August 3, 2009

Still working on getting the garden in shape for fall. Dug up two paths and laid down cardboard under the weedblock and mulch.
T/P: rosemary in Bed A, as a pollinator attractor.
Tomato, in Bed B
P: zinnia, sunflower and cosmos in back fence bed. Sunflowers in side fence bed. Bush beans and cowpeas in Bed A. Waiting on my Burpee's seed order for some plants. I have never tried growing annuals in the fall, and look forward to the results.

Turned compost heap, which is still heating up wonderfully. Every two-three days seems to work better than daily. I will 'un-sew' the leaf heap by the front gate from its wild morning glory vines and use them to replenish the paths and mulch. Any leaf mold will go onto the beds and the leftovers will go into the new heap.

Finished laying out the soaker hose system. Now to figure out a watering schedule for the beds in the evenings. Going in and out several times under the geckos lurking over the back door is not a pleasant vision. Maybe I can get it all done before it gets really dark and they come out.

I scavenged some nice rocks from a parkway and am looking for a place to sink my little plastic pond, so I can use them around the edges. It won't be a proper pond with water circulation, etc., but just a watering hole for, hopefully, frogs and toads.
Unless Evil White Cat gets them.

Journal April 15

After the cold killed so many seedlings, I determined not to re-plant 'til after Easter.
It has gotten warm enough for various flower seeds, the pumpkins and the cowpeas to sprout.
Today is the first day in almost two weeks that there was anything really to do, or nice enough weather to work in.
Weeded beds, re-set pavers in Bird Area, which will be known as the Nature Preserve (NP) from now on, weeded in NP. Harvested lettuce.
V. has almost completed the tool rack- I assured him I could finish it while he was at the coast. I'm thinking of staining it a rust color, to blend in with the house brick.
Leaves are so compacted in the compost bins that it may be a good idea to turn them. A two-person job that might need a captive daughter.
To do:
Buy, TP peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, basil.
Re-plant squash, beans, cukes
Buy 1x2's to brace tool rack. Finish rack. Stain?
Mulch weeded areas in NP
Move dirt, plant sunflowers in NP.
Birdola, suet, seeds.

Journal April 4

Put together Bed 6. Shaved sides off the dug bed until the frame was close enough to plumb for government work. Raked the soil smooth, laid down the newspapers and filled the bed.
When the bed was finished, I rolled out the weed-block on the rest of the paths and mulched.
The grass/leaf bags were from different houses, so the contents were varied- it makes a nice, patchwork effect.
Also mulched the Butterfly Barrow.
Decided to devote Bed 6 to okra and more cowpeas, and to plant only corn in Bed 3. Seeded all of those. Moved the pumpkin planter to the end of 6, added more soil and re-planted it. It wasn't getting enough sun against the fence, next to the compost heap.
Watered all areas.
And that's enough for one day...

Journal April 3

Temps still below normal for spring: only 71 today.
Finished digging up Bed 6 and since it is on the higher side of the yard, cut a deep trench
along the high side, to level it.
I notice that the bed I didn't dig out (being a lazy man in a hurry), but only loosened the sod and covered with several layers of newspaper before adding the topsoil, is completely weed-free.
The other two have problems. So, will cover 6 with paper as well.
Mulched the path between Beds 1 and 3 and the herb bed. One of the leaf bags had quite a few twigs mixed in, but I think they will break up when walked on.

One brave cowpea has sprouted. No okra yet- soil temp too cold still, I think.
TP the cherry tomato. The Big Boy shows signs of recovering, so I will leave it for now and save the new plant.
Moonflowers are up, two anyway. My very favorite annual vine.

NB: READ LABELS. I think the broccolli is actually brocolli rabe. This makes no difference when steamed and tossed with a nice lemon-garlic vinaigrette, but it would have been useful to know.
I was letting the 'heads' almost flower, waiting for them to form the big bunches.

V. bought the lumber for the tool rack he's making for me. I look forward to not having them lying about the porch. Because of the bank of windows that look out over the porch, he's constucting it horizontally, instear of vertically. Think of a car gun-rack, but with two sides.

Journal March 26

A wrap -up of the week:

Monday- in pre-dawn raids, picked up boards, a landscape timber, a nice big piece of bead board plywood, three plastic planters and some leaf bags. Had a fellow scrounger- a fellow in a red pick-up. We kept passing each other, slowly trolling up and down the streets. I was at an advantage as I pick likely sites on Sunday evening, after Mass. But there are always new things out in the morning.

I briefly considered a shower door, for a cold frame, but our climate doesn't really make that necessary. And I don't want to start collecting items, since V. just worked so hard cleaning out the garage.In the afternoon, I planted cowpeas, okra and cukes, new radishes and new peas. Also, the African daisies, marigolds "Citrus Mix", and Liliput zinnias in Bed V.

Hung the herb baskets on the fence, and stapled trellies up for the morning glories and the peas.

V. hung up the shrine for me and I installed the statue.

Wednesday- I bought the boards for the new and last, garden bed. Now there will be a neat rectangle with mulched paths, so the mowing will be reduced/simplified. See how E-Z that is? or so I tell V. It was raining again, which was great, since we need every drop. Put together a new grid for the beds, and a teepee for the beans. Beans were up Monday.

Thursday- picked up three bags of leaves and a lovely big round hanging basket. It has to be hung from somewhere- I'm considering making it part of the Butterfly Barrow. Or putting up a brace on the fence and using it there. There are two or so in the garage.

To Do- depending on the weather: make cuke trellis, make another grid, make bean teepee, construct last bed.