Cats and Dogs!

I know this sounds extremely familiar and I am so hoping that this summer is not a repeat of last because it has rained, almost literally, cats and dogs. Pouring, nonstop, for 4 full days. Not one stream or beam of sunlight in just as many days. It's been unbelievably gloomy, dark, wet, and humid. Luckily, those days occurred in April and I am attributing them to April Showers. That's all it better be because last summer was rain, rain, and more rain. The most rain in the DMV area in 20 years or something along those lines. Quite possibly it was the most rain in the history of the DMV because they ran an article on it in the Washington Post, it may have been 20 days straight of rain (I don't I'll have to look into it.) 

Good news, the rain made everything flourish. I thought it would drown my tender seedlings but it didn't. There were 4 inch deep puddles surrounding every raised bed. It was unbelievable when I woke up this morning to sunlight and warmth. I ran outside breathed in the warm air and headed straight for my boxes. Everything looked amazing! There were even red berries on the strawberry plants I've yet to install in their permanent spots! 

The radishes grew in groups and the lettuce seeds have popped through. The romaine seedlings are a vibrant green and the strawberries that are planted look, just, OK but that's good enough for me! 

Radish seedlings (L). Grew in tight groups. I'll have to do a fair amount of thinning. Romaine lettuce green as ever (R)! Lemon Boy tomato plant (Bg). 

Lettuce seedlings (L) popping through. Sweet basil (R) greener then the day I bought it. 

Raincheck

Check it out...

I went outside to check on everything after the hail and major storm. It wasn't a total rain break but I did get a few minutes outside without water coming down on me. So I picked a few strawberries that I knew would mold and I checked on everything else. Nothing had been poorly affected by the first storm, the hardest. I was happy about that. Then I went over to check on my cantaloupe container again. Since I saw the baby watermelons I've been meaning to check for baby cantaloupes. I didn't check for them in the raised bed because they were planted a few weeks after the the container melons. So I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I didn't see anything at all but noticed that the plant had finally attached itself to the trellis properly using its vines. As I was searching to take a picture of the connection between trellis and plant I saw it hanging there, perfectly, a baby cantaloupe. Much bigger than the baby watermelons and hanging just like it was meant to from its connection. I really didn't think I'd get even a baby melon out of that container because it was so small. I'd planted it there because it was an extra and I knew it would be pretty just leaves and flowers. I was excited to see that my green thumb prevailed again I ran inside to tell Mikes dad and get my cellphone to snap a shot. He put his shoes on and came outside to see as I took the pictures. I immediately sent the picture to my mom and Mike. Mike was so psyched for me, we'd just spoken about my lack of confidence in fruiting the night before. I don't know how I missed it. Considering its size its been there at least a few days. Good raincheck, no, GREAT! 

Baby container cantaloupe hanging from its vine connected to the trellis. About 2 inches in length.

Strawberries I picked so they wouldn't mold. These are the biggest I've gotten in awhile. The rain has affected size, most have been the size of the smallest pictured, for the last week or so. 

WATCH! Fruit Set

Fruit Setting...

When I first started my garden I didn't quite know what all the references meant when they said "fruit set" which caused me anxiety to no end. Things change when fruit starts to set in... I could of guessed that it was when the fruit started to grow but I didn't know what point in there growth was true setting. So now that I do know and can tell you that it means when the flowers start to turn I wanted to show you. 

All of our plants are at "fruit set" or have been "setting" for awhile now. 

Sweet like Syrup

Strawberries...

Mike got home from Atlantic City after making 11th place out of hundreds in the tournament. He took the 4:35am train to Union Station and got home at 9am. So he woke me up on his way in... I spent a good part of the early/late afternoon resting then went out to "Sea Magic" all of the plants. I attempted spraying the tomatoes but they are so huge it's impossible so I watered them, sprayed everything else, and lightly watered the strawberry containers with the magic. Then I picked a few berries. Mike helped and got to try his first ones. Two were sweet but not as sweet as the last. The last one was as sweet as strawberry syrup. It was amazing. Of course it looked slightly mashed but that's how the farmers market strawberries look too. So it was the best one as of yet. Amazingly sweet an the best I've EVER tasted. 

Everything else needs to be weeded, badly. Slugs are arriving and the garden just needs to be tended to in general. I have my work cut out for me on what is supposed to be the hottest weekend yet. If I don't maintain things will start to go to seed and die. So I've got get on it, just not today. Too tired.

The darkest one was the syrup one. 

Tomatoes everywhere.

Green bean plants and slugged lettuce. 

Back!

Garden Doubled...

I got back from my trip to Atlantic City today and immediately went outside to check on everything. It's unbelievable what a week can do. Everything is at the very least double the size. A few strawberries rotted but I picked and ate one that was delicious and sweet. Then I pick another handful that looked just like the perfectly ripe one. I'll add a picture entry a little later showing how huge and amazing things are... 

Atlantic City or Not?

No Gardening...

My boyfriend and his father were supposed to travel to Atlantic City this evening after work for a Father's Day trip but a couple days before his dad mentioned that he might be too sick to enjoy the trip and that if I'd like to go he'd pay for the nights just like he was going to but that I could take his place. When Mike asked I wasn't sure I wanted to go even though he mentioned staying at the Water Club, the 5 pools, the spa, and outlet shopping. I wasn't sure because I didn't want to leave my Garden behind. Tomorrow is supposed to be the only sunny and beautiful day for the next 3 days so I wanted a chance to really check on things and do some gardening but finally conceded after a lot of persuasion. As we were getting into the at this afternoon I said "if my strawberries die I'm going to kill you." Mike replied "if you'd said that from the beginning I wouldn't have tried so hard to talk you into coming  with me." It was actually funny even though I was being slightly serious. He knows how important the garden is to me and especially the strawberries. Once we got on the road he called his Dad and asked that he tend to things. His Dad said of course and asked that I send directions via email. So hopefully I'll get home and everything will still be alive and well. I may loose the ripening strawberries though. They would probably be ready to pick tomorrow if I was there so I don't know how they'll be when I get back. Maybe they'll be sweeter and better but chances are they won't be edible any longer. I'll have to wait for the next batch which is pretty disappointing considering how much tender love and care I've put into the entire garden but especially those containers. Here's hoping...

I am going to enjoy my trip and my upgraded room. I wonder how other people deal with vacationing when they have gardens that are at there harvesting points or soon to be? Anyone? 

Happy Father's Day, Dads! 

View of the Marina and the Fireworks show at the Revel from our room. 

More fireworks from the show at the Revel. 

AHHHHHHH! More Rain

Tropical Storm expected...

So for the last two days its been dark cloudy sunny and raining. The weather changes every 15 minutes so getting out to check on the garden is a game of chance. I got out today for 5 minutes before the sky turned so dark it looked it it would fall but I did pull a handful of strawberries and check on everything. The radishes have repaired themselves. A few weeks ago I noticed that all the roots of the second round were twisted and exposed. I covered them with soil and waited to see what would happen. Well they've started to bulb. One has been eaten to almost nothing by a very well camouflaged worm. I almost touched it. Gross. But other than that they are doing well. 

Once I was done checking on everything I took my berries inside and rinsed them off except for the too that were completely molded by, what seems like, the rain. I cut them open to check if some insect was inside, I was praying there wasn't, and thank God there wasn't. So it must have been the excess moisture. Just like when you wash all the berries at once and put them back in the fridge, they mold twice as fast as if you wash what your going to eat only. Anyway, once rinsed and ready to try I did just that most were tender and juicy but only one was truly sweet and delicious. The smallest one. I guess I'm plucking them off too soon and I thought I might but I rather eat semi-tart berries than throw out moldy ones. 

What I plucked off the 3 separate containers. 

Inside of the berries mostly looked like this. 

One of the molded berries. 

Eating Ripe

Strawberries...

I picked and ate my first ripe and tasty strawberry today. I got to check on everything before it started raining, again. It's unbelievable how much rain we're getting but you know all of that. Back to the berries... I check on the buckets and the Topsy Turvy. All the berries that were present yesterday were still accounted for today so my precautions work. The TT is covered in ripening strawberries but there aren't any ready to pick just yet. If we get a day of sun I'll probably be able to pick a full pint just from the Topsy in a couple of days. The 8G bucket sadly has strawberries growing but none big enough to ripen or pick. The 5G bucket had the one strawberry I picked and ate and has a few more that should be ready around the same time as the Turvy. There are also tons of blossoms turning into berries. It's going to be a strawberry summer if the sun can stay out for more than a few hours at a time. 

Everything else is doing okay for now but like I've said before and we'll say again if the rain continues there wellness will not be lasting very long. 

Bunny Be Gone

Strawberries Eaten...

After it rained all day on Friday I went out into Patch early Saturday morning to pick the strawberries that had been red and ripening for the last two to three days. When I got out there all but one were gone. I was shocked. I kept looking around to see if I'd missed them somehow. Since all the containers with seascapes in them are round and I can't see the back and front at the same time I thought somehow I was missing them. Then I saw it, a juice red berry on the ground. It had a small big toothed bite taken out of it but otherwise it was intact. I picked it up and put it in my basket. (Don't worry I didn't eat it.) I finally accepted that something, now I knew bunnies, had eaten al the ripened berries. I quickly put the basket down got the wheelbarrow and put the 5G and 8G bucket in it and rolled them over to the glass table in the driveway. When I was do e situating the buckets I went back to Patch with plastic black netting in hand. I wrapped the netting around the Topsy Turvy and Shepherd hook hoping it would be enough to keep animals at bay. When I was done I grabbed the basket with the bitten berry and went inside to slice it open. I just wanted to view the quality of what I'd grown. The second I slice into it it started dripping, and I mean dripping,  juice. It was the most perfect and juicy strawberry I'd ever seen. I went for a part towel not realizing I had juice on my glove and left juice stains on it. That's how juicy it was, juice was everywhere. That made it all the more disappointing that I couldn't taste it. 

This morning I went back out to see if anymore berries had been eaten and they were all there. I was so glad to see that the netting had worked and moving. The containers to the table had too. I don't have any ripe berries yet but I will soon and hopefully my defenses will work through my first harvest and beyond. I couldn't bare not getting to taste even one ripe and juicy berry after all of the attention and love I've put into growing them. I've paid more attention to those 3 containers than Patch and Potagar put together so I better get some berries.

Eaten by bunnies along with the rest.

Ripen Up

Red, Red, & Red...

It was dark and cloudy out today because of the tropical storm that was coming our way. It seems that it took a detour a little later but either way the sky was dark and not great for gardening. Even so I went out to check on everything to make sure that if the storm did hit hard that all of the stakes and trellises were deeply held and that the containers were on steady ground. When I finally got around to checking on Patch I instantly noticed the brightest most perfect strawberry I had ever seen. It was the perfect strawberry red with a wax shine. It looked like the apples the big companies wax before shipping but of course it wasn't waxed it was just perfect. After taking a look I looked over all of the other strawberry containers. No e of the strawberries,except for the one in the 5G container, were ready for picking but they were a nice shade of pink turning red, a few not all. I ran to grab my phone, clippers, and harvest basket and harvested my first berry. I went to lunch with my Mom shortly after and brought the berry with me to show her but she thought I was giving it to her. I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't so she tried the first PM strawberry. She said it was sweet but probably needed another sunny day of ripening or two not so sunny days, like today. I had planned to wash it, cut it in half, and share the first taste with Mike but I'll do that with the second berry.

Harvested berry.

Pinkish red berries ripening in 5G.

Ripening berry on the Topsy.

Green Arrows...

On my way back in from lunch I went over to look at the green beans because they were a little droopy. I noticed that our first beans are finally coming in. It's amazing. There so cute and small but look just like what the mature beans will look like minus the fuzz. Exciting! I need to tie them off with string because they won't hold, at all, once the beans get any bigger.

Each flower becomes a bean.

Bigger beans on another plant.

Tomato in Patch...

I noticed my first growing in the container in PM today. It's very small but I'm glad to see that the container seems to be sufficient. 

Color Everywhere

There are different colors of fruiting plants popping up all over the garden. 

Our beautiful and light green tomato-berry.

Dark green and striped super fantastic tomatoes.

First baby yellow stuff-able patty-pan squash blossom.

First sign of pink/red on the ripening strawberries. This one is from the Topsy.

Touring

Giving the Tour of Potagar...

I gave my mom and older sister Angela a tour of the garden when they were dropping me off, after getting our nails done and some Starbucks, at home. I walked them through from the driveway eggplant all the way to the Topsy Turvy full of soon-to-be strawberries. I showed them the things I planted in containers yesterday like the eggplant and pepper. I told them about how the heat had caused the watermelon leaves to quadruple in size over the last, now, 5 days. I showed them where the tomato-berry plant used to stand and how it stands a foot taller. I routed the purple and beautiful green arrow green beans towards them so that there view of the color and blossom was not obstructed. I showed them each and every new tomato; told them how the first one had doubled in size and said, "isn't it funny how the growing tomatoes look like they just came out of the fridge. They look crisp and cool." That was said to very little if no response from  either party. Then I moved on to the Lemon Balm and reminded my Mom of how small the plant was just 2 weeks ago when I broke off a leaf for her to smell and get familiar with. When we got to the onions my sister did say "Look Mom green onions. I don't know that the green shoots are green onions but the onions planted are Texas sweet and yellow. I did appreciate the enthusiasm though. I hadn't gotten much so far. After the little lift we moved on to the squash. I pointed out the baby crooknecks and told them about how stuffed squash blossoms are a popular dish. I then showed them how they would grow up the tepee'd trellises to make a hanging vertical situation. Mentioned how it would be nice to see the patty-pan's compared to the crooknecks. Then we moved on to Patch.

Touring Patch...

When we moved into Patch Market I felt like the interest peaked just slightly as I showed off my iceberg lettuce heads and pointed out that they hadn't started compacting until this week. I pointed out my limp and possibly dying slips, that I'd grown from a potato. I showed them the carrot greens and told them about how I planted more radishes just for them. Both my sister and Mom ate the last batch. I moved on to the strawberries proud as can be. I pointed out every large strawberry in the 5G container and mentioned that I was hoping for ripened berries by next week. Finally, I moved over to the Topsy Turvy and spoke about how they weren't as good as the 5G but that I had a lot of berries and they were getting better everyday. I also mentioned that I was surprised considering the Turvy is made to grow strawberries specifically. When were about to turn and walk back the way we came I remembered my tomato plant and pointed it out quickly. I didn't think they cared to see more so I said two words and lead the way back to the car to bid them adieu. 

It's funny... 

They weren't uninterested they just weren't as interested as I thought they would be or at least as fake interested as they should have been. I would have liked a couple "oohs" and "ahhhs" but that's not them. My mom isn't one to gush and my sister, although much more enthused then my mom, isn't into gardening. I actually wasn't upset by her reaction as much as my Mom's but to be honest she'd been a little quiet the entire trip. So it may have had to do little with her excitement or interest. I was disappointed that she wasn't more phony but that's okay. I'll keep asking them to tour and bring them veggies. I am happy that my sister wants my veggies for her new endeavor into juicing. That made me very happy, but like I said her reaction was pretty good and maybe even better than I thought thinking about it now. It was my mom because she asks about my garden everyday, which I like, but I thought she asked because she was interested not just to ask. Maybe she was just in a weird mood. 

I watered the plants in Patch, this evening, after they left. Mr. S. watered the PS plants this morning.

Leafy Greens Galore

Harvesting the Leafy...

I went out this afternoon and checked on everything but didn't water because I knew rain was coming. It was overcast and humid so it was definitely coming. The next 5 days are going to be a game changer. The weather is supposed to be in the low 90's and sunny. All of the crops are warm/hot crops except for the lettuce and spinach. Even the carrots I planted are specifically attune to warm/hot weather so the next 5 days should make everything really blossom, not flower blossom, well maybe some but grow quickly. 

After I checked on everything I noticed that some of the spring mix leaves had bolted, gone to seed, flowered. So I decided to harvest. I harvested 2 full baskets between all four heads and the mix green leaves. Even after the two full baskets I yanked there is still at least 4 more baskets for mixed greens and another unknown high number of lettuce leaves since I'm using the continuous method. 

Basket one.

Basket two. 

After harvesting I went back into Patch and noticed that the cantaloupe container had a new flower and that there was a much larger strawberry than the one I deemed "largest yet" hiding in the 5G bucket. I thinned some carrots and radishes while I was there because I remembered what happened with the last batch of radishes. When I thinned the carrots even though they were orange or large I could tell the small roots were starting to form carrots. It was nice to see that they were "working." 

New! Largest berry.

Thinned carrots. If you zoom in you an see the roots starting to take carrot shape. 

Cantaloupe flower.

Slips...

I forgot to write about how I pulled my slips off of the sweet potato yesterday and stuck them in a glass of water to take root. I did. I did so because the leaves had lost there vibrant green and purple color and turned yellowish but I didn't feel they were tall enough. They haven't started to root yet and I'm not sure that they will but I do hope. 

I took pictures of the changes in the patty-pan and crookneck squashes. They'd grown and lost blossoms. 

Blossom wilted and fruit growing. 

Potagar Patch- Video Update

Written...

I went out this morning to check on everything after the wind and cold and things were pretty good but not great. The wooden tomato cage I built was blown over and took the tomato with it. The cantaloupe plants that were in the greenhouse were completely wilted from the chill and the one planted was too. As the sun warmed up things got better and Mr. S. rebuilt the wooden cage so that it was sturdier and not, as he called it, so Charlie Brown. Other than that I didn't do much gardening because I wanted the sun to just warm everything back up. It rained last night so no watering was necessary and even if it hadn't rained I wouldn't have watered because that would have slowed the soil warming process. I thought the strawberries would be affected but they weren't, they are looking so amazing. I have at least 6 sizable berries and 25 small berries that look like they'll become sizable. I have about 50 flowers that should become berries. It's amazing! I took video of it all for you to see.

Video Update...

The video upload button isn't working so you'll have to click the link below to watch on YouTube...UGH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLT46uNoBYY

Rain Break for Pictures

No Rain...

So the took a few hours break today and I was able to spray sea magic on everything, build a trellis, and take a few pictures. My neck hurts too much to type. I'm not sure why but it does so this is mostly a picture update entry.

Tiny squash with tiny blossom on crookneck yellow squash plants. 

Bamboo trellis for cantaloupe plant that has double since planting on Thursday. 

Carrots are finally booming, the lettuce seems to grow more if harvested and the onions are about 3 inches taller since last week.

The 5G bucket is fuller, the 8G bucket is fuller and the tomato has doubled in the last 4 days. See comparison below;

Tomato Patch?

Maintaining...

It was supposed to rain today and it did look cloudy and dark but then it would get sunny. So I waited awhile not going out to work in the garden because of the weather and because I didn't want to over water. Finally, I went out and watered everything in Patch. I thinned the spinach in P.S. and 2 bean plants. Now the plots hold exactly what they should. After I thinned those out I went back into Patch, cleaned up and swept the path. 

I grabbed the EcoSmart from inside when I was done cleaning because I noticed that the grass hasn't died and everything else I'd sprayed had only have died. The spray only kills what it directly touches. Somehow the rest of the plant, even if its half burned off, survives. The grass didn't even half burn down it only slightly toasted. I re-sprayed everything from the grass in the beds to the sidewalk cracks. 

I finished spraying the weeds in the cracks in patch Market last then took a closer look at the strawberry buckets and noticed that the 5G bucket had a few new and large flowers and the Topsy Turvy had flowers to match. I was hoping that would happen and it did. 

I took a break then when back out. 

Larger, more likely to become a berry, flower on Topsy.

Cantaloupe Tomato...

When it didn't rain after another hour of being inside I went back out, on my way out the door I noticed another spinach plant had gone to seed. This time i just snipped the flower off. I water everything in Potagar and then decided to fill one of the containers I bought at Dollar Tree and plant something in it. I wasn't sure what I wanted to plant so I went with the extra cantaloupe plant. I poked holes in the bottom of the container, filled it with compost, added Perlite, and organic Vigoro soil. I mixed all of the components together and carried the bin and the plant over to Patch. I only decided to put it there because the container didn't fit on the table and the next best sun was next to the strawberry containers in Patch Market. I took off half of the cardboard pot after soaking it, and planted the cantaloupe plant. Then, I went inside grabbed the seaweed concentrate and mixed half a cup with 2 gallons of water. I watered the container thoroughly and made sure it drained properly. It helps that I placed it on an old tree stump with a hollow in it. I decided to use of the triangle trellises to maximize the space. It looked great. I took pictures and went inside after using the rest of the seaweed water on a few of the plants still in the greenhouse. 

When I got inside I started thinking about it and couldn't help but wanting to have a tomato in that container. I kept thinking, it'll look so nice growing up the trellis and the Atkinson is growing so well and Patch needs a tomato plant. So I went back outside uprooted the cantaloupe, planted it in a smaller container, watered it, and set it on a tile in Patch for the same reasons I'd set the larger container there. Finally, I grabbed the tomato, epsom salt, shovel and watering can to plant the tomato. I as deep as possible into the container added a handful of epsom salt and planted. I watered the tomato thoroughly because the sun had already dried the soil somewhat and took pictures. 

Blue Tomato container with wooden trellis and strawberry containers in Patch Market.

Cantaloupe plant moved into small red container. Lettuce after yesterdays harvest. Still looks big.

Radishes and Spinach...

I was heading for to my Mom's to drop something off so a few hours after planting the tomato I harvested the rest of the radishes and some spinach. I'll plant something new in place of the radishes tomorrow. Maybe more radishes in the thin plots and a peanut plant in the 10x12 plot. I'm not sure yet. After harvesting some spinach I planted a few leftover primed seeds in the container to start some fresh growth. 

My Mom ate the spinach and radishes at dinner an loved them. She said the spinach was exceptionally fresh and delicious and that some of the radishes were peppery and some were just sweet and crisp. She loved them either way. 

All of the radishes harvested, all period.

Spinach harvested.

Spray Crazy

Harvest Two...

This morning before I went out with my mom I went out to water, apply compost tea to the veggies/herbs/fruits that needed it, and harvest what needed harvesting. I applied compost tea to the spinach, basil, onions, strawberries, cucumbers and green beans. The onions needed 1 cup per square foot and the cucumbers needed 1 cup per plant. The rest didn't say what was needed so applied a watering; enough liquid to sufficiently water the plant for the day. Then I watered what needed watering and took a good look at the lettuce and radishes in Patch Market. The lettuce had boomed since my last harvest. It had grown in height by about 5 inches and had grown in width by 6 or 8 full sized leaves. I harvested 6 leaves from 1 head by pinching then off, being sure to leave an inch or so at the base, and 5 from the other. Both heads still looked extremely full afterwards. I put all the lettuce in my basket then moved on to the radishes. Three were ready for harvest the rest weren't because half haven't even 'bulbed' yet and the others had small bulbs about a 1/4 of an inch wide. I don't know if the ones that don't have any bulb will ever bulb but either way the ones harvested were beautiful. I harvested the lettuce and radishes to give to my mom. I knew I'd be heading over to pick her up for lunch a few minutes later so it was the perfect time to harvest them for her. I was about to go inside but decided that since the rain that was supposed to come, wasn't, I'd spray with my new organic Captain Jack's spray. I sprayed the remaining radishes, the strawberry containers, the lettuce, and the carrots. Then I went inside to get dressed for lunch. On my way out I grabbed the unwashed veggies still in the basket and took the whole thing with me.

When I got to my Mom's I gave her the harvest. She was excited to receive them, especially the lettuce, because she didn't have any lettuce or radishes for tonight's salad. She took them out of the basket and put the lettuce in a saved produce bag then put that in the fridge. The lettuce filled the entire bag. She cropped the greens off of the radishes and stuck them in the fridge on a shelf, no plate, nothing. Strange for her but it worked. She said she'd be making a salad with the veggies for dinner and she did. She texted me after dinner and said that she made a salad with the lettuce but didn't add the radishes. She just ate a radish plain; " it was good because it was sweet and crisp but not peppery." I don't know if that means it was better than the store ones or that it was worse because it didn't develop the peppery flavor. I 'll have to ask her if the other 2 had a peppery flavor once she eats them. She liked them, either way, and now I'll try them. What I don't like about radishes is the peppery flavor, these ones are really grown by me. 

       Before second harvest.

       Before.

    Harvested lettuce. 

     Harvested radishes. 

After Lunch...

After lunch my Mom and I came back here and I gave her a tour of Potagar Schoultz and Patch Market, she was thoroughly impressed. We didn't garden because she wasn't feeling well and it was the hottest part of the day; too hot to garden. I pulled off a lemon balm leaf, during our tour, for her to smell and she absolutely loved it. I'd never heard of it before my foray into gardening so I was sure she hadn't before either and I was right about her not knowing  of its mosquito repelling qualities, delicious fragrance, and its existence. On our way out I grabbed the 3 beautiful lemon balm seedlings I germinated in a paper cup and gave them to her for the kitchen. She'll replant them this weekend in a nice large pot, as I instructed her to do. I'm positive she'll use the herb as a natural repellent and fragrance in her kitchen once it's ready to harvest.

Back...

When I got back from dropping her off and running a few errands I changed into gardening clothes and went out to spray the weeds/grass in the far right beds in Potagar Schoultz. At first I didn't know how to attach the nozzle to the EcoSmart bottle but I figured it out and started spraying. I was shocked to smell the contents. The liquid was strong and suffocating. It said it was safe for children and pets so I wasn't worried about my health but my throat felt raw after spraying the first bed. I pushed through, anyway, sprayed the second bed and the weeds growing in the sidewalk cracks in Patch Market and in front of the sun room. I went spray crazy actually. I sprayed the sidewalks, all the dandelion, the grass growing up against all the Potagar beds and all the plants growing through the mulch on the ground in Patch. I only stopped because my throat was extremely raw and I couldn't stand the smell any longer. 

I went out to check a few hours later and so far nothing looks like its dying but it said it would take hours and I sprayed around 5:30 so its only been 3.5 hours. Tomorrow I'll mulch what needs mulching, spray what needs re-spraying and thin what needs thinning, if it doesn't thunder storm as predicted. UGH, the saying isn't MAY showers bring JUNE flowers. It's April showers bring May flowers and veggies? 

Strawberry Boom

Hanging the Topsy...

Today was another chilly and windy day. It was sunny, though I just wasn't up for much gardening, I didn't sleep well. What I did have to do was set up the Topsy Turvy on the shorter shepherd hook, again. So I took the large hook out went into Potagar grabbed the small hook and put the chimes and lure hanging on it on the ground and trucked back over to Patch. I dug the small hook into the ground, on a level spot, as deep as I possibly could then I grabbed the Topsy, off the chair, and hung it using the new hanging hook so that it was able to turn and put the painted rocks back on top. It's funny because this time even though the Topsy seems to weigh more the shepherd hook didn't lean forward as much. It seems like the issue was more the hanging hook than the S. hook. I rearranged the lantern so that it filled in the spot that used to be filled by the large hook and the Topsy Turvy. 

5 Gallon Boom...

When I was done I took a look into my 5G bucket and noticed that I had the most beautiful strawberry flower, yet. It even looked like a strawberry because it had that big green stem and leaf part that top strawberries from the store. After I saw that I noticed that the there were at least 15 other big buds that look exactly like the flower did when it started. It's amazing because the 5G bucket took, at least, 3 weeks longer to produce any buds than the Topsy and the 8G bucket so I thought it either wouldn't produce at all or that it was setting up a stronger base and would produce better. I sure it'll be my second thought, now. It's producing what I believe will be my first berries. The other two containers have produced several flowers and buds but none that look like the ones in the 5G bucket and none of which have that leaf and stem formed; largely or properly. The flowers that seemed like they'd turn into strawberries have shriveled and aren't growing. I'm hoping that the flowers that die now aren't going to continue to die as more are produced. I hope that they're setting up a stronger base and will start producing flowers that look more like the 5G bucket flowers. 

Tonight is supposed to get down into the high 30's. I thought about bringing the 5G and 8G bucket inside but seascapes can handle as low as 55 degree soil temperatures, with ease, and I don't think one cold night will bring the soil temp. down that far. If it does I hope they are resilient enough to take it and perk back up during the sunny 80+ degree weather we're going to get the rest of the week.

5G flower and buds. Notice the large green leaves behind it. Looks just like a store bought strawberry's top. 

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. 

            

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.