May roles in pleasant, but quickly turns violent with one of the strongest storms I've seen in quite a while. Torrential rains and hurricane force winds pommel our area with tornados in some areas. Thursday, May 7, 2009 -
The tomatoes and squash in the light garden are growing profusely. Had to raise the lights to compensate. I need to get them
outside to start hardening them off right away. I noticed that some of the squash were setting blooms. I'll pinch these out
until I can get them in the ground. I don't want them trying to set fruit and form roots at the same time.
Friday May 8, 2009 -
Had extremely strong storms role through the area today. The winds and rain at one time were worse than I can remember ever
at one time. I recorded 4.22 inches in three hours. Unfortunately, being on battery back up and not being hardwired, the program only records every three hours. Most of the rain came in less than an hour. The temperature dropped from 70 degrees F. to 60 degrees F. in an hour and back up to 91 degrees F. over the course of 7 hours. At the height of the storm, the winds hit in excess of 80 mph. and the rains and winds were so hard that I couldn't see the large Maple tree out back only some 40 feet away. A lot of clean up to do. But we faired much better than many who lost entire trees or worse.
All of the beds look really ragged and a torn up. I'll need to stake up and tie many of the plants in order to get them back in an upright position. In the raised beds, the seedlings were smashed flat. Most of them should rebound and come back all right. But right now they look pretty miserable. At one point at the height of the storm, the water was half way up on the bed frames. Saturday, May 9, 2009 -
After all of the rain yesterday and even with standing water still all around them, the raised beds are starting to dry on the surface. I took a tined cultivator and broke up the surface crust to allow air into the soil and dry a little faster. At its present rate of drying and if it doesn't rain tonight, I'll plant bush beans tomorrow.
I had considered covering the beds with clear plastic to allow them to dry a little, with all of the rains we have been getting. But after the wind yesterday, I'm glad I didn't. It would have blown right off. Sunday, May 10, 2009 - Got up this morning prepared to do some planting. Yes, after those torrential rains on Friday the bed is dry enough to plant in. I even got an idea for a way to plant and harden off the seedlings at the same time using two liter pop bottles and coat hangers. I started to build the "mini-cloches" when guess what? Yep - it started raining again and got quite a bit colder! The temperature was in the upper sixties at 11:30 and quickly dropped into the mid fifties by mid afternoon. At this rate it's just as well that my surgery is tomorrow, because it will be mid summer before I can get any gardening done! I'm getting sick of rain and especially the cold!! Go into hospital tomorrow for first of what I hope is only two surgeries this year. No doubt, this will put quite a damper
on gardening and all outdoor activities this year. At least for most of the summer. Perhaps we can come back with a fall
garden. We'll have to wait and see.
Monday, May 11 - 15, 2009 -
In the hospital with hip replacement surgery. It would be illogical to assume that the seedlings inn the light garden will
be tended at all. Probably best to consider them lost. My son is great help and a joy to have around. But the simple fact is
that he does not enjoy his fathers passion for "gardening". However, let me make it clear that I am not saying that he does
not enjoy plants, because he has dabbled with roses and several other perennials. What I am saying is that he does not enjoy
any gardening that requires much dedication of time (yet).
Friday, May 15, 2009 -
Came home from hospital today. It was difficult not being able to go out to see the roses that were blooming over the front
archway. After two years of lost blooms due to weather, it was nice to see them full of blooms again. I miss not being able
to stroll out and take in their deep, heady, sweet perfume that always fills the air when they are in full bloom. The doctor says "three weeks" before attempting to go into yard. Dear Lord, give me strength for there is a hell here on earth.
Saturday, May 16, 2009 -
Took a stroll out on the porch today (Actually ambulated). I'm already bored out of my mind with not being able to get out
in the yard and work in the garden. The air was quite cool (low sixties), cloudy and windy. Looking at the front beds, I
couldn't help but notice a few things.
1] Everywhere I got covered by a deep mulch of newspaper and grass was weed free and everywhere I didn't was choked by
ground ivy and other weeds.
2] The Solomon's Seal has spread very well and is in need to being dug and thinned.
3] One Jack-In-The-Pulpit and one May apple escaped my attempts to dig and containerize them and have survived the moles.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 -
It's only been surgery plus 8 days. But, the weather is finally quite warm and sunny. The nights are very cool, but pleasant
and as I look out from the house to everything I can see, I wonder to myself - "Was it worth it"? Yes I know the surgery was
needed. And possibly the second one will be also. But considering what has been accomplished outdoors this past year in
order to have one of the best years of gardening in a while and knowing that it will all be lost this year, is it worth it?
Have I become so weak to pain and discomfort that I have become willing to give up so much of what is dear to me? Or am I becoming more and more of a "WUSS" as I get older?
If I stop right where I am now, I will be able to at least salvage some fall gardening. But if I have the spinal surgery as
well, the entire year is lost. Is it better to have the surgeries and hopefully be done with it or forego the second surgery
and live on narcotics for a long time to come? I don't know right now and thankfully I've got several weeks to determine
this.
Perhaps it's much to soon to be thinking this way.
Friday, May 22, 2009 -
Got out of the house this morning and managed my way around to the patio with help. I was able to examine the 55 gallon
barrels that my son cut off for me. These were cut one third of the way down to make one large container and one small
container. The large containers are tall enough to be able to be planted and tended with little bending. With a little
sanding, cleaning and paint, these will make some very nice and inexpensive planters for a great many things. The more I
look at these and let my mind wonder, the more I am convinced these are the way to go for a great deal of my gardening and other plants. With just a little paint and dressing up, and these will make containers that can be quite suitable for the
patio as well.
The smaller portion that was cut off should also make a fine container for annuals and crops such as lettuce, radishes and
even many herbs. The only issue that I see right now that may need to be addressed is that they are short, which will
require bending over. Right now, I'm considering constructing stands from landscape timbers to elevate the planters and give them a little bit of a rustic look and increased functionality.
From the patio I can see that there is some harvesting that needs to be done in the garden. The radishes are starting to be
pullable size, the onions need to start being pulled for green onions (scallions) to start thinning and the lettuce looks
like it is large enough to start picking. I got my oldest granddaughter involved by letting her carry the plants up from the light garden to a spot outside to start hardening them off. She really enjoyed getting to help Pappa. I was amazed, and shocked at how large many of the plants have grown. The tomato's are quite large and the squash have started setting buds. These will be pinched off for now. All of these need to be put in the ground right away. But as has been the case thus far this year, more rain is coming and rain is forecast for most of next week. I'd cover the bare soil areas of the beds if, I could get out, so the soil would dry. But I'll deal with it as best I can. Saturday, May 23, 2009 - I had my granddaughter carry the plants back outside for more hardening off. She is accepting this as her responsibility and looks forward to it. Because of the use of a fan in the light garden coupled with cloudy weather, the plants are taking to being outdoors really well. Using a fan in the light garden not only helps reduce disease, but helps make the transition to the outdoors a whole lot easier.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 -
Got out again this morning and made my way to the patio. The morning was sunny and pleasantly cool. I couldn't help pulling out the cultivating fork from the garage and start weeding and loosening the planter we built around the patio last year. This was a challenge on crutches, but we got it done. My son shoveled some more compost onto the planter where I broke up the large chunks while he dug it in. It will be nice to get some plants into this planter.
I got an idea while out there regarding this planter. Why not plant the tomato's, marigolds for my wife and other plants in
here? I haven't been able get the other planters ready and won't be able to do so any time soon. It makes sense to me
because all of the plants are large enough that they need to be in the ground. This will also put the tomato's close to the
house for easy tending. I'll intermix the marigolds among the tomato's for attractiveness and insect control. These are also
my wife's favorite flower.
I still have most of the English Daisy seedlings alive. So I'll plant them in this planter as well. By this fall they will
be large enough to transplant elsewhere and at least they will be able to have a chance to survive. At some point as of right now, the plan is still to install lattice panels along one side of this planter for privacy screening, which create a lot of shade for this planter. But for now, this planter is one of sunniest locations in the yard. So I'm contemplating filling this planter with herbs until the lattice is actually installed. But that will be a fall and next spring project.
No, I wasn't supposed to be in the yard, but I couldn't stand not at least seeing the garden any longer. With a little help and very slow and cautious travel, I traversed off the patio, across the yard to the planting beds (we just won't tell momma - ;) ). Oh the joy and disappointment at the same time. What was planted looks great, but so much more should have been planted by now. I'm anxious to get busy filling the beds. While out there anyway, I couldn't help pulling some fresh radishes and onions. While out there, I was able to teach our four year old granddaughter how to pull scallions. This was something she enjoyed very much. Besides, pulling things up is something that comes naturally for her - LOL. It started raining again this afternoon. So I guess the planting will wait for a while - again!
Monday, May 25, 2009 - It's raining again this morning. Nothing hard as of 9:21 AM. Just light showery rain that keeps you indoors. But the temps are pleasant ( around 70 degrees F), so really not bad I guess. It's Memorial Day, so we have both granddaughters here today. I'll have my granddaughter carry the plants outdoors for the afternoon to take advantage of the damp, cloudy weather and make her feel special. Thursday, May 28, 2009 - The weather has been cloudy and somewhat cool for the most part since the plants were last carried out. So I just left them outdoors. From the back door, it appears that all have faired very well, but I see some squash blooming that did not get the blooms removed. These really need to be in the ground. Perhaps with some help I can at least get them repotted for a little while longer, but this is not the best way. Saturday, May 30, 2009 - The morning broke clear, sunny and pleasantly cool to day with temps @ 0730 in the mid-sixties. It has been so dismally rainy, cool and cloudy the last several weeks that this morning was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't stand it any longer, being out of the garden. Yes, I know it's only been two weeks plus four days, but my hands are to clean, so I got out and planted tomato's in the new planter bed. Along with the tomato's, I planted marigold's and English daisies. The marigold's are mommas favorite and the English daisies will ad some additional color. The daisies will be dug this fall and moved elsewhere. Yes, this is divergent from what I had originally planned. The planter was going to be filled with perennials, but it was ready to plant and the tomato's needed to be in the ground now. Besides, this will put them close to the house where they can be tended and picked easily. The vertical element will help provide some privacy as well. |
