We went to WalMart today in between appointments. We needed to pick up a new Dumbbell because we only had a 25 lbs and a 50 lbs (both weight adjustable from 5 lbs), and my Husband's now at the point where he's no longer being challenged at 25 lbs during our workouts. He was kind of stuck there, however, without another 50 lbs dumbbell. So we ran out and grabbed one.
While we were there, he finally let me go feral on the seed section. So I picked up a few things for myself- mostly for the Poison Garden and the "Cottage Garden".
My garden is a fenced off area that is 10x20 and my soil is mostly sand. There's more hummus than clay, happily, and I'm using block planting this year. I haven't yet permanently installed my soaker hose by sinking it in the ground a couple inches, but I'm gonna do that now that most of my plants have sprouted, except for in my corn, raspberry, and squash patches, which I'll be watering by hand. A top dressing of compost, manure, and dirt will be followed by mulching with newspaper, ash/Brazilian peppertree leafmold, and woodchips after the soakerhose is in.
A complete list of my plants grouped by type, along with any impressions I have of them and rambling. Very very long, so under the cut it goes.
Tomatoes:
black prince tomato (this one has already produced. the first tomato was small at 1.4 oz. great flavor and pretty): indeterminate
roma: determinate
summer set: determinate
pink brandywine (I had this kind last year and they're wonderful. big and juicy, and also a very pretty color. They stuff okay on the grill, but would be better baked, I think): indeterminate
beefsteak (also had 'em last year. big, juicy, and delicious. they also dry out really well in the sun, but Fresno sun is fucking vicious in the summer so that might be part of why): indeterminate
I have had to force all of them to grow taller by trimming the lower branches. Wasn't necessary last year but I also bought and planted them later in the year (I planted in early March but didn't do it last year until about mid April).
They've all taken a while to get get established, I think partly because I didn't take off the top part of the peatpot when I put them in the ground. OTOH, that and initially deep watering with a watering stake probably helped them grow deep roots. Which is good, because I will be watering a lot less this year than last because there is a hella bad drought coming. I'm on well water, so I think we're going to be okay this year but there's still no excuse not to conserve.
Peppers:
jalapeño (is short, but has LOTS of fruit, including some that are going to be ripe any day now. it took a while to get established, though)
green bell pepper (I have six and about four of them have taken off in a big way)
cayenne (hoping they take off better than the one I had last yeah, but I'm not sure the one I had last year was a cayenne. the leaves were different than the current ones and the fruit topped out at about two inches long. the current ones are still stalled and I'm not sure how to make 'em go)
big bertha peppers (also stalled)
Corn:
glass gem (I basically grow these because they're pretty, as they're very coarse apparently. I had issues last year with pollination last year because the tassels emerged two weeks before the silk did, so this year I'm going to bag all the tassels in order to catch as much pollen as possible)
sweet early corn: casino (from Renee's Garden: link to site below)
I initially tried to be organized when I put the corn in, but sticking them in hills didn't work and the extra seeds I put between hills came up, so I yanked out the hills and replanted the original seeds, and then dumped more sort of randomly out of frustration, so it's a giant mess now. But I have like 42 stalks coming up! So I guess it worked out, kind of?
Anyway, I'm going to be trying the Three Sisters planting (such as I can, since I messed up with the corn already because I didn't do enough reading to begin with). I will of course report on how that goes. Next year, I might try to do more of them (after HELLA MORE READING) outside the garden.
Melons: (all seeds from Renee's Garden)
icebox watermelons: rainbow sherbet
honeydew: earlidew
cantaloupe: solid gold
gallery galia
Legumes:
garden bean blue lake 274 (NK Lawn and Garden. only one came up, so nevar again. I am also p sure this is the variety that got murdered by pests last year)
purple pole (Renee's Garden)
rattlesnake pole (Renee's)
gold bush beans (Renee's)
purple bush beans (Renee's)
green bush beans (Renee's)
cascadia pea (burpee)
I planted some of the chickpeas I saved from last year and none of them survived. :( I also have more regular pole beans from Cornucopia that I'll plant after the peas are done and have been pulled off the damned ugly trellis I made for them (eyesore yellow yarn and poles with wire top supports; if only I had been thinking when I planted them so I didn't put 'em in a block! :/
I like that you can tell which of the beans are purple (pole or bush), but I wish the gold beans were easier to tell apart from the green.
Already having some bug issues with the beans (and also two of the corn stalks planted too close to the grass I need to clip). Last year, aphids murdered the shit out of the few bush beans I planted, so I have started spraying them with homemade pesticide already (grapefruit oil, garlic, and pepper flake oil mixed with a little bit of dish soap). We'll see if that helps stop them, or if I'm going to go need to buy some chewing tobacco to make tobacco tea.
I am at some point going to bribe my mom into buying me some ladybugs. I don't care if a bunch fly away. Enough will stick around, I imagine, to eat whatever nasty critters decide to try to eat my plants. I found a couple ladybugs last summer, dropped on my beans, and they DID NOT leave those plants until the bugs won out. I have way the fuck more beans this year, so I am not that concerned about them all fucking off.
Squash:
49er hybrid summer squash (Burpee)
early summer crookneck (cornucopia, but I haven't planted it yet. They'll go in after the beans sprout in the corn patch)
The 49ers are planted in hills outside my actual 10x20 garden because the melons are going to be bad enough about sprawling everywhere. They planted near the corn/3 sisters patch, the tomatoes, a couple pole beans, and my peppers. Those are all plants that can handle sprawling vines, but the only other place to put the squash is with my bush beans and peas and I don't think they can handle that as well.
Raspberries:
everlast (I think. I will look when I go water them tonight)
Pretty flowers:
sweetpea "jewels of Albion" (Renee's, planted before I figured out transplanting Renee's is for the fucking birds so none came up)
sweet pea "perfume delight" (Renee's, came up great, but we'll see how the tolerate the heat)
jewel nasturtiums (Ferry-Morse)
I am def planting both of these in the winter this year so they have a chance to come up. IDK if we're going to get frosts this year, since it looks like it's shaping up to be an el Nino year and we don't always get a frost (in those, or any other year tbh). If I get a fucking job/source of income some time soon, I think I'll be investing in some clear sheets of plastic. That way, I can shield stuff without having to take them off during the day.
General impressions about seeds in particular: Renee's Garden seeds are SUPER GOOD about germinating when you plant them directly into the ground, but they don't transplant well at all. My stepdad voiced some concerns over them germinating in general because these are mostly all fancy varieties, but goddamn, you should (will!) see how well they all came up. I think I've had only two of the pole beans I planted not come up out of all seven (so far; more go in the ground tonight). The Ferry Morse nasturiums have come up well and the Burpee have been okay about coming up and they seem to deal with transplanting just fine.
I have also noticed that the seeds (particularly Renee's) benefit from daily watering for the first couple days and then around the time they should be pushing out of the ground, shift to every other day. They will JUMP UP on the days you don't water them.
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