Seed Savers Journal

[maskedsonnet]

Me too!! I was very sick at the beginning of 2020, which gave me some breathing and stamina problems (which resulted in a much-neglected and unsuccessful outdoor garden last year). Even over a year later I still don’t quite have my wind back, though I’m doing a lot better. So I got started early in prepping the outdoor area, a little at a time! I’m hoping if I adopt a “do a little everyday” type schedule instead of the weekend warrior style I used to have I’ll be able to keep up.

[Sher]

I am simply aging and can't do the weekend warrior thing anymore.

Unfortunately, I am spending so much time and energy on my indoor projects that the outdoor plans are getting neglected. I plan to grow all my cool season crops that can't survive summer heat and humidity indoors this year -- mainly Chinese veggies and lettuce.

I must get flowers, peppers and tomatoes going outdoors, at least!

[Shawn]

Get those outdoor stuff growing. 

[campingcorgis]

I'm sorry to hear that 2020 started out with you being sick!  Glad that is behind you, mostly!  

I use "Tasks" on my computer for many, many tasks!  LOL.  Let's face it, life can get busy!  Good, bad or otherwise.  And, I know we talked about "reminders" in the past...LOL.  A number of years back, I switched from house slippers to shoes that serve a similar purpose.  Why?  After a couple of times of being out and about & looking down to discover I was still wearing my slippers, I figured I need to do something different!  LOL.  At least this way, if I forget to change to shoes, no one but me realizes the error?  There's no way to use a "reminder" to change shoes...but you can use them for lots of other useful things, to stay on top of things!  

I'm sure you know that...just a reminder.  

[maskedsonnet]

Oh yeah, I love being able to set alarms on my phone!! Much easier to keep up with than the old days of having a daily planner to write things down in, because the planner never made a noise at me when it was time to do something!

I don’t like being barefoot but I also don’t like the way slippers feel when I walk so I have a pair of flats to wear around the house, and occasionally wander out of the house in. Funny how easy it is to forgot what’s on your feet until you’re driving down the road wondering why the gas pedal feels like it’s in the wrong spot!

[Sher]

Apr 9, 2021 11:25:40 GMT -5 maskedsonnet said:

I don’t like being barefoot but I also don’t like the way slippers feel when I walk so I have a pair of flats to wear around the house, and occasionally wander out of the house in. Funny how easy it is to forgot what’s on your feet until you’re driving down the road wondering why the gas pedal feels like it’s in the wrong spot!

 I've done that, too. 

 I've also left the house without a bra and had to make a quick run back to the house!

[maskedsonnet]

Lol same, but at least in those cases I’ve only gotten as far as the garage before realizing I’m not fully dressed!

[campingcorgis]

Uh, oh...we might need to switch this to a "true confession" thread...   Glad I'm not the only one!  And, when I ask my hubby, "why didn't you tell me!?"  He says, "What?  You're always wearing those!"

[maskedsonnet]

Lettuce is getting bigger!



And most of the seeds have come up for the outdoor garden!

[Sher]

Looks great! Your green thumb is showing!

[maskedsonnet]

Had to move some of these guys around, the squash plants were shading some of the pods so they weren't getting enough light! Moved three of them to the sprout to wait out this last little cold snap:



And shifted around the wanna-be squash plants so they won't shade anything when they finish breaking free of the seeds! Only 1 tomato seed pod hasn't germinated (Cipolla's Pride), but I'm still holding out hope for it. Of the 6 okra seeds planted only 2 have germinated (both longhorn, which is what my Dad grows. It does well in this region). I have no idea how long okra usually takes, as I've never grown it on my own - just helped harvest and eat what Dad grows!

[maskedsonnet]

The lettuce look tastier every day!! It's doing really well in the buckets



As for the outdoor plants, I had a mass die-off. 4 of the buttercup squash plants and 1 tomato plant are ALL that survived of the starts (the established container plants that got moved were all fine). The rest of the tomatoes and the 2 okra are dead. And I'm honestly pretty baffled, I've never had that happen before - I hardened the plants off for a few days like I always do and the soil stayed nice and moist - we did have the temp jump up to 90 then plummet back to the 40s the day after I planted everything, so that may have shocked them? Anyways, when I wake up this afternoon I'm going to run down the street to the Ace to pick up some starter plants to fill out the containers that died. Bleh. 

[Sher]

I bet it was the cold. So sorry, maskedsonnet.

[maskedsonnet]

Ah well, I knew it was a risk planting in April, but I can never seem to resist! The growing season seems so short if you don't, we've had hard freezes as early as mid-October and as late as the last day of April. I know that's nearly 6 months, but I always feel like my garden is really getting GOOD by then. I like it best when the weather holds off until early November, when everything is perfectly ripe and harvested and I'm not having to leave things on the counter to ripen up - but it's been a couple years since I've gotten that lucky. Maybe winter will do me a solid and be mild this year!

[Shawn]

Sorry some of your plants died off.  Will you replant?

[maskedsonnet]

Apr 29, 2021 8:03:30 GMT -5 Shawn said:

Sorry some of your plants died off.  Will you replant?

I will, but it’ll be with store-bought plants, it’s a bit too late to start over with seeds.

[campingcorgis]

Oh dear, I'm so sorry maskedsonnet!  But I'm glad you are able to bounce back quickly and replant!  

Yesterday, we visited a nursery that we've not visited before.  In the PNW most nurseries are only open a few months of the year.  This one, we forget about until it is too late.  So, yesterday, we made a point to just go and walk thru it.  I thought is was a tiny place, and they seemed to specialize in pansies.  But, surprise!  There are a number of green house buildings that aren't visible from the street and they have just about everything and anything that will grow in the PNW!  

If you have any of those "family" places around, maybe check one out?  They can be fun!

[maskedsonnet]

There is a little family-type place that sells plants here, but every time I go they don't have any vegetable plants. They do mostly ornamental plants and lawn decor, lots of cool stuff in there!

[campingcorgis]

That's too bad about the veggie plants at the nursery!  They had at least 2 huge greenhouses with all kinds of veggies.  The 2nd building had many, many tomato plants.  Some of the hanging plants already had tomatoes on them.  Green, but still, tomatoes almost ready for the table!  I was quite surprised and the prices were decent too.  But, they didn't have anything that screamed, "I would make a great Mother's Day gift!"  So, we didn't buy anything.  Mom loves plants and she's very good with them too.  Very green thumb!

[maskedsonnet]

Sounds like an amazing store! Places like that make me homesick, Lubbock has lots of cool places with all sorts of veggie plants, but I’m never up for a 2 hour drive just to get plants, I have to already be visiting my parents to get plants there lol