Work Days- March 31

Every day has seen a little work: crops planted, paths mulched, construction done.
Mentally slapping my hand whenever I consider putting my hot crops into the ground before Easter Monday. The wait is my response to climate change.
So:
Construction:
All trellises are up.
Back fence corner is weeded and had its landscape timber moved in.
V. braced the stairstep planter and we cleared out beneath it, laid down weedblock and mulch.
He put up my wrought-iron hanger by the shrine, and another smaller one on the long post of the stair-step.
Added more items to the passive heap and more leaves to the leafmold holder.
We tied back the althea with nylon rope to make space. If they break, look out!
Filled the kid's sand box. Great success with Bubs- he played in it alone for over tweny minutes.
More path areas mulched. Using grass, rather than leaves. It is so windy here that leaves move around too much, blowing into the beds on top of sprouting seeds,onto the porch and so on.

Crops:
Planted nasturtiums, finally. May have planted other vines too early, may replant.
Annuals are up in S-S planter.
All crops are sprouting in kids' gardens. Will plant hot crops for them with mine.
Fed all T/Ps with fish tea. We will see.
Tomatoes: Container T tooking very poor. Bed T not much better. T-bag T looks GREAT! So far, at least. Will continue to observe.

To Do:
Plant hot crops
Finalize charts of plantings.
Re-plant MGs?
Make up watering schedule and print out.
Turn compost heap, and set up schedule for that.
Start lettuce t/p's

Harvested: romaine, lettuce.

Tuesday, March 3

And we're back.
Planted so far in Bed 1: lettuce, beets, romaine seedlings, onions and brocolli transplants.
Actually, planted most of that five weeks ago at the end of January and covered the 4x4 section with a plastic drop cloth over bent 1/2" PVC, per Mel's SFG plan. This worked very well, even in out unseasonable snow.

Compost heaps are building. One is the working heap, one is the kitchen waste heap. Took out the bin composter: didn't work well enough for the space it took up. Will probably store bags of soil, peat, etc. in it in the garage. Leaf mold container is up and being filled.

NO hanging plants this year. They are too labor/water intensive for Texas.
Will try containers again on the step-holder. This year will provide better drainage.
Inspected the Garden Box planter at Calloway's but at $70.00 per box, that is too pricey.
As an experiment, I'm drilling some extra-large holes for run-off in the bottom of one of my long plastic planters. Then, I'm drilling holes in some plastic take-out containers, cutting down the sides and placing them upside down in the bottom of the planter, to provide some air space for the roots. This seems to be a key element of the Garden Box. I will see how it works in a mini-me version.

Also experimenting with take-out containers as tiny greenhouses for seedlings, as well as a commercial one from Lowe's. Planted: lettuce, leaf lettuce, squash, cosmos and zinnias.

One goal is to plant pollinator attractors on all three sides of the vegetable beds in the two fence beds and the stair steps.

To do: make new grids.
Make new pipe trellis.

Transplanted: Oregano, rosemary, dill, lemon thyme, German thyme along back fence.
Planted: peas (3), strawberries (2)

Journal April 21-22

Tuesday
Beautiful weather. Lots of work.
Cut and attached brace to tool rack and re-stained it.
Bundled up rose trimmings, put old chair out for the curb pick-up.
Picked up porch in general. It looks lovely uncluttered.
Re-seeded zucchini, beans and lettuce.
Dilemma: tomatoes and peppers are struggling back and I do love persistence. BUT I already purchased a new batch of replacement plants that have to go somewhere. I think I'll knock together a bed for the NP and put them there, to use up the last of the dirt. It was going to be sunflowers, but I'll tuck them in elsewhere.
Weeded and watered. Put up rain gauge on side fence.
Okra is coming up.
Cut broccoli for dinner. And greed onions for black beans.

Wednesday
Washed back porch, and windows. Moved green rocker to garage to go to storage.
Pulled up sod in back corner, put down weedblock and mulch.
Mulched pumpkins, added mulch to paths.
Cut boards for new bed in NP. Moved tool rack into place, replaced trunk. Tool rack needs hooks for: kid's shovel, the fork/hoe, possible the pruner.
The only things I want to keep permanently on porch: tool rack, trunk, caddy, bird food can, galvanized bucket, white litter container with kid's tools. Everything else in garage!
Jasmine is blooming. Wondered why it smelled odd, then realized I'd just pruned the cilantro without gloves, so was smelling that on my hands.
A few peas have set.