I'm seriously starting to wonder what will become of my garden even if I do succeed in growing plants. Am I going to have to put up a dozen frigging fences and growing barriers to help keep the critters from eating out stuff? I'm more than happy to give them their own garden- thus the firepit sanctuary and all- if only they will leave my patches of garden goodness alone.
But I still got a little done today. Made up a ton of seed papers to go into the veggie row. Just one more batch to go, and it's time to attack the beds and plant everything in.
Making seed papers sucks up time, but better time spent out of the sun using flour paste to set seed into place than doing it under the broiling sun. Especially at this time of year- rather blow time than suffer several days of sunburn.
Got another tray of bean pots done, only 3 more to go now... Gall dang that critter again for destroying all my pots when digging out corn seed. I have spent a lot of time this weekend so far catching up that I would rather have spent doing other stuff.
And gall dang corn again- I got all five trays seeded up yesterday, so kind of in time.. But a couple of them showed water heaves today. I tucked everything back in and made a devout prayer to the deity of gardening, or corn, or whatever that this time the corn will set up.
The corn is so important cuz I'm totally fucked on the three sisters row without it. If I don't get the bean turn out that I want it's not such a biggie. It's the corn that provides the stakes for the beans to grow on that counts.
Got the weed whacker all primed up and tested out.. That thing is a go for yardwork this week. I discovered while priming and testing it... Oh yeah, it is really stupid to weed whack in a tank top and shorts. And I wasn't even wearing any type of basic eye protection for the stupid of me. Now I just need to be willing to go full out sleeves and legs and bugspray.. and spend some time whacking the snot out of the areas that need it. Good thing it isn't a ton of area.
Started a moss project today- yeah, hot and sunny as hell, and I decide to plant what wet and shady is a major requirement. We shall see if it does anything or not. I read about a Japanese trick of collecting moss when it's dry to seed an area with when it's wet. So I pulled up a two gallon bucket of green dry moss off the back balcony and I seeded in the start of a path in the FOH garden. I only did the "easier" portion of it. Easier to get the weeds out and slap moss chunks down, lol. I started clearing the last part of the path, but I think it will take more than one pulling before it's ready for moss. The step side needs a tad of stone setting before I plunk down moss. I still have over half a bucket of moss and the back porch could yield another full bucket of moss... But I'm not sure if it's living moss or not yet despite it's being green.
An unexpected surprise out of the FOH garden.. Snapdragons. There are several lovely clumps of it coming up in the upper south section... Same section where I started spreading plantain seed. Not common field yellow, but rather a mix of pinks, whites, and multihues of the reds into purple range. You bet I will be keeping my eye on those snapdragon plants and redistributing the seed as I can.. Hey, if only weeds will grow there, cultivate the useful weeds till you can start harvesting edibles or potential selling seed.
Those huge sky blue irises I rescued and replanted last year? Several plants are booming- and it turns out they are very pale lavender rather than blue once they are out of the deep shade and see some sun. Neatly enough my wish for a different iris to add to that border area has been granted- there are enough blades behind the solarium to move and start a whole nother node of them. I'm thinking about hitting up the folks on the corner for some of their glorious white ones.
Grandma Howards poppies are doing rather well so far this year. Last year was two plants- one with two pods of questionable seed, one with zero seed pods worth cracking. This year the "bigger" plant has yielded at least 10 flowers that I have carefully tapped to each other for pollination. At least four times as many healthy seed heads so far. I may end up with a dozen seed heads of healthy seed- some to replant, and some to share with Chris. The smaller poppy only has one bloom so far, but that's ok, it can mark the far end of the poppy garden. I've already expressed my happiness of the poppy so far, I'm REALLY hoping to have some healthy seed to share next year.. and more poppy action along the south side of the solarium.
As a Tippy and friends.. Unexpectedly a small fat toad popped whist pulling weeds for the FOH garden.. Guess it's past time I build a toad home or few to populate FOH garden. I've been driven by the rosepetal pavilion recently.. But I got a lot of "family" accommodations to take care of, post haste!!
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