A few days late

Okay, a week and a half.

So. April was apparently National Poetry Month, something that I did not learn until today when I stumbled over this vid. Don't say I never gave you anything.

A few days late

Okay, a week and a half.

So. April was apparently National Poetry Month, something that I did not learn until today when I stumbled over this vid. Don't say I never gave you anything.

Taking a chance

I may well come to regret this in the next few weeks, but I planted the tomato and bell pepper seedlings in the raised bed this evening. We will have temps of around 70F for the next couple of days (80s farther inland, but I'm Near The Lake) with chance of rain, and I figured oh hell. I still have viable seedlings in the tray in case something happens of a frost nature.

I did not make the same mistake I made last year, when I got greedy, refused to thin seedlings, and wound up with too many plants crammed too close together. That left me with fewer tomatoes and easier blight transmission--none of the plants out and out succumbed, but I did spend a few minutes each day pulling off yellowed leaves and spraying copper solution. This year, I planted the best seedling of each of the four varieties (Aunt Ginny's Purple, Mountain Fresh, Tommy Toe, and Siberian), and mulched the entire bed to keep blight spores from bouncing up during rain/watering. I may still mulch the lower bed as well, at least the half containing the peppers, to prevent any blight spores down there from traveling.

Three types of peppers, one each of red, chocolate, and purple. The red variety gave the healthiest seedlings, followed by the purple. The chocolate may not make it. The only seedling I could find had just sprouted, and I may have moved it too early. If it fails, I'll put in another red. I tried 6 chocolate seeds, and only one has sprouted over the last month and a half. Not impressed.

So, it's all in. Basil in pots. Store-bought parsley in pots. The only thing I may add is tarragon, but I haven't been able to find any plants so far.

Taking a chance

I may well come to regret this in the next few weeks, but I planted the tomato and bell pepper seedlings in the raised bed this evening. We will have temps of around 70F for the next couple of days (80s farther inland, but I'm Near The Lake) with chance of rain, and I figured oh hell. I still have viable seedlings in the tray in case something happens of a frost nature.

I did not make the same mistake I made last year, when I got greedy, refused to thin seedlings, and wound up with too many plants crammed too close together. That left me with fewer tomatoes and easier blight transmission--none of the plants out and out succumbed, but I did spend a few minutes each day pulling off yellowed leaves and spraying copper solution. This year, I planted the best seedling of each of the four varieties (Aunt Ginny's Purple, Mountain Fresh, Tommy Toe, and Siberian), and mulched the entire bed to keep blight spores from bouncing up during rain/watering. I may still mulch the lower bed as well, at least the half containing the peppers, to prevent any blight spores down there from traveling.

Three types of peppers, one each of red, chocolate, and purple. The red variety gave the healthiest seedlings, followed by the purple. The chocolate may not make it. The only seedling I could find had just sprouted, and I may have moved it too early. If it fails, I'll put in another red. I tried 6 chocolate seeds, and only one has sprouted over the last month and a half. Not impressed.

So, it's all in. Basil in pots. Store-bought parsley in pots. The only thing I may add is tarragon, but I haven't been able to find any plants so far.