Haven’t been posting much about the garden lately. That tends to mean things are going poorly, but this time it’s just that I haven’t had much time to sit at the computer babbling. Things are going great in the garden! Well, sort of great. Warning … long post ahead!

The last of the winter plants are most definitely coming out of the ground either this evening or tomorrow. They’ve had their chance, and now all they are doing is taking up space and sucking up nutrients that could be going to something more important, like tomatoes. So this weekend, I’ll have almost a full bed to replant. Good thing I have some baby tomato plants almost ready to go into the ground! Those plus some more radishes and carrots should fill that bed nicely. It’s a shame the Brussel Sprouts never sprouted any edible bits. The plants are so healthy looking, but they just aren’t doing anything. Maybe I’ll leave one. The cauliflower, on the other hand, has been trying to make edibles, but mostly they seem to just be a breeding ground for leaf-eating caterpillars. They must go. Don’t even talk to me about the fava beans. All that blooming, and it looks like we might get a small pot of beans out of it. Ugh. Had hoped for more than that.

Now for the good news:

Last year I planted parsley and not a one of the seeds came up. Everyone warned me parsley was hard to get started, and I had followed the directions to soak the seeds and whatnot before planting, and still nothing. This year, I forgot to soak the seeds and couldn’t remember how deep to plant them, so I just stuck them in one of the mounds in large quantities hoping one or two would come up. It looks like they all have. So much for following instructions, huh? Last year I had no problem getting dill going, but this year, only two of the copious amounts of seeds I planted have come up. I’ll be sticking more in that mound, because I need lots of dill. Two plants just isn’t going to cut it. The radishes, marigolds, and nasturtium I planted in the other mounds are all doing great! At least we’ll have a few salad fixings (though edible flowers are still new to me).

The lettuce seems to be doing alright, but I think we’ll not be having fresh lettuce much longer. It all looks like it wants to go to seed RIGHT NOW. Sad, but a fact of Texas life. Most lettuce just doesn’t have a long growing season here. The arugula though has really taken off. Too bad I have discovered I am not all that crazy about arugula. Guess I’ll learn to like it. The head lettuce has come up, but I have no idea how well it’s going to do. Got a late start planting it, and it’s such a slow grower. Just have to wait and see what it wants to do.

None of the pepper seeds I planted have come up, so I’ll be replanting those. The pepper plant I bought is looking healthy but growing slowly. I don’t have much luck with peppers. Not terribly crazy about them either, so if I get enough to keep Lin happy, that’ll do. Though I will admit to being disappointed that none of the pepperoncinis came up. I do like them, and these were second generation seeds. I expected them to at least grow. Oh well. I’ve got more seeds.

The marigolds in the tomato bed have gone completely insane! The two that survived and bloomed all winter continue to be covered with flowers, and they are producing a load of nice, fat seeds … some of which have fallen down and replanted themselves, so now I have a whole bunch of baby marigolds too. Something will have to be done about these plants, because they are technically taking up too much room. But, they are SO pretty and they are the first flowering plants I have had such success with. I think I’ll cut them back a bit and maybe I can dig one out and move it. If not, oh well, they can take up space. Have to have something pretty to look at!

I’m having varying shades of success so far with the three tomato plants. My precious wild tomato is thriving and blooming and has a bunch of blooms on it as well as a couple tiny tomatoes. It’s looking really healthy, which makes me very happy. I intend this line of tomatoes to eventually be my showcase ‘maters. I have a bunch of seedlings from the second generation of that line to plant in the soon-to-be-cleared bed.^† The Better Boy plant sucks, but then I didn’t really expect it to not suck. It’s really not growing much at all, and seems like a waste of space. I’m not even sure why I bought the thing. I just have not had much success with Better Boys. The new hybrid I decided to try doesn’t even have a name. It’s a BHN 602, and from what I have been able to find out about it, it’s a commercial production tomato and will likely produce well … though it will also likely produce tomatoes of the sort one finds in the grocery store. Oh well, they have their uses too. The good news? It’s already got some ‘maters on it, so I’m glad I allowed a crazy hybrid into the garden.

Of the tomato seeds I planted, they all came up, so eventually there will be yellow pear tomatoes and maybe a couple of other heirlooms. I’ve already forgotten what I planted, but once they get more leaves and bloom, I’ll be able to identify them. There are also a few volunteer tomato seedlings that have popped up! Still too small for a proper identification, but from their location, I’d guess they are yellow pears. Though considering they may have arrived in my garden by bird poo, it’s possible it’s something I didn’t plant. Only time will tell!

The squash in the containers are all doing quite well. I suspect we will have a good amount of squash this year. Hope so! I’d like to put some away in the freezer for winter eating. We had some squash last year, but not enough to put back any. Those were patty pans. I didn’t have any of those seeds, so I bought a pack of zucchini for this year’s garden. I hear it’s impossible to not get too much zucchini since it grows like a weed. We shall see. I want tons of the stuff, because I love squash.

The new plowed area, which can’t really be called a bed yet, is a weed and fire ant infested nightmare. All the same, the walking onions, nasturtiums, and cucumbers are doing fine. The okra is doing fine too, but alas, a hoard of fire ants moved in right beside them, so I’ll be pulling up the seedlings, boiling the fire ants, and then replanting okra. I won’t have lost too much time, and okra loves heat, so planting it late should be OK.

Oh, and the pole beans are doing great too, as is that one lonely potato plant. Soon I’ll have to build one of my ridiculous bamboo trellises for the beans, and then we’ll all get to laugh at my awful building skills. There’s a bit of room under where the trellis will be going, so I could plant something that likes shade. I probably won’t bother, but maybe I’ll try sticking some head lettuce under there to see if that works for getting some late lettuce. Never know unless you try, and I have a gazillion lettuce seeds, so might as spread some around and see what happens.

Through a combination of laziness, lack of time, and almost continually too muddy yard, the corn area has not gotten tilled, and so … we won’t be expanding the garden that much this spring. I’m cool with that. It’s a little late now to be planting corn, and I wasn’t all that gung-ho about expanding the garden anyway. Let’s see if I can have one really great growing season before we go adding to my woes, yes? The garden is plenty big enough as it is for right now, and it is sure to keep me busy enough pulling weeds and killing bugs.

There then, that’s what’s been going on in the garden! Like I said, it’s been going pretty good. Not bad enough for me to complain about yet, anyway. If we keep getting regular rain like we have been, it looks like it might be an awesome season, except for the fact that the wet and somewhat mild winter now means tons and tons of weeds and bugs. Oh well, have to have something to do out there other than sit and watch the plants grow!

And now I think I’ll go put on some shorts, grab my gloves and tools, and go putter in the garden a while. It’s a beautiful day.

1. † And I plan to plant a couple of these seedlings around the yard for total ignoring. Anything that survives and produces tomatoes is a keeper. I still have no idea where that seed came from, as it isn’t any kind of tomato I’ve ever planted, but it’s definitely a wild and heirloom variety. Must keep the line going! [↩]

This is why I don’t kill every wasp on my property or spread poisons from one end of the property to the other. Everything in nature is useful in some way or another, even nasty wasps that I hate with a passion. Here’s one chowing down on a caterpillar that was chomping on my lettuce. One fewer I have to find and squish!

Yesterday sucked. There will be a post about it soon, just not today. Many of you have already heard about yesterday’s sucking anyway.

But the whole day didn’t suck. I was actually having a pretty decent day until evening came. I spent the afternoon out in the garden mixing dirt and filling pots and planters and getting some squash seeds in them. I knew it was going to rain today, and it’s always good to get seeds planted just before the rain comes. Seeds react to rain in ways they don’t react to watering. I think it has something to do with pH levels.

Anyway, things are popping up all over the garden! The scallions, dill, cucumbers, lettuces, arugula, tomatoes, pole beans, and peppers have all made an appearance, and that one lonely potato plant is thriving. Today I noticed the marigolds and nasturtium have come up as well as the wild walking onions. The fava beans finally have some beans on them too, and the last planting of winter carrots are looking great. The only real disappointments at the moment continue to be the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. I imagine none of those plants are long for this world. They had their chance, and they did nothing. I want to plant something else in those spaces (though what, I don’t know). Oh, and the tomato plants are looking good too! Really growing and already getting blooms. Early tomatoes, here we come!

The best thing is that the soil temperature is holding steady at 70ºF. That’s the magic number, and the longer it stays at that temp, the better for my plants. I don’t expect it to be that way too long, but I’m hoping for at least another month or two before the dirt starts getting warmer. The stronger my plants are before the awful heat sets in –and I am expecting awful heat again this year– the better they will do when summer hits.

The last thing that really needs to be done out there, other than clearing the weeds out of my walkways, is tilling up a spot for corn, okra, and onions. I’d hoped to do that today, but it’s raining and too wet, so maybe next weekend. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind not having corn this year. The garden has already been expanded in size with one new bed and all the containers. I’m not sure I really want it to be much bigger just yet. I love working in the garden, but I don’t really want it to be a full-time job, know what I mean?

In other news, I’m feeling like crap thanks to seasonal allergies and an absolutely insane amount of pollen in the air. Today’s rain helps a bit, but tomorrow it will just add mold spores to the mix. The pollen has been so thick lately, it can be seen floating in the air and it is covering everything with a fine greenish-yellow dust. Yuck. If it wouldn’t look completely ridiculous, I swear I’d start wearing a freaking filter mask every time I had to be outside. Some people do, but I’m too vain to look that silly in public. Instead, I’ll just be taking my pills and being loopy in the head (but breathing). Speaking of which, it’s time to go take one now. I can feel the wheezing and sneezing about to start again.^†

1. † I am so hoping this whole health care reform thing works out with me having decent health insurance. There are some new allergy shots that a lot of people are raving about, and I would like to give them a try, but without insurance, I’m pretty sure I can’t afford them. I don’t know what my life would be like without all these allergy problems, but I would seriously like to find out. In my imagination, my life becomes wonderful. LOL! [↩]

The only thing left to do is plow up some space for corn and okra, and replant stuff as the winter crops finish up. Almost done!

Except for dealing with the grass and weeds invading my walking spaces. OMG. The weeds. There’s no end to the weeds.

I’m finally starting to feel somewhat rested. The last few weeks have been hell, and with the insomnia episode for a couple weeks before that, I was seriously running on fumes when this week began. Not even fumes … running on willpower and a strong desire to get things done. But even though the last few mornings have been earlier starts than normal, I’ve managed to squeeze in some sleep here and there, and boy does it feel good to not feel like I am about to fall over at any minute.

Had a busy and interesting day. Went to the bank, which I needed to do weeks ago. I love my bank, because they are wonderful, but there’s only one –ONE– branch in Austin (and only two in the whole state), and it’s just a hassle to get over there. I’ve been going to that bank since I was a little girl, and never once had I walked behind the building to look at the dam. I mean, there’s the big huge hydroelectric dam right there, and I’d never bothered to check it out. Today, I finally decided to do that. There’s a neat little lookout area with a picnic table, so I sat there a while and just enjoyed the sunshine, cool breezes, and the sounds of splashing water. It was nice to take a break for a while after having had to deal with some insane highway traffic getting to the bank. I think I’ll plan ahead next time I have to go to the bank and take a snack and beverage and enjoy some time there listening to the world. Always good to take a moment now and then to just breath.

Since I hate the method by which the city planners decided drivers should get back on MOPAC North from Lake Austin Blvd., I always take Exposition north until I get to the next big street that heads to the highway. Enfield, maybe. I can’t look at street signs and drive at the same time, so I have no idea what street it is. Well, this time, I decided to see where Exposition went and skipped turning where I always turn. It’s a nice street to drive on through a very nice part of town, so why not? Eventually, I came to a stop light and the street beyond looked like it did something weird, so I went ahead and turned toward the highway to head to the grocery store. And thus begins an adventure.

I did not see how to get onto MOPAC, even though there had been a sign telling me there was some way to do so. No biggie, really. I’d just go to the next light, make a right turn, and then come at the highway from the other side. Uh huh. I ended up on some other unknown street that wound its way through an older (but nice) neighborhood, and then through a bunch of DPS offices and nursing homes … and road construction. It eventually came to a T-intersection, and I turned west to get back to MOPAC. A few blocks down the road, there was the sign with an arrow telling me MOPAC North was in that direction. I turned onto a really tiny little street and drove through yet one more old neighborhood tucked away among a whole bunch of trees. Suddenly, with no warning at all, I found myself on the highway. It was weird, but cool, and seeing as I was not the only one taking this strange route to MOPAC (and not everyone could possibly have been “lost” like I was), apparently it’s a hidden shortcut other people already know about.

So a whole lot of lackadaisical driving later, I was back on MOPAC and then on 183 and back in my ‘hood. Though I’d meant to stop at Target for coffee, I forgot and missed the exit. Oops. I was too lazy to bother going back, so I went ahead and headed to the grocery store for all our beverage and paper needs. The HEB was a madhouse of epic proportions, which is odd for a Tuesday afternoon. I actually had to circle the parking lot once to wait for a parking space –this never ever happens– and then when one opened up I had to prove I really do know how to drive a truck. Wow, that was a tight fit, but I wedged my truck between two other larger trucks and went about my shopping. Good thing I’m skinny or getting out of the truck would have been a pain. Hope the drivers of the other trucks were skinny too.

Since I didn’t have anything that required refrigeration, and because I was feeling up to more driving, I finally went to the Michael’s craft store to ponder what to spend my gift card on. It’s a pretty nice store. I hadn’t been in a Michael’s in quite a while, because the closest one isn’t all that close. Or rather … it’s just a bit off my usual path. They had plenty of artsy-crafty stuff to fondle, and I spent far too much time in the fabric department. I didn’t buy anything this trip, of course. I have to ponder what I want to get a little longer. I have decided to use my card to get some nice fabric to make something awesome, but what that awesome thing will be I’m not sure just yet. It’ll probably be either a dressy dress or this totally cool kimono-style jacket I recently bought a pattern for. I’m going to be watching their sales to see when the fabrics I looked at go on sale (probably sometime in April when dressy stuff always goes on sale). I never buy anything that isn’t on sale. I can be very patient.

When I finally got home again, I realized I’d been gone for most of the afternoon. My how time flies when one is idly driving around not being rushed! The sun came out again, so instead of doing the housework, which had been my plan, I went out to the garden, pulled some more weeds, and then planted some dill, parsley, radishes, nasturtium, and marigolds in the mound area, as well as sticking some garlic here and there in various empty spots in the beds. All the currently available growing space is now planted! Yeah! This weekend I’ll get Lin to till up the area I have selected for the corn, okra and onions, then there will be more planting. Eventually the planting will come to an end and the growing will begin. Well, actually, the growing has already begun.

As I hovered around the beds looking for weeds and bugs, I was very pleasantly surprised by all the seeds that are already coming up. There are seedlings everywhere! The most exciting appearance though was the sprouting of one of the two shriveled potato starts I had found hiding behind the stove ages ago. I don’t know that the other one will come up, but at least one of them did, so the Great Potato experiment continues. I hope we end up getting some to eat, but my main goal with that plant is to get new starts for next year and not lose that genetic line. Needless to say, I will be doting on that plant to make sure it survives and thrives. I only need about six potatoes from it, and anything else will be considered a bonus situation. And who knows, maybe that other one will sprout too. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Two plants would definitely be better than just one.

When the clouds started rolling in again, I did some of the mundane housework I’d been putting off, and then it was time to make dinner (meatloaf, garden salad, fruit salad, and steamed homegrown carrots). Lin got home, we ate, he watched the news, and then we passed out in the living room. If I think I’ve been tired lately, I can only imagine how tired Lin must be. He’s driven back and forth between Austin and Houston twice this week already and not had good days on the project there either. They are putting some equipment on a hospital roof, and if his ranting is any indication, the project is a pain in the butt. I’m sure he’ll be glad when it’s over and done with.

So that was my day yesterday. Kind of busy and annoying, because I’m still feeling droopy and wilted, but I had fun exploring Austin and seeing some new things. It’s so easy to get into a rut where I only go to the places I have always gone and only drive on the streets I have always driven on, and there’s so much more in this town to see. I think I’ll start exploring more often when I am out and about. It doesn’t waste too much gasoline or time, and who knows what I’ll find … like a picnic table beside a dam behind my bank or an interesting route north that avoids a lot of ugly highway driving and doesn’t take much longer to drive. I’m sure there are even better things to find, once I start looking!

It’s funny how the act of lawn mowing spreads through a neighborhood. Last weekend the Latinos and Garden Lady mowed, and Lin went out and mowed in Sunday too. Not because he really felt like mowing, but we didn’t want to be the last one on the street to mow.

See, none of us mowed all winter. There was never really a chance, because it rained and rained and rained and when it wasn’t actively raining, all our yards were soupy muddy places best left alone. There wasn’t much grass (or weed) growth all winter either, so it wasn’t too bad looking, until the temperatures warmed up, and then all of us had grand natural prairies with waving grass and weeds instead of lawns. Our street was getting so wild looking it was even beginning to bug me, and I have never been a person whose goal was to have a perfect lawn (I don’t even mind natural grasses and weeds, so long as they are pretty).

All week long the mowing has commenced down the street, because I am sure no one wants to be the last person left with an awful looking yard. Right now, I can hear at least three lawn mowers going. It’ll be interesting to see who is the last one left with a tall weedy lawn. Well, this time, it won’t be us for a change!

In other outdoor news, I am so well rested today I believe I will go putter in the garden for a while. I want to dump the dirt out of all my containers onto the large plastic tarp to a) let it dry out and b) mix it all together and add compost. I wasn’t sure what I was going to put in the containers, though I know I want to use them again this year to make the garden area a little larger without all that tilling. Since I totally forgot to plant squash (I don’t have any leftover seeds), I guess I’ll put a few squash plants in large pots. Then I can move them around and see where they like it best. They didn’t like where I planted them last year. While everyone else was swimming in squash, I was thankful for the few small pots we got to eat and always wishing for more. Maybe I’ll have better luck with them in containers.

Oh, and I needn’t have carefully planted any basil the other day. The newest weed in my garden area? Basil. Oh … my … god. It’s coming up everywhere! I saw all these tiny things sprouting and thought some new weed had invaded my growing space, but I also noticed it looked an awful lot like baby basil plants. So I pulled one up and sniffed it. Yup … basil. I’m going to leave as many of them as I can without it bothering the other plants, and I’ll probably be putting some in small pots for friends and family. Everyone will be enjoying some basil this year!

Also, my marigolds are blooming like crazy! I thought they would die off during the winter. In fact, I did nothing at all to protect them and fully intended to replant them this spring. But there are two of them out there looking healthy and awesome. They are way too large now for the space they are in, but I tried to dig one up to move it and it’s going to be impossible. I guess they like it where they are, and so they get to stay there. Whenever we get that awful front flowerbed cleared out, I am filling it with nothing but marigolds and irises. Apparently even I can’t kill these plants, and they are pretty.

The coffee is really kicking in now, so I’m going to go grub around in the dirt for a while and get a few more things done out there. It’s a little too muddy to deal with clearing out the mound area, but I can at least empty those containers and get the pole beans planted in the now ant-free potato bed. Yippee!

Must remember to get squash seeds. Can’t believe I forgot about squash!

I was moving at a the pace of an elderly snail by the time I started pulling the sprinkler to the new area to water in the seeds, but the new bed is cleared and planted! I would have trudged through finishing up the potato bed and planting something there too today, but a) I want to make darn sure those fire ants are dead, dead, dead and b) I don’t know what to plant there. Probably the pole beans. It’d be a good place for them at the back of the garden so they won’t shade anything else.

Planted today: three okra (my own saved seeds), two lemon cucumbers and three bush cucumbers (yes, trying them one more year), twelve walking onions, and an assortment of Calendula (marigolds) and Nasturtium (edible florals). Once these are well established, I’ll be filling in the nooks and crannies in between them with carrots, radishes, and scallions. Lots of good stuff!

I have to admit that as soon as I turned the sprinkler on and stood back and looked over my garden empire, I found myself smiling and happy. There’s still some work to be done out there before I declare the garden totally up and running for the season, but it looks so much better out there already. I think later I might haul the lounge chair pad out to the lounge chair and sit and watch my plants grow for a while. Why, I might even enjoy a fruity cocktail too! It’s amazing what some weeding and ant killing can do to improve my state of mind about my garden. I’m no longer depressed about it! I can’t wait to be spending hours and hours out there again!

But not today and likely not until next week. I am so damn tired. Not all over tired, but my shoulders, arms, and hands have declared themselves on vacation until Monday. Even typing feels impossible. It’s a good tired though and not a sore tired, proof of a few days of honest hard work. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger … or at least gets us back into shape after an inactive winter.

I think I’ll go eat my leftovers from last night’s dinner and flip through my gardening catalogs. I need to think about some other things to plant, seeing as soon the last of the winter veggies will be going away, and that leaves me with almost an entire bed to fill. Woo hoo! New stuff to try!