Pinging the list.
THE WRONG EQUIPMENT CAN RUIN YOUR PLANS OR TOTALLY DESTROY THEM
Yesterday, Thursday, was major transplant day for all plants that were under the grow lamp, plus strawberry plants, into containers and they are all on the deck. After I got them all outside, I got the hose to water everything including the plants that have been out there for some time.
Enter plastic hose with plastic fittings and plastic sprayer with plastic fittings to attach to plastic fitting on hose. The assembly totally collapsed. A force of water hit my clothes which was jeans and old shirt and plastic garden shoes. I was drenched. Sometimes when things don’t go right, I get damned determined to finish what I started and it was a necessity to water those transplanted plants and the others. I jiggled the connection of the plastic parts and managed to get enough water through the sprayer to “kind of” get water in the containers as the excess kept hitting my clothes. I stayed at it until the containers had enough water.
Came in, pulled a “Johnny” and stripped off the wet clothes in the laundry room. Put on a “duster” that is like a dress length robe of a thing, got in my chair and pulled up the Sears website. I am through with sorry hoses, sorry plastic connections and sorry plastic sprayers. I have a lot of plants now on my deck and flowers in pots sitting in the dirt garden and walking onions in the planter toward the back of the garden, and I’ve got to have a dependable way to water. I bought a heavy duty Craftsman hose guaranteed not to kink, with brass fittings and a lifetime guarantee. Got the straight brass sprayer, the kind we used long ago except this new type has more settings in the twist function. Also guaranteed like the hose.
Got an email from Sears this morning and the hose and sprayer have been shipped. This morning, I worked with the plastic one and managed to get it working for right now. It will likely come apart the next time I water this evening. I’ll have to keep the water at fairly low force or the pressure of the water will blow the thing apart again.
Do any of you have hose problems? I know some of you have large gardens and use drip set-ups. My containers on the deck won’t accommodate that method.
I brought the squirrel cage in the house and will put larger amount of bait in there to catch squirrel no. 1 and take that killer to rightly’s house.
Except for being outside a little bit this morning to work with the sprayer and get the squirrel cage, I have stayed inside to have a cool day after all the planting and sweating outside yesterday. I took a shower after all that yesterday and I needed it - my hair was stuck together from all the sweat. Why in hell did I start gardening?
Three good accomplishments: The grow lamp did its job and I have turned it off, and all the plants have been transplanted and plans are underway to catch killer squirrel no. 1. :o)
Now the bad news. I have HORNWORMS!!!!! In my entire life as a gardener, I have never had hornworms in my tomatoes! And, because of my work schedule, I have less than 5 minutes of daylight in the evenings in which to do most of my gardening, so there isn't a whole lot of time to go hunting for them. I did decapitate 2 of them so far, but there's evidence of a lot more to go.
Tomorrow's schedule involves hornworm hunting, laying plastic out on my land, and starting a batch of 2-Day Spaghetti Sauce, not necessarily in that order.
Beautiful fall weather here and I’m planting mums and cold weather crops. Recently discovered the Carolina wren has built a nest in the artificial floral arrangement on the front door. That is the second time she has done that. I suppose she will be a permanent summer visitor! lol