Gardening 2023

[cineater]

Shit!  My new pantry lead in training had to quit.  Maybe her life will be slower next year.  I've got it managed for this year but I don't want to be doing it again next year.  Really there wasn't much to it but I don't know shit about growing veggies.    Walked the beds this morning.  Stuff is grabbing hold.  Wouldn't say it's beautiful out there but give it another two weeks.

[cineater]

Ugh.  Marsha has been having stomach troubles for 3 weeks.  She's dragging too.  I ask her today how it's going.  Tell her it's time to call the doctor.  She had, it's not good but they are waiting for the test results.  She's like a sister to me.  I was kind of hoping death and illness around me had passed.

[cineater]

Shit, we are going close to 90 tomorrow followed by a storm, upping our tornado and hail chances.  I'm growing cool season crops.  Don't need the heat and I don't need my crops pounded into the ground. 

Talked to the guys looking at fixing the destroyed greenhouses.  The guy in charge tells me he build houses for 13 years.  I'm thinking for who, 2 of the 3 little pigs. 

[cineater]

Yesterday was kill off the seedlings we don't need for the plant sale.  They thought the seeds for zinnias and marigolds might not germinate well because they were old so they dumped packets into the seeding containers.  I came home with 7 flats of seedlings.  I'm going to use them to barter with the parks to drop leaf mulch off to us free.  Out of one flat I transplanted up 4 more flats, 36 plants in each flat.     I'm running through the extra containers I have at home we don't use for the plant sale and the used soil we have from transplanting. I'll need to put a call out for those or it might be easier to just go buy it.  Anyway, at this rate I'll have 28 flats I'm caring for at home until May.  Garage empty of plants lasted one day. 

Since I do have so much I contacted the nuns.  Yes I need prays.    They plant the border around the sisters' graveyard.  Sister Mary Matthews is there.  A kinder, more gentler soul would be hard to find. 

[cineater]

I'm hardening off all those garage plants  They have to go out for limited time, gradually increased until they can handle the full sun for a day.  I'm a miserable time watcher when I'm into something.  Never know what time it is or how long it took.  If I'm watching the clock, I'm bored.

Hummingbirds showed up in St Louis.  There's very little out there for them.  My columbine needs another two weeks.  The violets are all in bloom so the butterflies should be coming.

[cineater]

The bees swarmed today to a fence right outside of the hives.  They are just hanging out there in a bunch.  Either the hive has been damaged or the hive is splitting.  I've been told this is when they are most docile as they don't have anything to protect.  They just hang out while the scouts look for a new home and they should fly off soon.  We let the beekeepers know.  They should want to come out and collect then, put them in another hive but they may not get there in time.  Really cool and fascinating but a little terrifying too.

[cineater]

Marsha has cancer.  Not sure where.  She can't talk about it without crying.  It's treatable but she's starting chemo.

Fuck the wall we built last year is a few inches too large and the big mower can't get through to mow a large area.

[cineater]

Ovarian cancer.  Chemo starts the Monday before our big plant sale that weekend.  And I have jury duty starting that same Monday.   

[cineater]

My lettuce in containers is ready.  I don't much feel like a salad this time a year and apparently the lettuce soup recipe sucks.  But it looks good in the container.

We're onto the education part of the pantry team.  Called for the team to meet, made a few announcements and answered questions.  We walked their beds, they explained what they were learning and people shared what they knew.  It's this point I notice we have attracted a small crowd.  They tag along.  We stopped at the asparagus bed and tasted it raw, not bad stuff.  Finished up and some of them hung out to work in the beds.  I checked with everybody and they seemed to like it, thought they learned stuff.  Okay, that's working.  We'll do it periodically.

Kevin and I are in the groove.  Monday I finished up four and a half hours of trimming and hand mowing, heading out and here comes Kevin.  He's up to run the zero turn.  Perfect timing and we hadn't even talked about it.  The regular mowing crew starts up in a couple of weeks.  The garden is coming to life and running smoothly.  Everybody got my message, they have to be show ready by the 29th.  The weather is running hot and we can get to what we need to.  I'm pleased. 

[cineater]

Okay the seedlings have to go.  I'm up to 27 flats and still transplanting.     Each flat either has 36 plants or 72.  I went through my personal stash real fast and had to order an additional 720 cells.  Went through those too.  When the plant sale is over, a lot of the leftovers come home with me until they get dispersed.  I don't know what the hurry is to close down the greenhouse but they have to be removed within 24 hours.  Marsha just wants to be done with plant sale.  Can't blame her for that.  It never really ends but it does slow down for a few months. 

Anyway, I'll hold the park's plants until the first plant sale is over to make sure they don't want some back and then send them out.  Not sure how I'm getting them there.  Hopefully, they have a van.

Isn't Mr Majestic a super hero?  He has a marigold named after him.  What about Super Hero Orange Bee?

[cineater]

Storms rolled through with tornado touch downs and large hail.  Can you imagine what that does to a group that has a full greenhouse just waiting for the plant sale in two weeks that will fund that group for the whole year?     We made it through but I think a touch down happen to one of the major apple production farms, Eckert's.

My last Sunday with a full greenhouse and hoop house to water.  The plants are so big it's hard to get in there to tell if they need water without damaging them.  They are getting crowded in their pots and they drink that water up.  We did not have the aphid problem we had last year.  Nastrums and onions were stationed around the plants that get them and that seemed to help keep the aphids away.  The only thing we had trouble growing was the Dahlia.  They kept getting over watered.  Marsha is hurting from the fluid build up and dragging.  Occasionally reduced to tears when she has to talk to somebody about the cancer.  She's not going to stay away and we are going to take care of it before she has too.     Everybody showed up to help when they heard the news.  Good group of people I hang out with.

[cineater]

Well fuck.  I finally finished up transplanting and catching up everything else I'm drowning in, had a little time to pay attention to the plants I'm growing in the house.  The last flat, aphids on the eggplant.  Into the shower for a soapy bath with them.  They and the 3 other flats by them have to go outside.

[cineater]

Aphids found on two flats of zinnias today in the greenhouse.  We have the first plant sale on Saturday.  Tomorrow we have a hail threat.  Friday the tents go up and plants are on the move.  Everything I had on my to do list for today and tomorrow was done before noon today with so many people showing up to volunteer.  Even the grounds are just about show ready.  It's the same two problem gardens every time.  I'm okay with it this time.  It's the members sale and if they notice, it sends a message we need help out here.  They have till next Friday to pull it together before the public sale.

Marsha is not coming.  She has fluid build up and feels like shit.  There's you've trained us well but then, we don't want you to think your not needed.  The sale is all Marsha.  The woman is amazing.  She'll show up.

All my beds are ready for planting.  Even mom's place is cleaned up.  Home pretty much takes care of its self.

I've kicked my own ass.  I'm so tired nothing can happen now that will ruffle my feathers.

[cineater]

Plant sale is set up.  I brought a bunch of plants for my own use and gifts.  They can't go out until mother's day so the garage got fuller.  Plan is to have the parks pick up on Wednesday and that will pretty much clear me out for about a week when the leftover plants from the public sale and the plants for the pantry garden come in.

Got one last round of garden dishes to finish up and I'm done.  Said I would get them up to the plant sale and that was today.  What comes back and it's mountains of stuff, the group can do.

I can turn my attention to the gardens.  Mowing schedule is in place.  All gardens covered.  I'm golden.

[cineater]

We were freezing doing the plant sale today.  Earned enough to cover our costs.  Next weekend is the public sale sale where we make the money.  They were passing around a sympathy card for Marsha.  I write, "you're a tough old bird, stop slacking".  There's only so much of people telling you they are sorry for you that doesn't help you feel better.

Threw the plants on the driveway this morning.  Come home and the eggplant is collapsed.  They do not like cold weather.  They've perked back up after a few hours in the garage.

[cineater]

Fucking eggplant.  Phoebe came over and did my aphid inspection.  5 flats had to get a soap bath.  3 were clean and none of the tomatoes or pepper flats were affected.  They're out of here come Friday and my lights go out.

The parks are getting 22 flats, 912 plants.  Making arrangements for them to go Thursday.  I don't have to plant those.   

Incoming is arriving and holding until they go in the ground.  Everybody should be here by the following Tuesday.  Aiming for some where around mother's day to have everybody gone, weather dependent.  I like doing this but I kind of feel like the plants right now, I've got no room in this little space.

[cineater]

Marsha is freaked out.  She starts chemo tomorrow.  Says she is having such bad anxiety she can only text or she'll start crying.  Please cry yourself a river when you need to.  It really helps to let it out.  When you take one to the chest, it's best to let it knock you down.  Lets you focus on getting back up instead of trying to keep standing.  You'll take less time to get steady on your feet.  And once you quit crying, you get pissed.  That gets you moving.

The annual team wants to add more soil to their garden.  Okay, you raise it up and it's going to dry out faster.  I know it's a low area.  I had the garden in front of that one.  Rarely watered it.  Not down with their planting plan this year.  They have two beds, side by side, a center piece in the garden.  They are doing one side all in sunflowers and the other a mix of stuff.  Doesn't go with my symmetry.  Don't think it's going to look good but they are suppose to be learning.  And sunflowers don't do well out there because of the cut worms.  Not too worried.  Those beds are so full of annual seeds, if we didn't plant them, they would be full.  Hard to keep up with what's popping up.

[cineater]

Leslie shows up and I'm on my hands and knees weeding her garden.  She's been really busy with the plant sale and thankful I'm on it.  Other Kevin comes by and decides to join us.  Judy shows up.  She just got stung by a bee.  Not going to help but we all feel sorry for her. 

I cleaned up that garden last year and dumped a bunch of leaf mulch on it.  Tore right through those weeds and I see the one evasive weed got knocked back.  Still there but not as much.  Two more of her beds to go.  I'm leaving the leaf mulch for her to do.  Just needs a top dressing if that.  More just to cover up the plant parts we left behind.  It's nitrogen going back in the soil so only the big stuff comes out.  I use a Chinese hoe.  I can move through that stuff pretty quick.

[cineater]

I started at 7:30 and got home at 6:30.    In addition to gardens I have mom's house.  Finally she is letting me put down mulch instead of large wood chips.  And she's letting me plant something besides hostas.  When you live in the woods, those are just deer food.

Last night for the 22 flats for the parks.  I've schedule tomorrow to work on my own yard and finish the garden dishes.  So, of course, it's going to rain.  Might be able to plant the warm season plants next week.

No word from Marsha.  Today is the day chemo effects should hit her.

[cineater]

Marsha joined the meeting by zoom, camera off but it was good to hear her voice.  And telling us we we're doing it wrong.    That's our girl.  She will try to join us tomorrow for a little while during plant sale set up.

Having said that, PLANT SALE!  It's the big one.  All the zinnias got the boot from the greenhouse and the hose for having aphids.  They are not blooming so we won't sell many of them.  I'll send them off to the parks.  Donna announced she is not over summering the natives and perennials that don't sell.  I've got a bed I want to redo and an area we don't want to mow any more.  May be the year I attend to that.  All plants have to be out of the greenhouse by Monday night or they complete their life cycle, they will compost them i.e. kill them, on Tuesday.  At least the perennials gave me two weeks.  I have in coming just when I got down to 10 flats in the garage.  Next week is pretty much hardening off and then we plant, weather dependent.