2011 Garden Update 5

 Despite the tornado, and we have confirmation, it was a tornado, I am taking care of business in the garden and environs. Today for example, I totally P-Owned my problematic irrigation system.

It is "problematic" because I am a walking problem. On Saturday, I was in the backyard, under the  doomed tree, killing time until the promised storm came through, tilling the garden, breaking up dirt clots and evening everything out in preparation for spending Sunday putting down the soaker hoses and nailing down the weed barrier and installing the trellis's. I had planned on doing all of this on Saturday, but the rain was going to stop that. It was supposed to be "thunder storms" - I was prepared for some ugliness because on Friday we got an email from our boss she had received from higher-ups, with the subject line "Disaster". I had kept that in mind.

So. Monday, I put down the hose and the barrier and put up the trellises. I thought I was a total rock star. I was such a rock star I put a hole in the soaker hose, punctured it with great joy. I found this out when I went to test out the hoses and noticed that some of the hoses were working and some were not and there was this odd puddle.

I fixed it. I am back to being a rock star. I used pluming repair tape and followed it up with real duct tape. I am hopeing that this will hold. The hoses don't get a lot of use and what use they get it sporadic and brief. Keep a good thought for my hose. The hose is always an issue every year. I have learned I need a splitter and two hoses to make the system work efficiently.  I get traumatized the first time I hook everything up until I remember I'm doing it wrong and I need to re-jigger the thing and put it bake like it was last year.

This year I have a new timer and I am learning to lurve it. It allows me to access the hose water, which is a nice plus, and it was super easy to set and read, unlike the cheaper model - that was worth the extra $9. Also? it doesn't leak! Hosanna!

I was going to plant my beans and peas but I took Dogger for a walk instead, she had been waiting and she was being so good about not peeing on the carpet. I thought she needed a reward, so we went down Edenton and explored the new landscape. Sigh. Things will be different.

I did more than play in the garden and freak out this weekend. I also entered into a Foster Care situation with Alphagal and a few of her strawberry plants. Alphagal is a garden wonder and she ended up with many, many,many strawberry plants and she needed to re-home some to save the rest. I now have three strawberry plants.

I'm hopeing they like it here. I also planted some morning glories. I don't think they are going to take over the front of the house, but, you never know.

I will have to thin the herd, but I think I will transplant as many as I can so that maybe I can achieve my dream of  glorious, morning gloried house.

The inpatients are doing well and the car is still cute.

Yeah. And then there are the raspberries. They got chewed up - I did put and end to that but its going to take awhile to get back their good looks.

Back to the pretty things. Everyone is growing and getting better everyday. I am very happy with the little pink and white flowers. I can't remember what they are, but they are really sweet.

The pumpkins are chortling along, next year I am absolutely going to plant pumpkin seeds instead of pumpkins, it might be kind of nice to have guaranteed pumpkins at the end . I like vines, but it would also be kind of cool to get something more concrete at the end of the season.

The three sections represent three pumpkins from last Halloween. One white, one green and one orange. I would be floored if I ended up with one of any variety.

And finally, the potatoes!

So far I have added dirt twice! I do need to keep in mind that I have different varieties and they grow at different rates. I may have all ready buried a couple of plants alive. Next year, if these are successful, I will stick to a single variety.

And now after exploring the suburbs, onto the Urb.

Pretty no? I am hopeing that my peppers will arrive soon and then I can shop for my tomato plants and finally get my beans and peas in.  I just can't wait, and as much a of a issue for me and a life changer the tree falling on my neighbors house is for them, I am stoked about all the new sun my garden is going to get now! and, maybe, I might be able to get a yard to grow! Imagine, a yard in my backyard! I could plant flowers! I could have satellite beds! I could put up a mosquito net tent and hang out! In. My. Back. Yard!

And because I can...

Broken but unbowed.