Posted on 05/01/2025 6:15:12 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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We are back from our day’s travel. There was a major accident on the way to our destination, so we only got to visit our son and his GF for 10 precious minutes. He worked his last night at his old job yesterday and got home around midnight. Then had to be at the new job by 3, but I know him, and he would show up at 2:45. Work will be until 11 pm at the earliest. So he looked tired, but equally happy and nervous about the new chef job. I got two hugs from him. One when we arrived, and one when we left. He gives great hugs.
The reason we were back in Ohio was so that I could get my hair done by my amazing hairdresser. She’s been my gal for 20 years, and now we are old friends. It’s a blast to catch up with her every so often, and I’m her confidante as much she is mine. I don’t know what I’ll do when she retires in a year. Anyway, she always makes my untamed hair look beautiful when I walk out. That’s SKILL!
On our way back, we made a snap decision to stop at one of my favorite antique centers in Ohio. We had about one hour before closing. We found an old wrought iron planter that’s tall. I offered much less than the asking price, and they returned with $5 over what I offered. So we brought that home! Also found a cool galvanized watering can, maybe 1.5 gallons? Once I get these set up in the flower beds, I’ll share photos.
It is May, and in Indiana, that means racing season. The whole state goes crazy, and there becomes no shortage of race car drivers on the highways especially. You wouldn’t believe the number of idiots we see, not just speeding, but super speeding, to the point they are reckless. On the way home, we were behind a terrible accident involving two semis, a minivan, and a sports car. The sports car was demolished. I’m sure the passengers in that car were taken to the nearest hospital. I wish people would just be more careful.
Back to gardening. Tomorrow is a gardening day. Planting some of my purchases from Thursday. With any luck, there will be a trip to Menards to look for some sort of base to set the rain barrel on. With more luck, I can get to one of my favorite garden centers after that. If I’m REALLY lucky, we can get all of this done before the butcher shop closes. Hubby has his heart set on spoiling me with some fresh Faroe Island salmon.
We’ll see what the day brings.
I’m re-starting ALL of my summer and winter squashes today as a Chippy decided to dig up and eat everything I had started in the greenhouse last night. Grrrrr!
I am on the WARPATH, now! ;)
Sounds like a perfect weekend to me! :)
Had ONE Hummingbird eating some of the jelly for the Orioles today, so the HB Feeder is in it’s usual place. We’ll see if he comes back - I have mostly the Orchard Orioles right now, and they are kind of obnoxious! ;)
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!
Thank you!
*** Sounds like a perfect weekend to me! :)***
It was a pretty perfect weekend, and today it got even better. Today this Mama found out that she’s gonna be a grandma, again! This time it’s our daughter, who is pregnant with her first! Due around Thanksgiving.
What a blessed day I’ve had!
So excited for her! For them! For us!
Have I mentioned that I’ve been praying about this for quite some time? Now to get the baby here without complications.
Congrats!
Thank you!
One Zinnia didn’t make it - apparently it had just been a little too dry a little too long. But for 45 cents (after rebate, before tax) per 6-pack, that’s ok! They’ll make a nice little splash of yellow amongst the purple coneflowers that are coming back up with vengeance. :-)
Unfortunately, that minor success was greatly outweighed by whatever it was that got into the main garden area Friday night and dug up several tomato plants. I’d put out the best and strongest plants first, of course: Two were overwintered Early Girls already setting fruits, a couple were overwintered Romas not yet flowering, but looking good, and a couple were the Golden Jubilees I’d picked up from Menards. I think I may be able to save all but the one E.G. that was broken off at ground level, although it’s sister may be dicey. The broken off E.G. I’ve plunked the stem into a two liter soda bottle full of rain water. It still looks badly wilted, so, I’m trying a plastic bag over it to minimize transpiration water loss. Seems like a long shot, though. Lots of watering and now the cool rains we’ve been getting the last 2 days seem to be helping the other replanted victims.
I’ve set a live-trap out there, so maybe I can catch the marauder. Nothing yet...
We have that stuff everywhere. Mrs. Augie put ONE catnip plant in a flowerbed not long after we built the house. Now it's everywhere. Like other plants in the mint family, once you have it you'll never get rid of it.
Our inside/outside cats love the stuff.
I guess the question is getting it started from seed. I’ve not had much luck with any plants that have seeds under 1/32” for their largest dimension. Weeds not included, of course.
BTW, the way we got rid of mint @ my Mom’s was zoysia and regular mowing. :-)
My daughter brought home an interesting plant over her (now) summer break. It’s called a “Vick’s Plant”. It has a mild, minty aroma much like “Vick’s” rub, not too strong unless you are inches away.
I’ve never tried to start catnip from seed, but if it’s like the other mints the seeds are so dang small you need the Hubble telescope to see them.
For that stuff I put pre-moistened ProMix in starter cells, put the cells in a chafer pan to facilitate bottom-up watering, dust the seeds on top of the potting mix, then dust just a *wee bit* more potting mix on top of the seeds.
Keep the potting mix damp until the seedlings sprout, re-pot after the plants are big enough to have some roots, then after a couple more weeks stick the plants in the ground.
You only need one of your seedlings to survive until maturity and drop its seed on the ground. After that it will take care of itself.
Hahaha - yes, those catnip seeds are tiny and dark color. Drop one in dark soil where you don’t want it and it’d be near impossible to find.
Thanks for the info. — those directions are not much different from how I start most any “seed shallow” plant like tomatoes. Tomatoes just seem easier to get through that first week after germination (and some varieties may be less picky about soil temperature than some plants?) Cukes, squash, etc., I usually have little problem with, except sometimes for some of the more tropical varieties. Hopefully I’ve solved that problem next year, with the heat mats I nabbed on clearance at Rural King. I probably could lower my new high power lights closer to the soil too.
This past week was the driest one we’ve had for quite awhile here in Central Missouri. We got 3/10” rainfall early in the week but it’s been dry since.
All of my bedding plants have been set out. 16 tomatoes, 20 peppers, 8 eggplant, 5 rhubarb. One eggplant croaked but the rest of it all looks good so far. Pole beans are sprouting. Cucumber row has been seeded. Spaghetti squash hills have been seeded. Six varieties of basil seeded in starter cells.
I’d intended to keep the rhubarb potted for awhile longer to give time for better root development, but the warm weather/sun/wind said no. I was watering them once a day but that wasn’t enough. They were starting to look a little bit unhappy so I went ahead and stuck them in the dirt. They had more root than I was expecting to see so hopefully they will take off and do something.
Mowed all of the grass. Hauled 4cu/yd topsoil to #1 Marine Daughter’s house for a landscaping project. Spread some gravel on a couple soft spots in travel lanes around the property. Trimmed a bunch of trees and hauled the scrap to the sippy hole. Stuck half a dozen bald cypress seedlings in a pot with some compost and set them in the pond until I decide where they’re going to be planted.
I moved the farm implements that were previously relocated to make room for installation of the freeze-proof faucet back to where they came from. Now Good Neighbor Dave won’t have to go around them when he comes to bale the hayfield.
Mrs. Augie took the welded wire down from the old brooder yard fence and I yanked a few t-posts the hard way. It’s been a few years since we used that space and it was starting to need some fixing so we’re fixing it. It will be much easier to get ready for baby chicks next spring with everything put back in shape ahead of time.
Feels like I’m leaving something out. I’m too tired today to have only done that little bit of chores over the weekend.
I have 6 T-posts to yank - came across this video. I haven’t tried it yet, but according to the comments, the guy demonstrating is ‘going to heaven’ so it must work! He does a little silly ‘acting’ in the beginning before he gets to the serious part.
Life Hack - The EASIEST way to pull a T-Post out of the ground! Work smarter not harder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Mx8qMIC5Q
I have to actually BUY Paste Tomato plants, more Watermelon and a single green Zucchini to go with my two yellow EZ-Pick starts - also re-started thinks to said Chippies!
I wish they weren't so darn CUTE! I was walking back to the kitchen porch from the greenhouse, and a Chippy came out from under the steps, saw me, did a DOUBLE TAKE and ran back under, LOL!
“Feels like I’m leaving something out.”
In my experience, between farming and gardening and everything they BOTH entail - it pretty much NEVER ends! How did I EVER manage all of this with three teen boys and a full-time job as well? (I was obviously a LOT younger then!)
Also, I walk past my ‘Jackmanii’ Clematis and tell her EVERY DAY that she needs to bloom SPECTACULARLY for Mrs. Augie this season. She’s got a new trellis to climb on, and I cut her back to the NUB this spring and have been watering and fertilizing her in a timely manner.
Stand Back! :)
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