trudy's Blog

Got another load of Manure
May 27, 2007 | 7:58 AM PST
Tags: manure , composted , roses , fall flush , mulch , water , rain , Thai Green Eggplant , squash , Amillia , beefsteak , fruit , pinestraw , peppers

I brought home another load of composted manure from the fair grounds, I wanted at least one more load before fall.  Man is that some good stuff!!   Seeing how in July I will need to reapply it around my roses for their fall flush.  This time it wasn't so wet, so unloading was much easier.  The load I got earlier sure has made a difference in my plants,  they were in bad need.  Just couldn't tell it til I added it.   I'm thinking about putting some down as a mulch in one bed just as an experiment to see what ill happen.  

 I'm having to water everyday now,  but its now where I can alternate the beds.  That may not last long if we don't get some much needed rain.  I got another large container planted of comfrey.  Still have a half a tray to go.  I was wanting to plant the last 2 Thai Green Eggplant plants in the last container I have seeing how from what I've read it won't bear fruit til the 2nd year.  Just need to get another container.

 I picked my 3rd mator yesterday.  A nice Amillia beefsteak.  All my mator plants are loaded with fruit.  I have decided not to stake the ones in the flower beds.  I've read where staking really isn't needed an sometimes you get more fruit by letting them sprawl.  Will be interesting,  The fruit will have pinestraw to keep them directly off the soil.  I got out this morning an did some roundup, just spot spraying.  Its been windy here the last few days an today was the first chance I had with little wind.  Still need to do the garden pathways, but there not to bad yet.   I did pick 2 of the patty pan type squash and a few banana peppers.  Not enough squash to do much with yet, hopefully they will hold up long enough for more to get ready for a mess.   Don't really know how to fix them yet, first time with these.  So any recipes you want to share, please do.

 I had planned on copy an pasting my Bloom Calendar to here, but this site won't let me.  So I guess if you want to see what plants I have you'll just have to visit my photo album.  Although it's nowhere near complete, u can see some of what I have growing here on the Lane. 

One of my baby chicks died yesterday, couldn't really tell why.  But it did.  I've been letting the older chickens out about every other day,  may be will go to daily now that the dog has gone to Florida.  One of the campers wanted her, so it all worked out good. 
 

Ups & Downs in the garden
May 20, 2007 | 9:58 AM PST
Tags: potatoes , fish pond , overflow , Amillia , tomatoes , okra , eggplants , beefsteak

Well I had it all writen down, then stepped away an lost it all. Saying I wasn't logged in an couldn't find the page I requested. Really you admin should do something about that delay. The page was saying I was logged in, when I really wasn't. So I continued with my entry. Then to find out I wasn't logged in an all my entry was for nothing.

Now to get back my thoughts an rewrite this.

Not to much has been going on around here, I refilled my fish pond yesterday an left to go to a tournament weigh in an of course forgot about it. While out taking photos this morning I discovered it, oops!! Sure was clean looking, an really full, overflowing on the edges. The plants in the overflow edges where it made its path really loved the extra drink.

I dug some potatoes this morning from where the tops had died, suppose to be a sign that they are done growing. Boy what a disappointment!! The seed potatoes I planted were bigger than the harvest. Don't know what I'm not doing right, I think it must be my soil. Now I have a good size spot to grow something else, pehaps some okra.

I picked 2 beefsteak size Amillia tomatoes yesterday also, first for the season. Although they are a hybrid I don't mind some hybrids in the garden depending on what it is. Also picked a few banana peppers an a cucumber. My eggplants are not growing, I think I have ants on them or something, will have to recheck an treat them.
Well this is my shorter version of what I did have written, it'll do

We got rain
May 13, 2007 | 4:13 PM PST
Tags: rain , crunchy , roses , tuber rose , chamomile , lillies , Spirea , Hydrangea , Spanish , Red 7 Sister , mators , cucumber , heat , raised beds Brugs , Sage

finally last night,  what a relief!!  It had gotten so dry the weeds I call grass was crunchy.   Since my last entry I've planted a few more things,  a couple roses, tuber rose an more chamomile.  A plant I'm not real familiar with called Pet????? Saxifrigara or something like that.  Will be interesting to see how it does down here in the heat.  Some of my Asiatic Lillies are blooming or full of buds.  Several daylillies are blooming, my Spanish Flag Vine, Red 7 Sister rose, Duranta, Anthony Waters Spirea, The Lady in Red Hydrangea is trying to bloom.  Can't wait to see that one seeing how I rooted it from a friends that had already bloom right b4 winter.  

 I got about 3 Brugs planted to replace some that didn't make it over the winter, 3 Pineapple Sage herbs an finished up with planting the rest of the tomatoes.  Took an potted up some Monsieour Tillier cuttings that had rooted that I should have already done.  Still have others to do, just finding time in all my spare time to do it.  Picked a handful of strawberries, which of course got eatten right away.  Spend some time with my DD's an a couple grandsons, was a pleasant day.  Now just to finish up watering the veggies,  you'd think they wouldn't need any, but being in raised beds I have to think about the heat tomorrow and they won't get any water til late tomorrow afternoon.  But I do have mators,  even picked a cucumber for my salad today for lunch.    Man was it good!   trudy
 

The Neighbor is Happy
May 8, 2007 | 6:53 PM PST
Tags: neighbor , plants , veggies , water , straw , rose , bed , southern
I took my neighbor some plants this afternoon and he was tickled.  He helped me this time load another load of straw, but I think he secretly needed an escape from his other neighbor that comes by daily an had worn out his welcome.   But he isn't the type person to hurt ones feelings, its just not the southern way.   Anyway got it home an had enough to almost finish the large rose bed.  Still needs some more added.  Seems it went farther this time than it did yesterday.  Which is good.   I didn't have time to water everything this afternoon, but did manage to get the veggies watered, fed up all the animals an called it a night.  I'm pooped!!

Life at the Lane today
May 7, 2007 | 5:35 PM PST
Tags: pinestraw , backyard , mators , flowers , heirloom , beds , tree , rose , containers , chicks , chickens , eggs , plants

Got home and remembered I wanted to check with the neighbor up the road about a pile of pinestraw he's had in his back yard. So I asked him what was he gonna do with it an he said he was gonna give it to me if I wanted it. He had told me a year ago when he had a pile of that I could have it. I never got around to getting it. So today I made time for a truckload at least. He had to show me his mators and flowers. I mentioned that I had some extra plants if he wanted some, so tomorrow I will take him a few things. He also wanted to try some of the heirloom mators I have extra of so he can sure have them. I'm outta room for them anyway. Before I left he came back around to the truck an said that for me to get all I wanted of the straw today an saturday he will deliver the rest to me for sharing my plants with him. Says he rides by the house occasionally to see whats in bloom but never stops. So I invited him to take a tour anytime he wants to. I've been knowing him for years, but we hardly ever get the chance to talk. He's bought eggs from me before as well.

I got the truck unloaded and had enough to do 2 fairly good size bed, a tree, a rose and part of another huge rose bed. Its looking better already. I am hoping he has enough to do all the others which will amount to about 6 more loads, I think he will judging from his piles of straw he had here an there. Got busy watering all the newly planted plants and containers as well as the garden.

The baby chicks have been flying around in the pen and I keep looking for them either to get hurt or get out over the door where there is an opening. Its the smaller pen inside the large pen, but the fencing on the outter pen they could get out without much difficultly. So I clipped their wings hoping that will keep them landed a little better. The older chickens have been sporatic on laying, some days I get 8 an others who knows. Today I only got 3, but not complaining seeing how I have 6 doz in the fridge I need to do something with. I'll give my neighbor some tomorrow when I deliver his plants. Well thats life on the Lane for today.

Trudy's blog
May 6, 2007 | 1:45 PM PST
Tags: comfrey , eggplant , gourds , martin , fern , jasmine , pond , pinestraw , barrels , cotton

Got a few more things done around here,  repotted some houseplants an got them placed out in the beds.  Planted the green cotton plants.  The comfrey I traded for is coming along nicely.  A friend gave me  5 decent 1/2 barrel like containers,  I drilled some drainage holes in them.  Now just to get up enough soil to fill them with.  I got one done and planted 2 cotton plants 1 comfrey an 1 Thai Green Eggplant all in the first half of it.  Then sowed 3 hills of Martin Gourd seeds towards the back.  I've place it against a lattice trellis that I have jasmine growing on so the gourds will have something to climb on.   Either they make it or they don't,  if I care to much they won't do right.  

 I kept forgetting about the Australian Fern tree I bought that I had put in the bathroom weeks ago when we were still having chances of frost.  I finally got it out an repotted it, put it next to the pond.   I got the fountain back running for the pond and cleaned the screens of pinestraw.  The screens are to give the fish a safe haven from the blue heron that wiped out my fish a couple years ago.  Plus it helps keep some of the straw out of the pond.  So what that I can't see the fish most of the time, at least they are safe.