Nice and rainy

Oct 3, 2007 | 11:11 AM PST

So, I have a new cam, so pics will be forthcoming. We have been getting rather a bit of rain (about time) but it is finally the end of the 'real' gardening season. If I can figure out a way to do it with minimal dirt (I know I should use at least a 5 gallon container but am willing to take a risk) I may cold stratify some of the tomato seeds I saved and start them up here in the office. That would be kind of cool, having some fresh tomatoes here. I kept some Black Prince and Brandywine seeds, although who knows what they will end up being as there were a few different varieties of tomatoes out there and I did not bag them so they are no doubt cross pollinated. I really don't mind, as long as they are fresh! I am planning on starting up some of the Jalapeno seeds I saved, I know it will do fine in a relatively smaller pot. I have all this sunshine here at my desk so I might as well take advantage of it, right?

I brought a couple Schefflera's in to the office.

My favorite story about Schefflera's...A pal of mine owned a hotel on the NC coast and the hurricane wall they had put in was coming down after a particularly nasty storm so the hotel had to come down. The people who were hired to take all the furniture and whatnot out and put it in storage really were not all that smart as they put all the plants in the storage unit as well. Three months later we opened up the unit, having already assumed the plants were living in the movers homes (nothing to quibble about, this all had to be done fast so the owner just figured a home is a home) and there they were. No water, no sun, three months...they were fine. They were Schefflera.

Time to get going on some winter gardening. I got seed for Walla Walla sweet onins, Garlic cloves, Purple Kohlrabi, Brussels Sprouts and Spinach so far. I have cleared the sugar snap pea bed so now all I need to do is take down the trellis (I used screws so it is basically collapsible) and recondition the little plot o'dirt and wait for the maters to finish up, collect the radish seeds from the early radish's that I let bolt and do that soil as well. I want to put in garlic, onions, Brussels Sprouts and Kohlrabi. They are very neat looking plants.

I will plant the spinach and plan on several lettuce varieties for this fall and come early spring in my tomato and radish bed, yum!

My Itty Bitty Maters and the Weird Radish

Aug 15, 2007 | 10:03 AM PST

So, we had some odd weather a bit ago...got to like 90 in the day time then would shoot back down to 60 at night (the sugar snap peas HATED it) and it seemed to do some odd stuff...hasn't rained in FOREVER, my lawn (well, the RENTAL lawn, hehe) is so dead it is developing dirt instead of just the browned grass. The only watering that is getting done at all it the veggy patch and my little tree's, to hell with the lawn. Anyways, to get back to my point. The cherry tomatoes did the strangest thing, the first ones decided to just not grow. The rest of them did, but then they started ripening...I am looking at them thinking wtf? Either way I ended up with a few handfuls of the CUTEST maters EVER!

And, well...this really needs no explanation...

Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas and Garlic! YEAH!

Jun 7, 2007 | 2:31 PM PST

My baby Radishes...they are an early variety, harvest in 22 DAYS! So I will plant a second round when it is time for these...I love snacking radishes :D

Then there is the garlic, I went to get some free pots (I love free pots, I use SO many) and she gave me some garlic...and some of what she thought might be volunteer garlic but when I dumped them out of the pot I very carefully separated them and planted them...sweet white onions :D

So there were a few days here that SERIOUSLY baked and I got worried about the sugar snap peas I had sowed so I tossed them epsom salts and watered it in really good and KABAM! Let there be sugar snap peas! I have the material I need so I will be building a nice platform/Japanese style trellis for them this weekend. I was working on the fishtank cover but HAVE to get the trellis done...will try to get them both done as I really want to get that tank going, it is 55 gallon.

Oriental Poppies

Jun 1, 2007 | 1:53 PM PST

I grew up on a farm, I am growing some veggies right now (have some radishes going NUTS right now) but I love to Bonsai. Since I am no longer on a farm it is nice to just grow something 'just because' :D Here is am example of a 'just because', granted this is a rental but there will be a lot of these seeds not only going with me but going to several people around the states (at least when the seed pod dries!). You HAVE to let the pod dry, completely. Collect the seeds and keep them in the garage (or similar) for the entire winter. Sow with just a tad of dirt over them in the early spring, past frost. Simple. Then you get these!

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Planted in full :D

May 30, 2007 | 12:54 PM PST

So, I don't have a lot of space. I decided to actually LEAVE half of the space unused, I will just cut back the heavy overgrowth. Two reasons, I really don't need a lot of space because I would just plant too much (veggies) and then I would have too much to use! Another reason is due to the fact that there is an ABUNDANCE of Yellow Jackets who are nesting at the far end of this area and I really don't have a problem with them as they can be very beneficial and they are not bothering me so I will leave well enough alone.

I planted the basils, the garlic chives, some radishes and sweetpeas. Put in some sugar snap peas (I checked the dates and this is JUST the right time for me to get them in the ground, I will get a second harvest of the radishes! YAAAY!) and some regular chives (couldn't pass up the price on the seeds!). Now all I need to do is build a trellis, I need some blades and a power cord as I have the wood I want to use. I am planning on a Japanese Style to the trellis...