I cannot believe I haven't blogged for so long. Yes I can believe it. My plate has been full and life has been crazy.
I am impatient for things not accomplished and delighted with the things I have managed. I have been assembling 3' x 6' galvanized raised beds for my vegetable ventures. I would wish them to be longer but am happy with them. The old wood was rotting and had always drawn slugs and snails. It was time to replace. I have four assembled, two hold tomatoes, one is full of peppers and the fourth is accumulating compost as well as old potting soil. I have one wood framed bed to replace but it currently is full of tomatoes, cucumbers and dill. When the crops are done, I will work on it (or not). I may choose to wait for cooler days.
Crazy for sure... three beds full of tomatoes and five large containers with more tomatoes. What is crazy about it, I am already deciding what tomatoes I want to plant next year.
This year I have two cherry maters, Sun Gold and Sweet Aperitif. I love the latter but they are tiny and not terribly productive.
In one bed I am growing Black Vernissage ~ free seeds, wonderful taste, monstrous indeterminate vines, and fairly productive but the size of their fruits is disappointing. Again, they do taste great. I even used them in Bruschetta chicken and they fit right in.
These and the early producing cherry tomatoes have me thinking I should try the black cherry tomato next year. Thinking it is on the list.
The next bed is the second year of trialing Dixie Red. They are loaded with large tomatoes, slow to ripen, the indeterminate vines are manageable and with these few cool spells we are seeing it may produce well into the summer heat. I will grow this one again next year. It is a keeper!
The container tomatoes were an afterthought. An impulse purchase because of the cool name Sleeping Lady. The determinate plants have sturdy stalks and are loaded with large tasty tomatoes. If I grow these next year, I must stake them more sturdily. Like determinates, they all ripen close to the same time so I'm overwhelmed with fruit. I am not sure if they received sun scald and they have soft spots in the fruit but it is not rot. That area remains yellowish and becomes spongy soft. I can cut it out with no bad taste. They just are too ugly to share. 
The sixth bed will host the perennial solo garlic and multiplier onions. It needs to be ready for planting by October at the latest.
Bromeliads and Begonias are all in residence in the enlarged shade house and seem to be thriving. I have a wren installed in one Bromeliad and have two hummer feeders hanging in the shade house. They seem to love it. I encourage them as they love mosquitoes and I suspect the bromeliad vases provide good living quarters for larva.
This year the Phoebe population has exploded as well. and I am delighted as they harvest a large number of bugs.
So, because I don't have enough to say grace over, I have also acquired a few Epiphyllum plants. Now I just have to impatiently await blooms. This gardener is ever optimistic regardless of age.
Since I last blogged, I have had to say goodbye to an old girlfriend ~ Pearlie. She was eighteen and had a special place in my heart. She was on the downhill side with diabetes and kidney failure and it was time to let her go. That was in March and in May, I ran over a kitten ( actually centered and flipped her). At the time, the vet said she was about four weeks.
Cheeky little girl although she lost the bark on her lower lip from the runover. She is fine, moved in, took over and rules. The four older cats were slow to warm up to her, two of which are 10 and two are 6. Everyone needs a kitten around every so often. They are so much fun and this girlie is no exception. No name yet but I am thinking about it...
How to conduct a drench test
Soapy water probably isn't very good for beneficial soil microbes, so this isn't something you want to do all over, but it is an excellent test for measuring the presence of soil pests. Follow these steps to see what might be nibbling your plants' roots:
1.Gently mix 2 - 4 tablespoons of liquid dish soap into a gallon of water. [If your soil is especially dry, you may need to double the recipe.]
2.Mark off one square yard (3' x 3') of an area containing both healthy and unhealthy growth, with a rope, some string, or a garden hose.
3.Thoroughly saturate the area with the soapy water, using a watering can.
4.Monitor the area for the next 10 to 15 minutes, counting any insects that emerge.
from here: https://www.thedailygarden.us/...
And it must be the white season...
The past week or two have been crazy hectic (hoping it will level out soon)!
I've always been told 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.' Well I wished and I got.
A year ago, I had to euthanize my old gardening buddy Pod. My heart was so sad. I still had Stretch but like me, he is showing the years. He was an adult when he joined us 9 years ago. He could be from 11 to 13 as a good guess.
Well about 6 months ago, I started to wish for an older female Lab as a companion to us. Preferably one whose master couldn't keep them any longer. About a month ago my wish was granted. Annie came to live with us. At 9 years, she is a tad older than I was looking for and a bit larger but her nature is pure Lab. She is a sweetheart through and through. Her master had health issues and was needing to cut back on livestock. She is ours!
Well last week another acquaintance who is nursing home bound had a female Lab that he couldn't keep. Again, she is older at 13 but in need of a home, some loving and attention to health issues. Today Bella was delivered to me. Like the others, her nature is pure Lab. She fits right in. We are trundling off to the vet next week to have a mammary tumor assessed as well as maintenance issues addressed. I accepted her with the stipulation that if/when the owner escapes the nursing home, he can have her back. I don't forsee that happening but yes, I wouldn't deprive him of that wish. In fact, if I can get her tumor removed successfully, I will carry her to the nursing home to visit him. This is Bella...
So why do I take on all these vintage pets??? Simply put, it is because I am also feeling the years. I don't want a young dog because if something should happen to me, who would accept the lifetime responsibility of my pet. On the other hand, if I can take the worry off these pet owners perhaps someone will return the favor for me.
And even in death they will all have a place in my heart and in my pet cemetery.
Gosh, I hadn't been here for a while. It is spring and my extra time is spent outdoors whenever possible. I am delighted to see small tomatoes on the sturdy Dixie Red tomato plants. The potatoes are blooming and the lower foliage is beginning to yellow.
In a few more weeks, the onions will be ready to harvest.
The lettuce and Cilantro are bolting as we have had some hot temps. When that bed is done, I plan to reposition it as well (I have moved the other two) and plan to plant sweet taters and okra in it.
I was given this Sedum by a young couple and am delighted to see how durable it is. I cross my fingers and hope not to get wrapped up in the Sedum craze but it could happen. Thanks Ben & Laura.
To my delight, I finally found green 60% UV rated shade cloth. It is in premeasured sizes and hemmed with grommets to make attaching easier. All this and at an affordable price
as well! This will cover my "shade house" to protect the bromeliads, Hoyas and other tender plants.
I lost the necessary shade when I had some trees removed in 2016. This "shade house" works well but needed improving. While waiting for delivery of the shade cloth, I decided I would like more than a dirt floor in it so today I moved all the plants out of it (again) and will move sand tomorrow for a base and to level the ground more. Then I will lay bricks for a floor. I hope to wrap it up in a short time by working evenings till dark.
And that is my inspiration...
and this is what inspires me.
