Sunday, February 17, 2008

Oh, Happy Day

The severe weather wasn't. I'll always cover my plants, if possible, when I know they could experience severe weather. Nothing's more tragic, to me, than the sight of a battered, tiny plant that trusted me. I hate failing them. So, I covered the babies, they didn't need it, I uncovered them and everyone's happy.

My collards were so waterlogged they wilted. I noticed, as time went by, they perked up. It just takes the rain a while to drain off. I've got clay loam, it's very good in many regards, but no one's going to accuse my garden beds of fantastic drainage. I plan to elevate them, somewhat, somehow over the next couple years, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. I have enough organic matter in the soil to keep it draining pretty well, at least.

We had a very nice, mild and sunny day. First stop was work. We went in, we filled 'em up, we left. We had just enough time. Fortunately, it was ALL VANS today on Metrolift. I was bad, when we went to Walmart I got 5 tomato cages (all stacked together). They'll fit on a van, not on a cab. They fit! I only had one bag and a soda 12-pack. I did all the loading and unloading so the driver didn't mind.

When I got to the garden department at Walmart, I let out a happy squeal when I saw the "American Seeds" by Plantation were back. The employees found my glee "cute". I love those seeds. They have fantastic low prices, great varieties, and a decent selection. I did notice that the selection was a lot smaller this year. Hopefully they just haven't unpacked all the displays.

I'm not complaining, I got White Icicle radishes, jalapeno peppers, sweet banana peppers, Cylindra beets, Detriot beets (at 10 cents!), Gardener's Delight tomatoes, marigolds, etc. I was very happy. I still am. They only had a few bean and lettuce selections, , no herbs I could find, and I noticed they didn't have the Alaska Nasturtiums (in their defense, if I really want Alaska Nasturtiums I can get them online). I got some "Gleam" nasturtiums instead.

I'm glad I didn't hold my breath, waiting on the display. The seeds are a great addition to what I've already got. I also picked up some "winter crops" like Calabrese sprouting broccoli (more heads after you cut the main one). If, for whatever reason, I don't get my Cream of the Crop Squash I did get some Table Queen. I charted out all my garden beds and contents so I know what I've got room to plant. I hate being caught by surprise, trying to cram plants into too-tight spaces so I don't have to kill anyone.

I know I want the vining winter squash (one butternut, one buttercup). Do I really want the bush summer squash? What about the acorn squash? They take up 9 square feet apiece. That's a lot of salad greens, herbs, cowpeas, green beans, and peppers I could be growing in the same space. Last time, I invested a lot of space and energy into something that fed the squash vine borers just a couple months after I planted it. I don't want my garden to be curcurbit world, either, the bugs would have a field day.

I'm happy I've got a total of 7 tomato cages. I've got two "Determinate" sizes and 5 "Indeterminate" sized. The "Sprayless" is determinate so I need to either use a big cage or buy an additional small one. The in-ground tomatoes are looking very vigorous. It would be so awesome if I could offer Mom and Dad lush, ripe tomatoes off a vigorous, healthy plant when they come to visit in April.

Tomorrow I'm going to be planting 5 romaine lettuce, a couple of marigolds, and probably my broccoli raab. When I checked my soil temperature yesterday, it was 70 degrees. We'll see what it is tomorrow and then I may start seeding my bush beans. Yummm. I love to eat the "Royalty Purple Pod" snaps right off the bush. Tasty!

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