the backjard and they grow, with a lot of melons." I replied saying that was probably due to the heat and of course her reply was "well I used to see them growing all over the mountains where it was cooler and they were so big the men had to carry them on the shoulder." I'm still excited though and feel like the seeds germinating proves my green thumb but disappointed about the fact that they've germinated lined up in one tight row because that means that I won't be able to separate them to give the extra's away. I'll have to transplant all 3 and thin the weakest. The 4th germinating seed, in a separate pot, unluckily isn't looking very strong, which makes sense, I planted four seeds in that pot and only one has shown its little face or large face, if you're thinking comparatively. I forgot to check if one pot was primed and the other wasn't if so I'll let you know the results in tomorrows blog. 

Topsy Turvy...
Everything else seems to be doing really great except for the Topsy Turvy. One plant died and the other I was able to revive but the ones that are in there and not dead aren't looking too good. I feel like all the roots were dragged down out of position when I added the layers of soil and watered. I am so happy that I got extra's. I knew that the strawberry was the one thing I wanted results from because they're my favorite fruit and because of last years death. So the extras were a must and I am so glad I did buy them. If the Topsy Turvy doesn't end up working out (predicting that will be the case) I'll get at least (hopefully) 5 pints from the 5G bucket and 2 from the other container I plan to fill with the remaining plants. That should be enough to satisfy me, this year anyway. 

Home Depot...

Hours after tending to my gardening at home I made a trip to Home Depot for Mike's dad. He wanted to get the other 4 raised beds that he needs for his garden, Potagar Schoultz. I offered to do it so I did. I went to Home Depot asked someone where they were and once directed headed out to the Garden Center to get them. I thought they would be much heavier so as I looked for the right size I was plotting how I would get them on my cart and into the car. They turned out to be extremely light. So light I was able to carry two at a time up the hilled driveway when I got home but we're not there yet. I found the right size in 2 places and picked the spot where they were on the ground to choose from. I picked one and noticed that the grooves weren't cut out all the way so I put that one back and carefully looked through each one, picking the 4 best I saw. Once I had them on my cart I went over to the vegetable plants just to have a look. It turns out that Home Depot has recently switched from cool weather to warm weather veggies. The last trip they didn't have squash, cucumbers, zucchini, or cantaloupe. This time they had all of that and a million tomato varieties. I wanted so badly to pick up a squash or zucchini plant and maybe even a melon plant but I resisted. I knew that I didn't have space in my garden and Mr. S didn't say I could pick up anything for there garden. After taking a look at everything and really just admiring the plants I headed inside to take a look at the seeds. I figured if I couldn't grow any of those seedlings because I don't have the space I could at least test growing them from seeds. I've had such a great time testing everything. So I picked up a packet of zucchini seeds and kept looking. I realized that zucchini needed 36" so I put them back and grabbed a packet of crookneck summer squash (only needs 18') I figured maybe I could find a space for one 18 inch plant if it did germinate. I just couldn't resist. So I grabbed the packet and forced myself to leave because if I'd stayed I would have ended up picking out 7 more seed packets to "test." 

I headed over to the indoor garden space at the front of the store where they keep the Perlite. I know, I know I said that if the Bulk-man said that Mr. S. didn't need to add Perlite then he shouldn't waste the money. The thing is I tested some of the compost and it didn't have a drainage problem, not at all, but I could see it happening. So if Perlite can only help and not hurt then I figured it was better to be safe and add/buy the Perlite. For all of that compost he would only need 5 bags at $4.00/bag. I think the $20 is well spent considering that the beds were like $300.00 and the compost was $118.00. Why potentially waste all that money plus all the money on the 72 individual plants needed to fill Potagar Schoultz when $20 on Perlite could eliminate any potential problem with drainage. Plus, I think the Perlite makes the compost look more aesthetically pleasing, again worth it for $20. You put all this work and money into making something produce well and look nice so why not? 

I paid loaded the car and got everything into the backyard, or like my mom would say the backjjjard, all on my own. I was happy to do it and happy to be given the task. I've been getting so used to having a lot to do outside that today would have been a little dull without it.  

Bush Sugar Baby, planted in 4 corners, germinated at 7 days in a row.

Single Bush Baby in 2nd pot.

Revived strawberry plant from near death in Topsy.

March 29 - April 10, 2013

Seascape, died in root dragging dry-out during Topsy transfer.

Greenes Fence cedar raised beds, 4ft. x 4ft. x 7in.

Outdoor Patch & Vid2

Planting more...

This morning and afternoon I worked in the scorching weather planting more watermelon seeds, almost all of the rest of the strawberries, watering, and planting another round of Lemon Balm. 

I planted a few more watermelon seeds in the hopes that they would germinate like a few of the others have and I'd be able to give them to AFAC. I didn't plant them all in the beginning because they were my "reach" plant. If they did germinate then I'd planned to grow more. Not all of them have, yet, but I do hope they will. I planted the new pots with compost, perlite, and organic potting mix. I think the compost will give the watermelon seeds the kick they need. I also planted the seeds that were in the bottle. They weren't doing anything at all so I guess those are our results. You cannot pre-germinate scarified or any watermelon seeds. I am hoping the ones in the bottle will germinate in soil so we'll have some data on whether or not scarifying helps any. 

I planted some more Lemon Balm because I'd forgotten to plant a control group. The cups I did plant of Lemon Balm were with primed seeds that actually turned out very difficult to plant. I still don't know that I got any of them in the pots. I have a few more days until the proposed germination time is up so I guess we'll find out soon. In the mean time, I wanted to make sure I had both primed and controlled groups trying to germinate. Lemon Balm is really amazing in deterring pests, it smells great, and is used for medicinal purposes. It would be nice to have some around. 

I replaced 2 of the strawberry plants (from the top 2 ports) in the Topsy Turvy. One had completely died because the roots weren't covered and one was almost dead. I was able to revive the second by removing it from the TT planter and planting it back in a cup with mostly compost. It has perked up a lot since. I added two new plants to the TT and more compost and soil to make sure that the roots were fully covered and watering wouldn't wash them out. So far Topsy Turvy is getting a thumbs down. Because I can't rely on the TT planter, and I have extra strawberry plants, I planted the 5-gallon bucket I painted with 7 strawberry plants. I poked holes in the bottom of the bucket with nails and a hammer and planted along the rim so that the plants would hang over the edge when they got tall enough. That way I don't have to worry about rotting fruit. I'm hoping one of the two planters or both gives me a good harvest. In case your wondering, I'm able to plant that many plants in a small container because 1) I don't plan to let the runners grow and 2) the plants don't need as much space when they've got a "wall" on one side. 

After I planted and watered the 5-gallon bucket I carried it over to Patch and set it down while I grabbed 3 bricks to lay under the bucket. The bricks have 2 holes in them and will help with drainage for the planter. This will be a test of which works best... more traditional planter or Topsy Turvy Upside Down planter?

Thinning seeds after step 2 and tour of Patch Outdoors.

Making the planter hammering nails in to make holes.

Planter completed and set on bricks to help with drainage.

Black Gold

Compost Pick Up

I stayed up late last night searching for compost. I had searched for it in the past with little to no luck but that was because I was searching in the wrong place. I should have gone to craigslist all along. Several farms and compost businesses were advertising there product in the GARDEN/FARMING section. So I emailed one farmer that advertised 65lb for $10.00. He didn't reply by morning so I moved on. I am happy that I did because I only had to travel to American University (about 20 mins drive) to buy 20lbs for $5.00 and I supported a Veteran business. 

Before Veteran Compost I called a man "known for his compost" and he said that the minimum I could buy was 4 cubic yards. I had already filled my garden beds with soil. I would have loved to fill them with compost but like I said I couldn't find it back in March so that wasn't going to work. I did keep him in mind for my boyfriends Dad because he delivered in bulk and the price was right. For the topsoil MG crap Mr. S would have ended up paying somewhere close to $400.00 for 2 cubic yards. Opposed to $125.00 for 4 cubic yards. After getting the no from Bulk-man I emailed Veteran Compost and a guy named Jeff called me back 20 minutes later saying that I could pick my bag/s up around 3pm at the AU campus. The ride down was a bit more complicated than I thought... I guess I don't know the area as well as I thought I did. I ended up having to turn around on Nebraska 3 times before I found the right AU gate entrance. It was worth it though. I meant Jeff picked up a bag and went home to plant my strawberries. 

Topsy Turvy...

The second I got home with the compost I pulled out the organic potting mix and perlite. I would have planted in all compost but the Topsy Turvy was already going to be very heavy and compost is heavier than potting mix. I didn't want to risk waking up to a crumbled over planter. I pulled out the freshly painted recycling bin and pour in 1 part potting mix to 1 part compost to .75 parts perlite. The mix was compost heavy but not weight heavy. I began filling the planter and un-cupped 1 strawberry. What happened next was something I was afraid of from the moment I received the bare root berries, the soil fell of and the holes in the planter weren't holding them. Now, the roots did grow in the cups but because I wasn't able to fan them out they didn't grab much soil so in the end I did have a better root system but I still had to plant barefoot. I added soil, a row of berries, then more soil, more berries and so on until I hit the top. I filled in the planter with 2 inches to spare and brought my Shepard hook to where the sun is currently best. I tried lifting the planter. I failed. I tried again with a grunt and heave and finally got it on the hook just to have to take it back down because I'd forgotten the lid. Another grunt heave and back up on the hook to water. I started watering, slowly as suggested, and realized that the water was just going down the middle. Burpee suggested that I got the roots to 3 inches so I didn't think the middle would do it for the first time around. I heaved it back off the hook and finally thought to myself, Topsy Turvy bad idea. It's almost as tall as I am and weighs about as much AND it's burying my CROWNS! UGH!! I don't really recommend it so far, especially if your a petite female. Maybe it'll grow amazing berries and I'll take this all back but the work has not yet been worth it. I watered and added some more compost mix because hanging compacted the soil and the top plants roots were showing then I heaved and ho'ed because it was heavier and finally got it back on the hook for good. Before I left the planter I went around to check that all the crowns were positioned properly. Hanging had caused most of them to dip down, so 1 by 1 I pulled them all back out. The planter has been a hassle and a half. I hope it produces and well or I might have to send Mr Topsy Turvy some "compost."

I have 12 strawberry plants left that I plan on planting in different containers around Patch. I think it'll be a good way to compare the results of the Topsy Turvy and ensure that I get some strawberries even if the planter ends up being complete crap. I didn't do much else but water today because picking up the compost and planting the strawberries took me a few hours. I did tell Mikes Dad about the compost and place the order. I think it's great that my misses ended up being helpful to his garden. We'll be getting 3 cubic yards of compost delivered to the house tomorrow. I'm very excited about, what I call, Potagar (French for Kitchen Garden) Schoultz. We'll all be green yet!

Plan for Potagar Schoultz

Barefoot Berries

Shipment Arrives...

My strawberry plants came in the mail today. They were shipped out yesterday and I received an email from Burpee telling me to expect them the next day. I had plans out for the day so I made sure that Mike was checking for them every hour. I didn't want them sitting out in the cold. It wasn't very cold this afternoon but I knew it would get colder as the day went on. Mike texted me around 2pm to let me know that they had arrived. A few hours later, around 5pm, I arrived at home and grabbed the package.

The first thing I said was "Wow this is really small. This is 25 plants?" Mike replied "I don't know. I didn't know what it was suppose to be." So, I opened the package and inside is a plastic bag knotted at the top with what seems like a ton of roots in it. I opened the bag and realized that the roots had crowns but no stems. This was not at all what I was expecting. I knew they were supposed to come barefoot (without soil) but I didn't expect them to have no stems or leaves. I still have no idea if any of them are actually alive and didn't then so I was a little disappointed. 

Planting Begins...

I read the insert it came with and made a decision I would plant them like the Bonnie plants in seed starting pots (in my case paper cups) and let them get rooted so that I could transfer them to the Topsy Turvy in a few weeks. The other option was to wrap the roots in damp paper towels and store them in a shaded place for 1 to 2 weeks which wouldn't give me any real time or not the time I needed. The last frost date is April 16 2013 and even though these are day neutral, able to withstand temperatures between 55-90, the weather outside has been jumping from high 50's and 60's to the high 40's. I can't take the chance of putting them out yet. 

Once I decided what I was going to do I grabbed 2 cardboard trays, 25 paper cups, a pair of kitchen scissors, a needle, and a kabob stick. I grabbed the the Vigoro Organic potting mix too. I lined the cups up on the cardboard trays upside down and started poking holes in the bottoms for drainage. Once, I was done with that I filled each cup with dirt except for 1. I put the barefooted plants into another cardboard tray and took them outside to trim the roots down to three inches. For this task, I'd need a measuring tape and the scissors I'd brought down with me. I sat out on the cement path locked the measuring tape at 4 inches and started measuring 3 inches out on each plants root system and cutting. I probably could have cut a few at a time but I wanted to be extra precise. That took me about 20 minutes then I went back inside to plant each plant in it's cup. 

I had a little trouble spreading the roots out and getting them to stay spread but I finally did by shaking each one upside down first and starting the process with only about an inch of dirt in the cup. Then I filled in the rest with the cup I'd left empty to pour the extra dirt into. Each one took me about 4 minutes. Once I had completed them all, doing a few twice because I'm a bit clumsy when I have a lot around me so I spilled a few and had to redo them, I needed to line the cardboard trays and water them. I ran up to the kitchen and grabbed some parchment paper. I lined each tray with the glossy side up and started watering the new plants with a pre-filled water bottle. I over watered a few to make sure that the needle and kabob stick points were big enough to allow for drainage. They were. 

Praying for Life...

Once everything was watered and on the tray neatly I placed them by a window in the sun room. Hopefully, they'll either stay dormant and alive or get enough light and warmth to grow some before I am able to transfer them. Like I said before I don't know that they are actually alive at the moment. I don't know what a "good" barefoot looks like but I'm praying they are alive and that they'll actually start taking root in there little homes so that they are easy to transplant. I didn't really know how I was going to get them to stay in the Topsy Turvy without the shoe. It would have been pretty, pretty, pretty (said Larry David style) difficult. 

Signing Up

About My Last Entry...

I was obviously upset when I wrote "Dreams Dashed." Only because one of the things I've been most excited about is the strawberries. I had planned on using PVC pipes to make homemade strawberry towers (that would have been cheaper) but I was so worried about risking the plants themselves. So I bought the Topsy Turvy. The shipping was the same price as one unit but I figured it would be worth it. I'd definitely get a good crop. When I found out that the Topsy Turvy would require a minimum of 12 plants I was bummed. Mostly because I had set a very strict budget. I was also bummed because it would look silly if I didn't fill every hole in the planter. Mike thinks that ordering the plants online is "too good to be true" but I have read a lot about gardening in the past few months and to be honest it seems like most skilled gardeners order their plants online or from catalogs. 

Prices: 
Home Depot/Retail: $5/plant 
      Total: $60.00 for 12
Online/Catalog: $5.70/bundle or 10 
      Total: $11.40  for 20 

I'm going with the online plants and it'll be fine. I'm OK now. Hopefully, Mike won't be right.

Today...

I got up and checked the weather because it looked a little cloudy out. Then I stuck on my boots and headed out to the garden. I quickly checked my bed and spinach container. The container was still moist but I added a little more water. It seemed to need just a touch. DONE. Then I looked into the bed and noticed that there were little red buds all over it. 

I worried that adding the soil to the bed too early would lead to some "self pollination." That the wind would carry seeds and other little plants into the soil that would then take root and begin to grow, ruining the ALFD plants I have planned. So I began picking out the little red "buds" by hand. I couldn't help but thinking that one of the neighbors had thrown the buds in the air and let them fly to sabotage my garden. Mostly, I thought of our direct next door neighbor to the right of the house. I only thought this because we don't spend that much time in the side yard or what now is Patch Market and maybe he didn't like some of his privacy invaded. Anyway, it was a fleeting thought. I really don't believe that was done. It's March and you know what they say "March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb" referring to the wind. So the wind carried these buds in and I was left picking them out. I continued to pick as many buds out as I saw. I went square by square and dumped them in the ivy. 

When I was done with that I thought about looking for an old sheet to cover the fresh soil until I plant my ALFD plants but I thought that may be over doing it. So, I went looking for a piece of old wood to make a sign. I looked all over the yard, in the basement, and finally in my boyfriends Dad's tool room. I struck gold. I found a fallen out bottom of an old kitchen draw. It was perfect! Initially, I'd asked Mike (the boyfriend) to paint the sign for me because he's really good at that type of thing but once I had the wood in hand I decided I wanted to be the one to do it. I had a clear and direct vision. So I grabbed a white and brown can of paint, paper towels, and newspaper and headed back out. Once I was at the top of the driveway I laid out the newspaper and sprayed some white paint onto it. I wanted the sign to have the look and feel of reclaimed wood that hadn't been stripped. I dipped a paper towel in the white paint and started running it across the piece of wood to give it that leftover paint look. Then I did the same with the brown to outline the white. Now I needed to paint the words "Patch Market" on the sign. I went down into the far back room and found an acrylic paint set, I found it earlier when looking for the wood but didn't grab it because I didn't plan on using it. It happened to contain the fancy paint brushes I had been missing. So double score! I took the kit outside, opened it and grabbed for the black. The cap wouldn't budge. I tried with rubber gloves, paper towel, and anything else I thought would give me some grip. Nothing worked. I was thinking of cutting the bottom off but couldn't bring myself to do so... as I was reaching for another color I noticed that some black paint had leaked out of the tube when I was squeezing it. The tube had a hole. I squeezed a little more out and started painting the words on. At first, I was really disappointed. It was looking bad, especially the "P" so I lifted the sign and started painting with it closer to my body. That helped so much! It was really starting to turn into something nice-ish. I finished the words and decided to add a couple of veggies for decoration. I started with a large radish. 

When the radish turned out fairly well I got the green paint out and added some stems. Since the brush I was using was already green I painted in the carrot greens. I had to wash the brush under the hose each time I changed colors. I ended up getting really cold and wet. The hose is actually, currently, detached from the tap so the water was going everywhere. I didn't want to use all of my fancy new paint brushes (that I'd lost and found) on the sign so I chanced getting wet each time. I went back and looked into the kit for orange paint to finish the carrot. None. I sat there thinking, What makes orange? I ended up mixing burnt sienna and crimson red. It wasn't the exact color I wanted but it worked well enough. I painted the carrot in and added some crimson lines for depth. I took a look at what I had completed and felt like it needed a little something on the left side (the radish and carrot were on the right) so I washed my brush again and added a baby crimson radish to the left and then washed it again and added some greens. I was finally done after about 2 hours. Now, I needed to hang it. It had taken me so long to paint, almost all of it was dry by the time I finished the baby radish. Now because of the time I am sure that you're thinking the sign is a work of art. It's not. I just took a lot of time finding all of the things I needed. In part, all of the other tasks I've completed in the garden have taken me longer because I don't bring everything out that I'll need that day. Still hadn't at that point...

I went back inside and got the trusty twine, a pair of scissors, 2 long nails, and a small hammer. I headed over to Patch and hammered the nails into the sign, tied the twine to the nail, strung the string through one opening in the gate and tied the other end to the other nail. As I looked on at the sign I'd I became really excited I kept thinking all I need is the Topsy Turvy and I'm done done done. I took a couple pictures and headed inside to wash up and have some lunch. Mike headed out to pick up lunch but came right back down with the Topsy Turvy. It was here! Once he left I opened the box and put it all together. Then I went outside to hang it on my shepherd hook. My garden was complete (minus the plants). It was really a great feeling to see all the building truly done. I had transformed this little piece of land into what I hope will become a thriving sunny garden of beautiful berries and veggies. 

That feeling didn't last long...

Once I had taken my pictures with the TT in place I went back inside because it was getting cold. I boxed the TT back up and started reading the pamphlets that came with it. The "10 tips to growing the best strawberries" or something like that, as I read on I got more and more discouraged. One of the 10 tips said that buying regular potting soil wouldn't be a bargain. It would kill my berries. Just another thing I had to buy or so I thought (hence the Dreams Dashed blog entry). After reading everything and getting discouraged by 1 or 2 more of the "tips" I grabbed my iPhone and googled, "MG soil for strawberry growth." I found a forum where several beginners and pro's were discussing Miracle Gro garden soil. Most people said that MG was fine. They said that compost was obviously best but that they had pretty good results with the MG garden soil. That lifted my spirits a bit. I wouldn't have to buy a tiny bag for $10. I spent awhile reading the blog and decided that as soon as this spring is done and all my plants are just getting going I'm going to build a compost bin. Compost is so good for your plants and its virtually free. I also found out that I should have bought compost from another county. I'd looked into that before starting but never found anything for Arlington County. I didn't think to look in neighboring counties. Others do sell compost by the yard and deliver it. If I decide composting isn't my thing I'll definitely be using them next year!