Garden Update 3 2012

I hope expectant mothers have more fun during their sonograms than I did. In my defence to the non-enjoyability factor, mine was called an echocardiogram. I also discovered that it is very difficult to hold your breath while laying on your side, sit up fine, flat on your back? Easy. You live and learn.

I almost hope they do find something, I;m tired of all these tests that come back that everything is fine when its clear that everything is not fine. I don't want to be one of those miserable people on Mystery Diagnosis.

When I came back from the doctors office my plan was to get the weed barrier down in the garden but then it started to get windy and the temp started to drop - not precipitously, but noticeably. I started to worry about the pl;ants because when I checked the weather the temps have further to go, but not so far that I have  to cover the plants. I think. The report said its going to bottom out at thirty-eight and I'm pretty sure that spuds don't hate a chill. I know my peas will squeal in cool weather glee but I worry about the green beans as they are a warm weather plant.

How are your plants? you ask. Well...

The strawberries I caged from Alphagal last spring are perking along. I had three plants but now I think its down to two adult plants and three or so baby plants. I might have to see if she has more plants she wants me to foster for her because they are very low effort plants and they seem happy in a space that nothing else has wanted to grow.

I planted peas on one side and green-beans on the other. I had to replant the green-beans because the first batch were from a bag I had around and I think they were just too old to be germinate. The new ones seem right on track. The peas said they didn't need a trellis but I'll believe that when I see it. I intentionally bought pole beans because a couple of years ago I went with bush beans and they didn't work out, the produced but it wasn't very much and it was limited to a couple of weeks. Pole beans produse more for longer.

These are the last two I planted. I think they are going to do well. I was a little concerned about them but once they take off they really go berserkers. Bin 4 is a few days ahead of these and its started to take off as well. The other bins are so full and lively, I am starting to wonder if I should thin the herds a bit. I'm a little afraid that they are going to be too crowded in the planters and this might make them less productive and I am all about garden  productivity. I suck at thinning and instead I just add more dirt and hope for the best.

The "older" plants are well on their way to lush, note in the foreground in planter 4, I've hit them with bone meal and some low dose fertilizer in the wake of all the rain we've gotten I thought it was a good idea to refresh the nutrients in the soil - all of which was store bought and I question its integrity as a planting medium.

They all have a long way to go, the reds are much sooner but they still have about forty-five days to go themselves, the others won't be ready for months.

Family picture.