Today is Saturday. Today I hope to get closer to getting the dahlias in the ground. Except today I will probably be found in the south bed weeding and planting and throwing compost. Then move to the dahlia bed and work on the weeds at the perimeter mixed w the iris. Really I would love just a bed of iris but this isn't the yard for that. Too small and my kid2 and hubs both prefer grass to mow.
I have not even gotten my dahlia porch sort done. I had thought maybe when I got home last night, but that was a no. I was just tired.
Maybe today's work will be lighter than I think and I can start getting all the stuff into the dahlia bed. That will be good. I'm ready for some good growing!
My limited thoughts on the dahlias if IF I get that far, would be putting the lead stakes in, getting the hose ready to drop in place and the dahlias in order by row. Not sure I'll get that far and not sure my body will be accepting of demand today. But I'll try and see where it takes me.
Hope everyone is well and hope your garden spaces are starting to look good and full!
It's been pouring since I got up at 245ish. We need the rain, I delighted in its smell! Then the sound when it became more of a gulley washer a few times. Except round these parts gulleys are coulees and so you know, I have my moms colloquialism going on. She's from Iowa.
Yesterday was a lot of work, so I'm kind of glad with the rain today as I'm taking some rest. With my tasks yesterday I need it!
I finally got 8 dahlias planted - shorties only 24-36" varieties unless the new ones are mismarked. But I won't worry about that now. So far they are all 10" or less, I brought them right up to the milkweed that self planted right at the front edge of my bed. I then threw finished compost all around that whole bed both sides. I got the skinny south planted and mulched w the compost. Soaked both areas twice yesterday. Got home from clinic and grabbed the pails of rabbit poo and loaded the garden boxes with it and then the trenches of the iris box, came back to the garden box's and planted the cukes and got its trellis in place. And then watered knowing that it might rain today, the plants were thirsty. The robins were swimming in the sprinkler drops - ok divebombing and almost back stroking if birds swam. It was fun times in my garden for the fauna. So a lot got done.
I know I primarily use this to write and keep track of my seedlings but I've been busy in the gardens and beds and I'll babble on such. And a day off is good. Tomorrow will be the same. And then I can plant through Tuesday less a doctors appt and hope I can finish up Monday. But that's asking a lot of my dahlia gumption and piriformis!
Today I brought up the two flats of annuals and the remaining 42 dahlia pots. Got them on the porch and gave everything a good water. They are jonesin for the earth I think. Soon little guys!
Then I went out and took notes on my iris areas. I have a lot of tall bearded and in my newlywed state of feathering a nest, didn't realize keeping the names with them would be a help in the future and so I have a whole bunch with no names. In fact I'd say 3/4 of my iris are without their names. Grrr. I have since learned and now keep the names somewhere with them. I do hope the NOID people can help me out. I have 36 NOIDS in my box, 40 in the south bed and two more beds with a ton in them as well plus all the ones that I have a name for but that vendor sent me a lot of mislabels on those few that have already bloomed. And I don't have legs to complain because it's been 3-4 years and they haven't bloomed yet. Some of them were very small and finally have gotten to normalish size and others sank in my soil and didn't have sunshine on their feet. Yay sand.
So I've been busy and taking a day off isn't too bad and it gives my body a bit of a break. And also allows me think a bit more.
I do need to make my dahlia hangtags w their names. I have the saved ones from last year but new dahlias, more dahlias etc. I guess I can work on that now. Or do dishes. Nope I think I'll work on the tags. 
Enjoy your green spaces! Time to get mine finished up and growing!
Mornin folks!
So I got up around 330 with the old creaky(that's me and my body!) and decided it's almost the end of the school year, I'll make monkey bread from scratch! So right now it's in its second rise and into the oven not will go and hopefully make the house smell delightful! Hopefully the fam like the surprise.
Today will find me planting only 6 dahlias in the front bed. All of these are my shorties and just giving a bit more room in the main dahlia bed. 6 doesn't sound a lot does it?
My seedlings are looking crazy. They are leggy right now and I think are ready to get into the ground even though they are in 4" pots. Sometimes the earth giving them a hug is all they need to take off and do well. Let's hope!
I need to haul up the rest of the dahlias from the basement and do a sort on the porch. But that's not the priority today. Todays list:
Sort skinny south bed plants on porch and site drop
Throw compost in front bed
Plant 6 dahlias front bed and put cages in place
Throw preen in back half of bed
Plant skinny south side
And then if the body is behaving: pull weeds and plant the large south bed and preen
If I'm super powered today then I'll dump compost there too. I'm not sure I'm super powered. But I'll try. I also have to deal w the rest of the laundry. But that's a side note to my day. Hah. Only 3 loads left after doing 92 yesterday (ok it felt like 92!).
I don't know if I even have time to think of my seedlings. I'm trying to decide what way to plant but I think I best start at the end of the named varieties as that's where I'll be starting my hose run as well so that makes more sense for me I think. I can lay the hose as I plant the rows and then it's in place. Wish I had room to allow for graceful swoops w the hose but that never happens in my world. I have small spaces to plant and try to make the most out of my space.
If I ever had space what would I do?! I don't think my body would allow it vs my grandiose ideas of what I would like to do.
Darn body! I hate that it continues to turn on me. Sometimes I wonder why it's been so dramatic in a short period of time.
Anywho, another thought to ponder some other day. I'm on the sprint to get things in the earth and get them taking off. That's my hope anyway.
My best to you all! Find some brown sugar and butter in your life - it's a great comfort smell for me! Maybe you'll enjoy it too.
And in case you need some urging:
https://sallysbakingaddiction....
I don't do the glaze. It's sweet enough on its own without this!
Enjoy!
We had air quality alerts yesterday morn - seems the Canadian fires have taken off again this year and we will benefit from smokey haze all summer long. Has Canada not done any preventative cutting of their timber? I've noticed a huge push to do so in my region including my ILS. State land is being cut back, private land being cut back and cleared. It makes me wonder if they fear what's been going on North of us and trying to be preventative. All I know is the haze is lousy but gives fantastic color sunrise/sunsets. So trying to find some positives there. My dahlias hated it last year I think it stressed them.
Speaking of dahlias, I think the first ones into the bed may be the seedlings. My goodness are they all over the place. They tend to be laissez faire about their growth habit. I wonder if that's because they are thinking about growing a tuber and in the early stages they sprawl. At least that's been my experience the last 3 years (or maybe it's 2 years?!). I take notes as I look. I have some that have some fine growth habits right now. Interested to see where they all go and if these fine ones become thick stalks. Will see. I'm also wondering on colors. That always intrigues me. I watch the buds and hope to see peeks of colors before they open. I'm hoping for all sorts of colors. Last year I had a nice variety. I'm hoping this year is the same.
As my plant out schedule shifts depending on what my body dictates. I hate how it's feeling. Slows me down. My brain goes a mile a minute as my body moves like a sloth. Today I hope to finish my planters, and get the iris weeded by where the dahlias will go. The rest of the dahlia bed has been looking good.
Need to deal w the buckets of rabbit poo to add to the garden. And the compost heap move since that's the finished stuff - I need to deliver it and get it in place and feeding/protecting my south bed that's terrible soil. I hope for the energy and behaving body to get my projects done.
So looking for some good in my day and some happy with the future plants.
Mornin friends! I had the northern lights last night. More visible w my camera and it was beautiful through that lens! I'm sharing a few with you from my ILS drive as they live in the country and don't have the light noise as we do from the few of areas in town.
Today the sun is nosing its nose out. I will head out after bit and get my table set up and my planters out to work on. I still need to fix the rust issues on my trough clamps and give them a spray to freshen them up before use.
And then into next week will be the dahlias! I hope! Maybe if the bod behaves I'll start to place my end posts for spacing. And then loosely string twine so I have a plant out line to go by. Ready to get the show going!
Enjoy the lights!
