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Post by pepperhead212 on May 14, 2021 20:58:50 GMT -5
I got a lot done today! I took all those extra tomatoes over to a friend's house, along with those peppers for their son. We planted 5 of the tomatoes on the side, and 8 in the front, and I set up a drip system for those on the side. Later, I came home and planted a lot here, since the lows are only supposed to be down to 54°, from now on. So I planted 7 eggplants, 3 bottle gourds, 2 tetsukabuto squash, 3 polaris butternuts, and 3 butterbush butternuts. On the other side I put in 2 bitter melons, and 3 cucumbers - one county fair and two Wisconsin 58s. Then I planted my okra - 12 Little Lucy, and 6 Emerald green. The only pepper I planted today was one of the large ones - a Paper Lantern habanero, which was strange, as it was the slowest of the chinense varieties, to germinate, and to grow, but eventually it took off, and now it has two pepper buds started on it. Paper lantern habanero, on 5-14, started on 3-7, showing a pepper started already. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Here are most of the rest of the peppers, going in the next couple of days, with a few extras for some friends. Most of the smaller pepper plants hardening off, 5-14, started on 4-1. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by pepperhead212 on May 15, 2021 19:31:39 GMT -5
I got my first flowers in today - something that I don't usually do! I put 4 yellow canary zinnias in (because they were free samples, twice, from Baker Creek), plus 6 Mexican marigolds, in between peppers in the front row - 2 each of Superchili, Meteor, and Thunder Mountain. I still have at least 18 more peppers I will plant tomorrow. Everything I planted has already shown signs of growth, even yesterday's plantings. They love that intense sun!
Still very few asparagus out there...
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Post by lilolpeapicker on May 15, 2021 21:41:26 GMT -5
Today was a full day outside. It was a day to work on the flowers mostly, transplanting a deep pink azalea plant next to my door, along the driveway went a brunfelsia which I realized too late that it needs zone 10 whereas here is zone 5... but it has real pretty creamy white flowers and is aromatic as well...laying out wood chips around all. Put a raspberry pink buddleia in the backyard... watering the perennials and the potted veggies and freshly planted asparagus crowns. Tonight I watered the front yard.
Can't wait to see some of the colors esp in the back. Peonies getting ready to put on flower buds.
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Post by binnylou on May 15, 2021 23:05:47 GMT -5
Harvested asparagus...there’s now enough for a skillet sauté.
Planted 4 more tomato plants. They are all tucked away with leaf mulch at the base, a piece of plastic culvert protects the stems, the tomato cage is in place, and straw mulch is in place. The raised beds sure have a lot of earthworms.
Planted 2 four foot rows of Fortex pole beans. I plan for those two rows to share the same wire support. These are at the end of a raised bed for ease of picking. I think I’ll do two more beds the same way.
Transplanted kale from some that was direct sown. That gives us eight plants. Should be more than enough for adding to soups this winter.
Collards look good...beets look good..turnips are sprouting...onions look like crap.
I dumped 35/100 from the overnight rain. We had another thunderstorm this evening. Mostly thunder with some rain.
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Post by emmsmommy on May 16, 2021 3:48:33 GMT -5
I sorted out the tomato plants and mom only wanted 40 but I snuck in a few extra. That still leaves me with more than 100 tomato plants and 2 dozen bell peppers and know I can't plant them all, so will be determining what to keep and what to sell soon. I did plant a cherry tomato and a Golden Jubilee in pots in the backyard and top dressed them with a bit of composted chicken poop, but none in the beds yet. I still have a flat of tomato seedlings that were a bit on the small side when I potted the rest up, so need to tackle them this week as well. Set aside four larger pots for flowers in the garden and hope to get them planted this week too. The only thing left under the grow lights are a few alpine strawberries to pot up, marigolds, and all of my geranium and coleus cuttings. Should have worked on the new garden bed today but hubby wanted to mow and I felt it was more important to let him do so as he's feeling guilty that I've been tackling most of the outside work. Hoping we have an appointment date for the university hospital soon. Heard the first Whippoorwill last night.
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Post by Mumsey on May 16, 2021 4:32:10 GMT -5
Made it home at 5 pm yesterday. Long day. Left Illinois at 6 am and it rained all the way to sis's house. Slow steady rain. Thankful it wasn't sunny, I didn't have to wear any sunglasses. We messed around at her house then headed to the graduation thing at 12:00. Got there and it was a disaster! The thing was to start at 2:00 and tons of food still had to be assembled. It was Mexican theme. So sis and I pitched in and got it done. Told my cousin, mom of the graduate, that we would work, eat and run! It was fun, saw some cousins I hadn't seen in years.
Had a great time with DD and family. Spent lots of time outdoors, all 3 days were perfect weather. We took a small road trip and stopped at a greenhouse in a tiny town. Found a perennial grass I had never seen before, Japanese Blood Grass. It gets red as the season progresses. That's all I bought the entire trip. Besides gas.
Princess was a hysterically happy dog when I got home. DH said she was sulking the entire time and one night refused to come in the house and one day didn't even eat til evening. And she would go the upstairs couch and hang out when in the house during the day. She was glued to me for hours. We'll go for a long walk today.
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Post by centralilrookie on May 16, 2021 6:55:36 GMT -5
Friday was a very busy day for me....... started out with me tilling the garden at my house, for the neighbor lady to use this year, planted 8 tomato plants for her then informed her that I’ll be moving in with sweetheart and hopefully rent my house out by August. I then did all her trimming with the weed eater as I have for the last couple of years. Hopefully the new battery powered trimmer that she has ordered will enable her to trim herself. Then back to sweethearts to hookup to a tandem axle dump trailer to get two loads of dirt from the gravel pit. Hauled in 10 tons of dirt which will get me started making the bed for asparagus, rhubarb and berries. Sweetheart had placed the three trees where she wanted them so I got them planted. I then jumped on the mower and got the grass cut as we are expecting rain off and on for the next few days. Stiff and sore yesterday I rested as it sprinkled off and on all day.
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Post by desertwoman on May 16, 2021 8:56:01 GMT -5
DH said she was sulking the entire time and one night refused to come in the house and one day didn't even eat til evening. And she would go the upstairs couch and hang out when in the house during the day. I don't know if it's the same with dogs as with cats, but I've been told that when we don't come home overnight cats interpret it that the predator has gotten us and mourn our passing for a few days.
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Post by emmsmommy on May 16, 2021 20:35:42 GMT -5
Delivered plants to mom today and went with her to a 90th birthday celebration of one of her close friends. Thankfully it was outside and everyone respected social distancing guidelines and masks even though 3/4 of the attendees were fully vaccinated. We stayed for about an hour, made a quick stop at the grocery store where I picked up some cornmeal for Mumsey's Mix and back to my parent's house. Mom assisted with planting a community flower bed earlier in the week and had saved me all the plant containers which will be put to good use. Tomorrow I need to head to school and pick up my daughter's last packet of assignments since we were sick last week. School is officially out on the 28th, but will turn assignments in by the 26th and will be finished by then. There's an option to continue her therapy through the school during the summer and I think we're going to pursue that as well as she's made so much progress lately.
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Post by emmsmommy on May 16, 2021 20:43:26 GMT -5
I don't know if it's the same with dogs as with cats, but I've been told that when we don't come home overnight cats interpret it that the predator has gotten us and mourn our passing for a few days. Our dog was a mess while I was away with my daughter at the hospital and when I was staying with my grandma for days at a time. My husband would often put me on speakerphone and she'd get excited. She still sulks when I get in the shower in the morning as she feels I'm going to leave. As for cats, the one I had when my first husband passed away did mourn for a bit. He would always give her a treat when he came home at night and she sat and waited on him for several hours every night until she finally gave up. She also claimed his recliner from that point onward.
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Post by pepperhead212 on May 16, 2021 21:30:54 GMT -5
I finished planting my peppers today, and from what I just saw, they are going to like it out there - the first day in the 90s is supposed to be Thursday! I don't like the heat, but my peppers love it - what I always remind myself when too hot out there!
I planted 3 Giuzeppi Numex, and one Ancho Ranchero, and two of each of the following: Hong Gochu, Thai Vesuvius, Superthai, Jyoti, Hanoi Market, Big Chili Numex, and Jalafuego. I had a number of extras leftover, after I had taken the ones out for my pepper friend, so I texted a guy I know from work that loved peppers (hoping he still had the same number!), and he was thrilled that I remembered him! I told him that I hate wasting pepper plants, or any, for that matter.
I also sprayed almost everything with some Messenger today - only because of the small size of the plants (I started with tomatoes, but had more than half left still), and I had a gallon of spray. This is Harpin Protein, which is a safe spray for us and beneficial insects (though not OMRI listed), that basically does to a plant what a vaccine does to us - triggers the plant to form its own antibodies against various things. I'll see how it works.
I also put another valve in my irrigation setup - one on the row of tomatoes and eggplants, where the asparagus/ginger are on the next row. I wanted to turn off the water to the tomato/eggplants, and water the ginger/asparagus section with a long soaker.
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Post by Latitude33 on May 17, 2021 0:34:03 GMT -5
Busy weekend at Casa de Lat and Mom's. Finally committed to creating my kitchen herb/veggie plot. Planted basil, carrots, Mexican oregano, lemon thyme, English thyme, turmeric, lettuce, beans, radish, mint and cilantro. Also planted Aunt Ruby's and Sungold tomatoes, and a couple Big Jim Nu-Mex chiles. For the hens, planted a mix of lettuce, kale and arugula for which I cat hopefully cat proofed the raised bed. Seeded more yellow straight neck squash, artichoke and sunflowers. Scored on 25 free brick pavers. Pulled out way too mulch mallow and other weeds but glad those devils are gone and not coming back. Harvested lemons, limes, tomato, avocado and lettuce. Waiting on the plantains to ripen. Wondering how I can harvest the papaya that is out of my reach. My faithful helper Hazel was with me the whole time offering encouragement and letting me know when to take a break.
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Post by Mumsey on May 17, 2021 4:33:10 GMT -5
Got busy and vacuumed entire house yesterday, washed dog bedding and couch covers/blankets, went for 2 mile walk. Threat of drizzle/rain off and on all day. Took the Bougainvillea outside finally. Decided it needed re-potting. Went to farm fleet store in town and found a big pot for a decent price. It wasn't easy getting it out of it's original pot, root bound and all. Got it done. Planted the Caladium that I started indoors. There are no garden plants left in the house. Cleaned up that area of the basement. Too wet all day to mow. Today isn't looking much better. Took a long nap, I think I was exhausted from the trip!
Thinned out the kale and lettuces, had enough for a salad. There must be a couple hundred kale seedlings out there. Picked some nice radishes and more asparagus. Poked around under the straw to see if potatoes are coming up, and they are. For lunch it was radish sandwich.
Going to dad's later this afternoon after my eye check up to take step mom to get plants for all her pots. I'll be raiding my pot stash (no, I don't have THAT pot!) and taking them along, some of hers have seen better days, so old they are cracking and splitting and should have been replaced last year. Then we will pot them up. I will take out half the old dirt and replace with sheep manure. Hopefully it won't rain on us.
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Post by centralilrookie on May 17, 2021 15:49:14 GMT -5
Yesterday started out with sweetheart and I going to 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington IL. The weather was beautiful and the many vendors were doing quite well as the crowd seemed ready to spend their money. We then stopped and picked up the ingredients to make a seven layer salad to take to the first family gathering in over a year. The meal was great but I think the best part was the nephew’s and my grandsons playing 3 on 3 football and soccer. The laughter and banter was music to my ears!
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Post by Mumsey on May 18, 2021 4:08:35 GMT -5
Got all on the list accomplished yesterday and then some. Planted some purple kohlrabi seed, it was freebee from Baker Creek last year. Was able to mow the yard and spread the clippings in the garden before going to eye dr. She said my eye is perfect, near 20/20! Can't wait for the other eye to be done. Went to Dad's, took step mom for plants. We ended up at Menard's, not my favorite for plant shopping but the prices were considerably less. $1.99/6 pk vs $3.49/8 pk. Went home and planted them all, 15 pots total. Then brother came home from work and we decided to put tomato cages in place, then put straw around them all. Finally home by 8 pm.
Looks like an excellent chance of rain today. I'm thinking to do indoor chores. I've got fruit jars to deal with, brought a bunch home from DD's, ones that ended up at her house with veggies in them.
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