Productio Ad Absurdam

The life and times of a dog mom and elder goth who reads too much.

[sabreean]

So much gardening work done this weekend.  Taters mounded up, eggplant and mater seedlings transplanted, replacements/backups purchased at the farmers market transplanted (cukes, maters, eggplant), Clematis Jacksonii planted on the back fence to hopefully grow up and over the gate trellis.  Fresno peppers transplanted because my poblano seeds didn’t sprout goddammit.  Everything watered, those things that are due for it fertilized, circles of protection drawn around the raised beds with coffee grounds, peas and corn additionally planted (I am *determined* y’all, I have seed corn and I’m not afraid to use it). Still a couple of weeks out from sowing navy beans and mini butternuts for the 3 sisters because the corn won't be tall enough until at least then.  I think I’ll plant the glass gem corn in the current succulent/jungle bed, and the pumpkins along the fence line and against the garage in July for Halloween harvest. I may try a second round of veg after the 3 sisters...harvests, dies, suspends itself in ennui, whatever.

There’s a bunny nest under the woodpile with at least two baby bunnies.  I see them about the yard but they don’t go near the garden so the circles of protection are holding.  The babies like to hide in the jungle ferns when Slater is out in the yard.  I haven't been able to snap a pic, they aren't blithe and chill like Oliver was last year.

I meant to go to the library yesterday, to go through the seed library to look for sunflowers and carrots, but even as I stood there on the corner staring at the library the intention completely disappeared from my brain; menopause sucks.  But the housewarming party in 8 days will not look upon the garden of a total failure thanks to Foxfarm, Gersten’s, the Richfield farmers market and the Nokomis Rebel Gardeners; even if I had to cheat to give that impression.

[animentality]

[sabreean]

Summer Planting is mostly done

Summer planting and transplanting is mostly done.  I transplanted 4 cukes, 13 sunflowers and 50 corn seedlings this morning.

Wait…you started *corn* indoors?  WTF?

Look, winter simply refused to get the hell out of spring’s way until  late May so I wanted to give those seedlings, the literal backbone of my planned 3 Sisters garden, every possible chance.  Thus, I started them indoors.  I’ll direct seed the last 14 tomorrow (they didn’t sprout indoors so redux).

I’ll direct seed the rest of the sunflower seeds tomorrow, they’re soaking with the seed corn now. I’m rubbish at spatial visualization and the indoor-sown sunflowers didn’t take up nearly as much space in the backyard jungle bed as I thought they would.  The lettuce, cabbages, arugula, carrots and beets all have teeny tiny little sprouts.  The shallots don’t but they aren’t expected yet.

I have two mater seedlings, but the eggplant and poblano haven’t sprouted yet.  So I’m leaving them outside because the weather the next few days is going to be very warm and very sunny.  I may have a dilemma though; typically my germination rates are 80% or less and this year I decided to adapt by sowing too many seeds, 4 when I want to plant 3.  Well all 4 of my cukes sprouted so that’s why there’s that one lone pot off to the side.  If the maters, eggplant and peppers do the same I’ll have a real problem because I may not have enough pots/beds to plant them.  Surplus will have to be planted in the jungle bed I guess.    If the eggplant and peppers don’t sprout?  I’ll buy plants at the farmers market.  A local grower sells some real beauties there.

I also rearranged the sunroom now that there are no seed trays nestled under the grow lights.  I moved the herb garden closer to direct sunlight.  That lush oregano, thyme and dill?  That’s from the farmers market.  That stunted thyme and basil?  That’s from Home Depot who left them out overnight in the frost and they never recovered.  That giant basil is one that I bought well over a year ago and it’s still growing beautifully.  I bought the parsley at the farmers market to make chimichurri.

Aren’t I worried about bunnies?  No, although I’ve had several in my yard the past few days.  Yesterday was the first baby bunny sightings of the year, one across the street while walking Slater (he doesn’t notice rabbits unless they leap a foot in front of his face) and one in our backyard.  I’ll use coffee grounds around the garden to protect it because they hate that smell, but they have to be regularly refreshed.  So I watched them carefully yesterday as they bopped around the yard while I was sitting there and noticed where they come in and out.  Patrick had to cut down a tree in front of the house that was ailing pretty badly so I just used branches and trunks from that tree to block their access points.  I don’t worry much about them digging new tunnels, our yard is fully fenced with wooden fencing and the yards around us only have chain link if any fence at all.  Our yard isn’t worth their time or energy.               

[sabreean]

Another good day’s work for the garden.  The herbs newly acquired from the farmers market yesterday have been repotted.  The summer veg has been sown.  Maters, cukes, poblanos and eggplant, and sunflowers that will go into the backyard succulent bed. Welcome oh ye pollinators!  The flat without a marker is sweet corn for the 3 sisters.  I’ll transplant when it’s about an inch high and then when it’s about six inches high I’ll plant the navy beans and mini butternut squash around it.  I may do another planting of cool weather crops after this round comes up (peas, lettuce, cabbages, arugula, shallots).  If they come up.  This is the first garden I’ve tried that isn’t in namby pamby containers in places whose growing season is year-round.  I think we can refer to this garden as my alpha release.  This was the plan today because the forecast was 80% chance of pissing down rain before 100% chance tonight, which is why I wore myself and my back out Friday and yesterday getting the soil in.  By the time I finished potting there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  Goddammit.  Ah well, it’s done, now it’s the battle to be patient waiting for the sprouts to appear.

[sabreean]

Last night’s cod dinner.   I’ve missed having fresh herbs growing in the house so fucking much.

[sabreean]

I’m filthy, sweaty, worn out and my back hurts.  But I have a garden, and plenty of leftover soil for future uses (more than the arithmetic says I should have, I wonder if they accidentally delivered more than I paid for).  Peas, lettuce, cabbages, arugula and the leggy shallots have been transplanted, we’ll see how they do.  I followed all the seed packet instructions for how long before transplanting to sow but I think now that it would have been better to start them at a later date. Lesson learned for summer sowing, which is my plan for Sunday since it’s forecast to be pissing down rain and I can hanker down in the garage at my potting bench.  I’ll direct sow the carrots and beets tomorrow, I’m too knackered right now.  

[sabreean]

How it started yesterday afternoon, 3 cubic yards of garden mix, a couple of tons. My garden is 64 cubic feet so I'll have surplus. It smells like shit cuz it already contains compost, rabbit and camelid looks like. Shifting it in 30mph gusts yesterday was so much fun. Got some more done today after work. I hope to have it done by Saturday night because Sunday the forecast is pissing down rain.

[sabreean]

Flowers and trees from my neighborhood in South Minneapolis this weekend, for my Mum in East Texas on Mother's Day. The dark purple irises remind me of my late Mama, the lilacs remind me of my late godmother. They've only all been blooming in the past week because winter just will not get the hell out of the way this year.

[wilwheaton]

“No Democrat should get elected to any federal office without a credible plan to reform the Supreme Court and rid it off its corruption, along with the willingness to enact such a plan.”

— Are Democrats Warming to Reforming the Supreme Court? - TPM – Talking Points Memo

[depsidase]

[sabreean]

More of the Southside Battle Train.

[sabreean]

Southside Battle Train at Mayday Powderhorn Park. Damn right I rode the wheel!

[sabreean]

Sun Ceremony at Mayday Powderhorn Park.

[sabreean]

MinneHONK! at the Mayday Powderhorn Park.

a festival of activist street bands in Minneapolis, Minnesota

[sabreean]

I’ve always loved and had great respect for the crows around me, but this morning my respect is through the roof.  A bald eagle was riding the thermals over my block and a crow started chasing it.  While the eagle was over my house damned if that crow didn’t fucking just whomp it on its back to get it out of the area.  The birds are all nesting so I guess large raptors are not welcome.   I had an outstanding birding morning (26 species, five new to my life list) but that was the prize, even ducks hanging out on the roofs aren’t as cool as that boss bitch crow.

[sabreean]

I was able to get a lot accomplished yesterday, although the weather forecast (rain yesterday, rain today and rain tomorrow but maybe not all day but maybe storms) through the 2nd bed assembly plan into the shitter.  

The big thing is that I have claimed the workbench built into the back wall of the garage as my potting bench.  I can make a mess in the garage and it not matter so it takes the pressure off, and it’s just ten feet out the garage door to the beds so it works well, and seed trays are easy to carry into the sunroom when I’m doing indoor sowing.  And it has a pegboard for hanging tools…that I can only reach the bottom half of because the previous owner must have been 7 feet tall (ask me about the kitchen cabinets).

The first shipment of bed liners arrived so they’re in the first bed, weighed down with rocks because it can get pretty windy.  The four potato pots are full of soil because one of my fellow Rebel Gardeners had a lot of very fully chitted spuds to give away.  So four yellow taters are planted when I was only planning on four.  Let’s see what happens when I double up.  It’s also an experiment:  I splurged on soil to fill the pots and got my beloved Foxfarm.  Foxfarm’s soils and amendments make up for nearly all of my shortcomings as a gardener, I successfully grew tomatoes in Las Vegas in August thanks to Foxfarm’s Ocean Forest soil.  So one pot is all FOF, one is all FOF with the cow compost sample I got at the lawn & garden show this spring.  The other two are half FOF and half Foxfarm Raised Bed.   So I’ll be making observations and travel the learning curve.  Just watch, with my luck all four will grow the same.

I bought a soil sensor to make sure I’m watering my veg properly, the kind you stick in the soil, read, pull and wipe off, then stick in the next pot/plot/bed.  I used to use Aquameters and I loved them, but they are expensive and replacing their insert can be a a pain in the ass.  This sensor also looks at light levels and soil fertility and pH, but I’m already suspicious about the pH function working properly.  I’ll keep you updated on that.  But the others seem to work well, as I used it both pre- and post-watering the newly established tater pots.

[sabreean]

Spring sprunging

The herbs are all growing quickly, except the poor new basil that got knocked over at the store a couple of times.  But it’s not dying, so there’s that.  I need to stake up the oregano and thyme to keep them tidy.  

Look at all those lovely veg sprouts!  Green & red cabbages, buttercrunch lettuce, arugula and peas.  The first ones burst through a week to two weeks early, I think because I used humidity domes for the first time this year.  I learned about them in the seed starting class I went to at our local library.  The domes are off because the green cabbage sprouts are too tall for them now.  The days are more than 13 hours long now so the sunlamp is only on for 6 hours per day to get to the full 16. 

I’ll put the second bed together this weekend, liners for the first bed arrived and for the second bed have been ordered.  I was going to wait until it was closer to summer planting time to deal with the second bed but we decided to buy soil in bulk which I didn’t know was possible until a friend of my partner’s told us, so the second bed has to be ready to receive it.  I was worried about the soil budget until I learned about the bulk purchase but now it’s going to cost less than half of what we budgeted.

We went to the neighborhood association’s annual meeting the other night and I was invited to join the neighborhood’s Rebel Gardeners, which amuses me.  Yes, there will be seedbombing.  I also wound up on the board because nobody else raised their hand, go figure.

The backyard is getting very pretty, purple deadnettle and wild violets and dandelions.  Still have no clue what the tree in the backyard is, no leaves yet so the ID apps are stumped.  Mystery plants are growing in front and back beds, they look like they are growing from bulbs but they aren’t showing identifiable features yet.  Tulips? Lilies? Daffodils? Irises?  Who the hell knows.  Patience is a virtue, just not mine.  The back beds are also showing a few varieties of stonecrop, creeping coins, and there’s a paddle cactus in the front but it doesn’t look like it’s going to recover from being buried under snow for four months.  It looks like a prickly pear but the paddles are smaller, and it’s not wrinkled like an Indian fig.  Too bad I don’t like nopales for breakfast.