Cucurbit Family

Patch Market...

I watered everything in PM when I first went out because the weather was hot, in the high 80's. I checked on the radishes and they are about 1/2 an inch tall and then moved into Potagar. 

Potagar Schoultz...

I watered everything with the new hose gun which I absolutely love and then I took the wheelbarrow to fill it up. When I looked inside it was filled with water and algae of some sort so I switched the gun to the power wash setting dump the wheel barrow over and started washing it out. The gun made quick work of it and then I wheeled over to the compost pile to fill. Filling was a lot harder than I thought because of the heat. I was sweating actually bullets that kept attempting to run into my eyes. I filled it about 1/3 of the way then added Perlite and wheel over to the front far right bed and dumped. When I'd finished I went inside to cool off. I was going to stay inside but I decided I wanted to plant the cucurbits; squashes. 

Cucurbit Family...

I went back out after cooling off for a few minutes and filling my Brita water bottle with ice and water. I grabbed the yard stick and 4 foot dowel. I measured out four equal plots of 4x4 square feet. I grabbed the the trellises, the crookneck squash, patty-pan squash, & shovel. I put a square trellis in the middle of the top and bottom two plots. I figured that each plant could climb one side of the trellis. I planted the patty-pan first in the front left plot and the 3 crooknecks around it. I was going to water with the hose gun but I wanted to give them a good start with some sea magic. So I went inside grabbed the concentrate and 1/2 measure cup. I poured in 1/4 a cup of sea magic and filled the watering can with 1 gallon of water. I watered with the sea magic close to the roots then watered the remaining dry compost surrounding the plants with just water. I had to fill the watering can again but it was worth it to keep water off the leaves; prevent burn. 

I was going to go inside and did but while I was in the sun room getting ready to head downstairs I saw the big containers I got from the Dollar Tree and decided to plant another cucurbit, the cucumbers, in the container. I carried the container to the compost pile filled it and added compost. I grabbed the shovel, cucumber in the small 4pk cell and the 2 cucumbers in the clay pot. I thought it would be easier to transfer the clay pot plants but there roots had really grown deep. I basically had to turn the entire pot over and re-plant it in the large plastic container. I then squeezed the small plant out and planted that. I watered with a gallon of sea magic water mix and moved it next to the watermelon recycling bin. It was too heavy to move anywhere else. Then, I finally went inside. I was hot sweaty and getting dehydrated. I needed to cool off but was glad to endure the heat to get all I got done, done.

3 cucumber plants. 

Patty-pan (long stem front) and crooknecks. 

Wawa-melon: Second Shift

Shift Work...

Because I wrote my entry so early today it didn't include all of my gardening, so I decided to write a second entry. I haven't been able to do much work outside because of the crazy weather but I was able to sneak in some gardening in two shifts today. For the last few days the rain will pour down for 15 minutes then the sun will come out for an hour. I took advantage for the hours of sun we got before the 7pm downpour that's last until this point, 12am. I'll be picking up where I left off in my last entry.

Amending...

I amended the beds during the second break in the rain. I filled the wheelbarrow with compost and added perlite, just like before then created hills for the 7 square foot plots assigned to the sweet potatoes. I had to scoop the compost mix into the bed, rather than pouring, because it happened to be the one bed with completed fencing. It probably ended up helping me out because pouring would have been a mess and could have crushed the tomato-berry plant taking up the rest of the bed. It's interesting that the smallest fruit, tomatoes, take up the most space. The tomato-berry plant needs a 4x4 space compared to the 2x2 space the Parks Whopper and Atkinson needs. Once I completed the hills I grabbed the recycling bin and added the rest of the compost mix from the wheelbarrow into it. It really looked like I'd have enough to fill the bin but it didn't even fill a fourth of it. I went back for a second filling and Perlite addition. Instead of topping off the recycling bin I went straight to Patch because I didn't want to fill the barrow a third time to amend my plots. I had to scoop into the four plots allotted for sweet potatoes in my bed because it wouldn't have worked any other way. I added a scoop to each square foot then mixed it into the existing soil and scooped another 3-4 inches of compost mix on top. Smart Gardener recommended that I amend the top 8 inches of soil with compost so I mixed one large scoop at least four inches deep then added another 3-4 on top. I think this will give my sweet potatoes a great start. Once I'd added the extra few inches of compost to the plots the twine dividers were covered so I pulled them up and pushed the sticks holding them down just about an inch or two so that they would show but not look out of place compared to the other dividers. When that was done I smoothed everything out and cleaned up all the stray compost I'd spilled. I was careful not to make too much of a mess so clean-up was quick. Since I was already clean I decided to get rid of all the weeds I'd pulled and left collecting insects about a week ago. I wasn't able to get rid of them early because of the weather but I've wanted to so I gathered my pile and tossed it. When I cleared everything I noticed that the spot on the path that housed the weeds was covered in worms and potato bugs or rolly-pollies. The worms instantly started inching their way to the nearest soil and the "rollies" began to scurry. I quickly ran to grab anything to smash the RP's with, I found an old tree stake and started to smash away. I think I got most of them and it was kind of fun. I'm starting to think that RP's are much more dangerous and reproduction-happy than I originally thought. They are everywhere, everywhere. 

Georgia...

I finished smashing grabbed my wheelbarrow with some remaining compost and my shovel and headed back to the Georgia Jet bed. I wheeled the barrow past the gate into the drive way then went inside to grab my trowel, planting gloves, and the slips. I poured the excess water out of the Slip cup and headed back out to plant those babies. We ordered 12 plants but only had enough room for 7 in that bed, and I'm using my home grown slips in the 4 plots in Patch, so I rifled through the lot to find the best looking ones. I set them aside and started marking off 12 inches for each plot. Once I'd done that I planted them as high on the compost hill a I could and as centered as possible. I watered them very lightly because I knew the rain was coming and time was running out on my second shift. 

Seven Georgia Jet slips planted on hills. They look bad but the pamphlet said they would and that they'd survive & thrive.

Wawa-melons...

With the remaining compost mix I topped off the recycling bin and decided between peanut plants and watermelon plants. Since peanuts are a root legume I went with the watermelons. I used the 2 plants, planted from seeds on April 3, that were together in 1 newspaper pot because the recycling bin could only hold two, max. I noticed that a mushroom was growing in the pot. So I pulled it out, took the newspaper off (didn't have too), and planted them in the center. I can't wait for them to produce fruit. I love tiny things and seeing the first mini watermelons will be a thrill for me, haha. I finished planting and getting everything I needed inside right in time for the rain. 

Mushroom in my watermelon seedling pot. 

Two watermelon seedlings planted, May 11, 2013.

Caterpillars

I went out this morning to check on the garden and water things if the sun had dried everything out. It hadn't so I moved into Patch. I sat on the sidewalk and had a good look at my radishes and noticed that almost every single one except for the smallest had a visible red bulb coming up out of the soil. I then noticed that the biggest bulb belonged to one of the shortest plants. I don't think that their ready to harvest just yet but a few more days and I think we'll be having radishes at the Cortes house or they will, not me. I only planted them because I am a beginner and wanted something that was quick and easy to start with... I'll be giving this crop to my mom and the next rotation of radishes to AFAC. I figure that's a great way to do it since I promised them to my mom but also want to give to the hungry of Arlington. 

While I was looking at the radishes, admiring the bulbs, I noticed that there were tiny bright orange-red bugs all over the brick and all over the radish leaves. They look like a version of tic that sucks plant blood. I think these tiny insects are the cause of the enormous holes in the radish leaves. Luckily, they aren't affecting the root development and they are easily killed. When I saw them all over I went inside to make a spray bottle full of soap and baking soda to spray on the leaves. I sprayed on the radish leaf covered with red "tics" first and it killed them. The mix didn't just wash them off or cause them to scurry, it killed them. After seeing that the mix actually demolished them I sprayed the mixture all over the brick walls and strawberry buckets. To be honest I think the brick wall is what attracted them to my bed to begin with, I used to see them all over the brick ledge of my window as a child but never saw them otherwise. So maybe a brick bed isn't such a good idea. 

I've been googling all day and finally found them they are red spider mites and I did the exact right thing by spraying them with dish soap but unlike my initial thought it won't keep them away. The soap only kills this type of bug on contact. I'll put out some diatom-earth tomorrow, if I'm not too scared.

After spraying with the mixture I went inside to make a vinegar, soap, & water mixture for the weeds. I started spraying the weeds when I saw it... yes, the first caterpillar of the year. A gypsy moth larvae. Yuck! It's the insect/worm I fear the absolute most. I fear it so much I based my decision on wether or not to start a garden on the fact that I didn't see 1 caterpillar last spring. So, I figured they had kind of died out of this area. I hope I wasn't wrong in assuming that because if they start popping up all over I won't be gardening until they turn into moths. That's probably weeks. I didn't amend the beds or plant the sweet potatoes because every time I tried to go outside I felt a caterpillar crawling on me. Yeah, they drive me extremely crazy. I hate them. Here's hoping I won't see anymore. They did cut down the tree where they used to nest so hopefully that was a rare straggler. 

Birthday Backdate

Birthday...

 Since I didn't do much gardening today except for watering I am going to write a little bit about my birthday because it was a garden birthday and I didn't get to write about.

Considering, that gardening is my thing on April 18th I spent the very warm afternoon planting tomatoes, lemon balm, and basil. I then showered and got ready for dinner with my family and boyfriend. At dinner I spoke of my garden, my hopes for it and then we did presents. My mom gave me a beautiful garden tool set by Threshold and a matching pair of women's gardening gloves. The ones made of canvas and suede, heavy duty. I like them so much but I know I won't do any planting in them for fear of getting them to the point where they are no longer recognizable. I was going to return them because I knew I would not use them because I liked them so much but I thought again and decided to keep them. I looked around online on how to clean them but found very little. I know garden gloves aren't meant to stay beautifully, perfectly, and purely clean but I also believe that they wouldn't make them in canvas and suede in beautiful patterns if they couldn't maintain some of there glory. So how do you clean these types of gloves? Or are they meant just for heavy duty work, like, weeding, wheeling the wheelbarrow and shoveling ?

Boyfriend...

Once dinner and all of that was done Mike and I came home and opened the presents he'd gotten me. He got me 2 sun hat, I requested, a few unrelated items, and a pair of comfortable headphones, the newest out from Apple, and the MOST comfortable amazing headphones/mic I've ever had. I have a hard time using headphones because my ears are sensitive and he knew I'd want to listen to music as I worked in the garden... great gifts all around. He also knew that I'd have trouble wearing an expensive hat out, at first, so he got me one cheap but very cute one and one more expensive one. That way I can easy in to the nicer one. 

Imagined...

When I imagined up Patch I also imagined what I would look like in Patch. I would have a sun hat on or around my neck, matching gloves, tools, and knee pad. I'd be wearing old shorts and a tank top and just be very smiley and peaceful. All the stuff I got on my birthday made that image come true. I don't have the caddy yet but I just found a matching one. Overall really good HAUL and birthday!

Tomorrow...

I'll finish building the tepee trellises, weed, and amend. I'll post a video on how to build the trellises and some images of the finished product in place!

Tool set!

Caddy I'll soon get!

Cheaper (L) and Pricier (R), love them both. I have a neon shirt to match the cheaper one.

Gloves to match my tool set and soon caddy. Love the pattern!

Diggin' for Gold

Filling the Beds...

I spent most of today outside in the chilly clouded weather finishing the filling of the beds. I had to fill the wheelbarrow, add Perlite, mix the Perlite, wheel to bed, and pour. Digging into the pile and filling the wheelbarrow was one of the hardest parts but unlike I expected it was not the hardest part. I think the hardest part was pouring the compost/perlite mix into the actual beds. The beds were not anchored to the ground so tipping the enormous industrial size wheelbarrow over the edge would cause the bed to move and most of the compost mix would remain inside. I'd then have to rake the mix out, shake the barrow, and/or push it all the way over so that it was upside down over the bed. I had to do this all without shoving the bed over too much because once the beds were a certain amount full they could not be straightened out properly. Let me tell you, beds arranged the way that our beds are arranged do not look very good when they are crooked. The most visually appeasing part of laying them out as we did is the lines, straight lines across the space. Anyway, I had to do this about 5 or 6 times. It took me awhile. After I'd had filled all the beds I filled the wheel barrow one more time and spread the contents between all the beds just to make sure they were properly topped off. Then, I raked them all out making sure that the compost was level and the corners were filled in, it was hardest getting the corners filled because I tried doing so without tossing any compost mix out of the bed. 

Tomato Tepees...

After I filled the beds I worked on the tomato cages made of bamboo, done tepee style. What I did to make them was take 3 bamboo sticks make all of the ends level on one end and wrapped a rubber band around them. Then I'd spread the tepee out and take one more bamboo stick and break it into 3 pieces attaching them to the 3 sides of the tepee with 1 rubber band for each end of the broken piece. This made a tier for the tomatoes to rest on. That way we won't have to tie the stems to the tepee. The tomato will find its own way up the tepee-stake and rest its stems on the ledges. I made 3 more before running out of bamboo. We'll need one more pack to make 2 more tepees, one for the green beans, and a trellis for the squash. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to make the trellis but I have a couple ideas. I also saw some very cool easy ones on Pinterest that I may want to copy. When I was done I placed all 5 of the completed structures outside in the beds they'd be living in this spring and summer. I wanted to make sure that the sizes were adequate. They looked good, if you asked me. I went back inside to work on seed tape directly after finishing the tepees. 

Bean Tape...

My last garden task for the day was to make seed tape for the green beans. We have very few items planned for the garden that are cool/warm weather crops but the ones that we do have are a little late. We need to plant them as soon as possible. So I wanted to make sure that the one that the one crop that needs the longest cool/warm weather was ready for tomorrow before I completed my "gardening" day. I cut 12" strips of newspaper and mix flour and water to make a paste. I used a ruler to mark every 3 inches with a pen and put down a drop of flour paste on each mark then dropped a bean in the paste. It went much quicker and was much easier then the carrot, radish, and spinach tape because the beans are so much bigger. I was done in a few minutes and left them to dry. Before I cleaned everything up I went upstairs to strain the other seeds that were soaking. I wanted them to dry out a bit for tomorrow when I make their seed tape. When I strained the Mesclun mix I noticed that many of the seeds had pre-germinated  a bit during there soaking. So I left them in a little water and will just broadcast them on there plot. I put the spinach seeds and mesclun mix in separate zip lock bags and finally finished everything I'd set out to do for Potagar Schoultz today. 

Once I plant the cool/warm weather plants I'll be focusing my attention on Patch Market and the tests I've been waiting to get results from... some have produced results that I just haven't had the time to tell you about but don't worry I'll report everything later in the week. I should be done with the Potagar for a little bit, anyway, after tomorrow. 

FYI- Tomorrow is officially our Last Frost Date, April 16 2013!

Potagar Schoultz with filled boxes and tepees in place.

Potagar Schoultz

Patch Update...

Today I didn't work on my garden except for watering and setting out the greenhouse. I noticed that the first carrot seeds started to germinate, there are only 2, so far, but I still have a few days. I hope they'll all come out but if they don't I'll have the time to replant. I didn't work on my garden but I did work on the Potagar.

Setting Up...

It was a beautiful warm Saturday with a nice breeze, Mr. S. was home and working on his garden. I woke up early but didn't get up until about noon. I stayed in bed watching Big Love. When I finally made my way up and out I saw that he'd built 4 out of the 5 beds. He had them laid out just as they were built and I asked "is this how you plan on setting them up?" He said "No I just built them and put them down. I still have one more to build. I think we might put one next to your bed [in Patch]." I thought about how I'd set up the raised beds in the measured space on Smart Gardener and about how I could have gotten the measurements so wrong. It didn't seem like all the four by four beds would fit around the four by eight bed. Next thing I knew I had the measuring tape out, had grabbed a built 4x4, and started moving it . Nobody was out back at this point so I thought I could easily try a few different positions out...

So I started rearranging and it turned out that I hadn't measured "so" incorrectly. I was a little off but not as off as it seemed. I moved the large bed into the middle and put 2 small beds on the left and 2 on the right (one was just the box of the bed that had yet to be put together). I thought it looked good but needed to get approval. I asked Mr. S to come take a look, he liked it but said I had to get Mrs. S to approve. One the conditions of Potagar Schoultz was that it made the yard look beautiful. He asked her to take a look and she liked it but thought that the yet-to-be-built bed should be left that way. Once I explained that it wouldn't take more of the space to the right she was in, I think she loved it! So I started putting together the last bed and set it in its spot. It looked good, GREAT!

Next Step...

The next step was to lay out the newspaper to kill the grass and weeds. Mr. S asked me to do that while he went out for a few minutes. I said that I would and went inside to grab a bunch of paper. I laid it all out and then realized that, that nice breeze was blowing it all up. I laid bricks, a rake, a hoe, and extra bundled up paper in the middle of each bed to hold it down. After I finished all of that I realized that those items wouldn't hold each and every end. I thought of how I could keep everything down while we added soil to each bed. I knew that we weren't going to do it right away and that when we did, it would take us some time. So, I watered the paper. Damping it did hold it down but I got soaked from the mid-thigh down. The hose isn't spraying properly anymore. I moved on to moving everything out of the way of the cement walk. We needed it cleared to roll the wheelbarrow back and forth. I finally grabbed the wheelbarrow, rolled over to the compost heap, and started filling it. I got it about half way full when Mr. S got back with lunch. I stopped cleaned up the remaining paper and went in to wash up for lunch. I was a hot mess from shoveling compost. It was the part I knew would be the most trying... 

After Lunch...

I took an hour break for lunch and to watch a little more Big Love. At around 3pm I went back outside. Mike's Dad was out there filling up the barrow for the 3rd time. He had almost filled one full 4x4. I helped him fill the wheelbarrow, add Perlite, fill more, add more Perlite, mix, wheel, drop in beds, and rake out what didn't drop. We did this 7 times. We filled two beds to the top and just added enough compost to the other beds to hold the newspaper in place overnight. The paper had dried by then. After that Mr. S went inside and I cleaned up the empty boxes, bags, and moved the wheelbarrow back to the heap for tomorrow. I was exhausted. I went in to shower, have dinner, and relax.

Later that day...

I took the print out from SmartGarden and started writing down the number of each plant we still needed and whether we needed seeds or seedlings. As I did that I realize that we had a large amount of certain plants to buy and they happen to be the ones that weren't favorites. For example, it was listed that we needed 16 sweet basil plants. I changed a couple things around so that 1 bed is dedicated to cantaloupe and the other to watermelon. I removed a few of the tomato and basil plants and added a few of the varieties with low yields  We're completely set for 1 more Home Depot trip if they have sweet potatoes if they don't we'll have to make one for trip for that. Once we buy everything and add the rest of the compost we'll be ready to plant each and every single seedling and seed minus the sweet potato, peppers, and watermelons. Those will be left inside until it heats up a little more. They like warm and long hot days. We're still in the "cool" time frame. It's going to look amazing with most of the things planted and even more amazing with everything planted!

Full View of all 5 beds from driveway gate.

Large 4 x 8ft. bed and left side 4 x 4ft. top corner bed.

Final Potagar Schoultz lay out.

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.

Heated

Morning...

When I got up I ran straight upstairs to take the tops of the greenhouses because I'd left them outside overnight. The air conditioning has been on in the house since the weather's hit the 80's and 90's. I thought the warm night air would be better for them then the cool fake air. I probably should have made a point to get up earlier because when I got out there it was already sweltering. The tops weren't 100% on because I didn't pin them down, hoping the wind would pull them up if needed. I took the lids off and checked on everything watering as I went along. When I got to the topsy turvy I noticed it was still draining from the day before but that the top was dry so I added just a little water to the top and moved it to a sunnier spot, on that would heat the whole planter evenly. 

Then I went to go check on the raised bed in Patch. I noticed it was dry and nothing else until I came back with the watering can. The radishes had germinated, 4 days exactly, but only in the bottom row. So I watered and hoped that the others would germinate by tomorrow. I basically ran back inside after that because I was burning up. 

I took a shower changed into a cool light weight dress and went back outside to take a picture of the raised bed. On my way out I called the Bulk-man about the compost. I had gotten up early awaiting his delivery but he hadn't called. I wanted to make sure I'd gotten it right... he answered and said that I had but that they were running late and would be here to deliver the compost in the afternoon. I said ok and hung up as I reached Patch. I looked down and noticed that in the few hours I'd been inside the other plot of radishes germinated. I was so excited and still am. I had mixed feelings about my bed because I'd used garden soil instead of potting mix. I'd amended the mistake myself and haven't been that confident about it until  I saw the other radishes. Once I saw those I decided it was warm enough and would get cool enough to plant my heads of lettuce. I grabbed the bag of compost a shovel and all four cups with my lettuce seedlings in them. I dug into the top two plots of the raised bed and amended the soil even further with compost then I picked the best looking two of the four and plants them. Unlike the strawberries the roots had spread throughout the soil I'd added in the cups and really looked strong and healthy. After planting I watered and went back inside. 

I went back out around 6:30pm to check on everything and noticed that even though the lettuce had been in the sun all day it was nice and crisp not wilted. The hot sun wilted it in the cups to extremes. I am happy I chose to plant them today and believe that they'll give me a continuous harvest all the way through the fall. 

Later that evening...

At around 7pm when I was just sitting down to dinner I texted the Bulk-man and asked if he was going to make it. He texted back saying that he had just loaded the truck and would be here within the hour. I asked if he'd rather come tomorrow and he said no that they were fine to make the drive and drop. Exactly an hour later as I was heading outside to wait for them Bulk-man, John, called and said that they were out front. I raced outside, letting Mikes dad know they were delivering on the way, and asked if they could back up the driveway. It took them awhile because the driveway is on a bit of a steep incline but they were able to get pretty close to the backyard and then they lifted the bed and dumped 3 cubic yards of "black gold." At first it didn't look like much and I was thinking, OMG maybe we should have had them deliver the full 4 we paid for and not just 3, but once they were done I was like NEVERMIND this is way more than enough! When they'd pulled the truck out of the drive John stopped to chat with me as I handed him the check and thanked him for the delivery.

I told him about looking for compost for my small garden and finding nothing. Then going to craigslist two months later and letting Mikes Dad in on there service and how much he'd saved by using them compared to Home Depot. Finally, I asked him if I should mix Perlite into the compost to make it a little lighter and assure that there are no draining issues. His reply was, You can if you want to. A lot of people claim that compost has drainage issues but it doesn't especially if your using raised beds. You can add it but it would really just be an extra not a necessity. My uncle has won awards for growing crops in Connecticut that weren't supposed to be able to grow there and he grows in this compost 100% without any amendments. That was all I needed to hear. I'd read that the best gardens came from 100% compost but that it was even better to amend with some Perlite and even some Vermiculite. I also read that 100% compost was "black gold" that you couldn't get a better garden and that adding Perlite was a waste of money and time (mixing it in). From everything else I'd read I knew that growing in 100% compost was the best but hearing it from someone that KNOWS compost and knows great gardeners solidified what I'd already gathered but doubted. I am extremely happy with the service we received and when our veggies grow I'll let you know if we'll use them again but from the looks of things I think we will. Especially since he ended up being even cheaper than I'd calculated. The compost was $100 and it was $2.50/mile after 20 miles, one way. I'd calculated an extra 10 miles and the total was $112 but because we paid with check $6 was added making the total $118.00 rather than the $125 I'd expected if not a little more. Really great nice guy and there product is rich, black, they don't use lime, or other accelerators.  

THANKS BULK MAN!!!

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