Time to till up the soil

[sKePTiKal]

I've always had damping off when I got over-eager to get the seeds started too soon. Grow lights and heating pads help; but I do think the plants are smart enough to respond better to real sun -- and the length of light in the day -- just like we do. Sometimes, it's over-crowding that sets it off - and once it starts - it's almost an instant kill on the whole tray. (I just loose sew in a flat o' dirt)

Hops: there is some green/black plastic fencing available that deters the deer enough to get things to grow. It comes in various widths - so it's easier to make a 6 ft high "cage" sometimes, with the narrower fence & just wrap two lengths around the posts. For some things, I even made "lids" to go on top, so the deer can't lean over the fence and nibble the tops of things. I have a baby redbud tree that's in one of those. The metal fence posts are all you need to hold the plastic fence up and it comes with small enough holes to keep bunnies & such out too. I use a 1/2 in mesh - because we're overrun with squirrels who dig worse than cats burying all kinds of nuts and I really don't approve of their landscaping plan.

One thing I'm thinking about doing this year, is planting shrubs/perennials that attract bees. The variety of plants here on the sandbar aren't the right kind or enough of them, to keep a healthy population of bees around. Worried about pollination, a bit.

OH - and a friend put me on to a new (to me) type of soil amendment. There's a lot of stuff online, if you're so inclined to research it. It's called bio-char and it's DIY fertilizer. He recommended it to me, for my super-sandy soil with not enough organic matter to hold moisture or nutrients.

I have about a 1/3 of the beds filled with soil and covered with bird nets (to keep the squirrels out). The tents held up in our 45 mph gale winds last week, so I'm encouraged. I ordered a good selection of heirloom seeds, too. But I'm going to plant the seed I bought on clearance a year or so ago this year - to see what happens. It's a first-year garden and so many things can go wrong. The seed will keep longer than a year; just need to vacumn seal and freeze... or stash in a hand-sealed canning jar.

[lighter]

sKep:

You're a busy girl.  Is that fencing you're talking about a type that blows in the wind, scaring the dear away?  I heard there was a bright purple one that works particularly well for deer problems.

I noticed my Sow True Seed SALE 2013 heirloom seeds did pretty well...... all the tomatoes came out beautifully, with the Chadwick Cherry tomatoes germinating slowly compared to the others..... Cherokee Purple, Persimmon, Mortgage Lifter, and Homestead varieties.  I'm eager to see how each does in this soil.    

Parsnip seeds don't keep long, but the ones I have eventually germinated sloooooooowly.  Everything else is doing fine..... germinating fine that is.  

I did overcrowd in the beginning.  Sorted that, and on to keeping air flow, heating pad, grow lights and soil tops dry/sprinkled with cinnamon.  You'd think this would be duck soup by now, but transferring to larger pots is where things go South.......... they're so slender, and delicate.  I keep breaking/bending the wee things.  I'm afraid to touch the kale seedlings.  

The tomato plants were slender and shot up too quickly too, but plucked out all but one seedling quickly on second try, then began brushing them to increase strength of plant.  Worked well.  

I'm particularly thrilled to have Thai Basil.... it's so much better than the regular basil we get at the grocery store.  MMmmmmm lemonade blended with a huge handful of Thai Basil, and ice.

 ::swooning::  Green and refreshing.  Tart.  SO good.

Lots of different squash planted, including a pink jumbo variety that gets up to 30lbs.  Sweet Potato Squash, and Crook Neck, and Butternut of course.  Okra, cucumbers, zucchini, loverly.  

Watermelon seedlings doing great.  

I'll have lots of jalapenos, and banana peppers, and bell peppers hopefully.  

Anyone ever eaten snow pea leaves in a Chinese restaurant before?  I usually pay $8.00 a plate, but this year will have tons from the garden (that's the plan, anyway.)  The children love them.... very tender, buttery greens, IMO.   Good stir fried with garlic and chili oil. MMMm.

Does anyone grow Cow Peas?  Are they good?

Any advice on growing carrots, onions, parsnips, beets, and fennel?  We have garlic that comes back every year, but that's the only subterranean plant we've ever grown.   Can I crowd them a bit, or not?

We found a huge berry hedgerow, and will transplant some of the smaller seedlings to the farm, likely in the fall.  Maybe put them in pots till it's cool enough.  Thoughts?

Lighter

[lighter]

So far, the hybrid snow peas are coming up strong in the garden, and the heirloom tomato seeds are all over the place, after germinating them in the house.  I'll be putting them out in a week or so to harden off, then into the garden they'll go. 

Some tomato plants are 8 inches high, and some have barely sprouted.  I'll assume the wee ones aren't healthy, and pull up accordingly.

I didn't do much research on how productive heirloom vegetable varieties are, compared with hybrids.  I'm about to get an education in it.

lighter

[sKePTiKal]

I love snow peas, Lighter! Didn't know you could eat the leaves, tho. I imagine hubs & I will be eating different things soon - I need my rice & vegetable diet back for awhile... our diet has been so protein heavy (his preference) supported with a heavy starch... that it's no wonder I feel my metabolism dwindling away to nothing - while packing on some totally avoidable weight right where I don't want it.

My beds are covered with individual tents - the netting lets the sun, wind and rain through - and are shock-corded/staked into the ground. They survived a 45 mph nor'easter just fine - so I don't guess I'll have to chase too many. We're expecting ONE MORE cold snap next week - so I could get my maters seeded in flats this weekend. I ran out of time, trying to get organized for the party - which was a good time had by all - and had oysters left over, so we'll see if conditions are right in my creek to "grow" them. Should be; the creek flows into the sound at both ends. Having "farmed" oysters could be a good thing in the long run...

Party went well; it was a little cold & windy - hubs & I have paid the price in a head cold sort of thing. We spent hours playing a game called "Cards Against Humanity" - it's an ADULT game; fair warning on the content!! - there are question cards & answer cards. You're dealt x number of answer cards and the questions rotate turns through the group (we had 7). The "fun" is that the combinations are so abominably awful, and NOT politically correct or socially redeeming, that the poor carder often can't even read the combinations together because they're laughing too hard. By then, of course, so was everyone else. Our ribs hurt... from laughing so hard.   

And hubs is over his apprehension at reaching this age, finally.

[lighter]

Thanks, TT:

I like black eyed peas.

sKep:

I have all these tiny little plants, like little tiny mouths, in the house staring at me.  Waiting for water, or bemoaning too much water,

all

the

time.

I feel like I'm about to scream waiting to get them in the ground! 

And yes, the same cold snap sneaking up on you is bearing down on me. 

I want so much just to get them in the ground, and hand off some of the care.

My tomato seedlings are every size, from half inch to a foot high, waiting waiting waiting to get into the garden.

I think two are wilting!   AHHHH. 

Just kidding, but not really.

I was just about to google putting them out into direct sun for a few days, out of doors.  Can they take it?  I know I was told to put them in the shade FIRST, but.....

Lighter
ps   Glad your hubs has made peace with his age, and a good time was had by all.  Let us know how the oyster bed goes.  I think it's a good idea too. ::nodding::

[lighter]

Tomato plants all happy, but some of the eggplant seedlings have perished. 

DRAT!

So tiny, and if they get dry, POOF!  Gone.

I crushed, accidentally, some of the cucumber plants, which are pretty sturdy by now. 

I really really want them in the ground!

Also, we have a HUGE garden this year.  Lots of room for hills, and melons, and pumpkins, along with the usual things, and an entire field devoted just to corn, which is new.

I wondered out loud what we'd DO with all that corn.....

my sib let me know, we really don't have to worry about that.

The deer will handle it.

One year, honestly, every ear was eaten cleanly, off the stalks, which were left standing.

Had to be deer, right?

 

lighter

[lighter]

Hardening off plants in the garage right now. 

They're doing fine, thank goodness.

I'm going to check out greenhouses for next year, if these seedlings do well.

lighter