In the Garden

I was very excited when the previous owners of our house left the raised garden beds. We have two of these metal beds, and I would like to add more. But I am a cautious unskilled gardener so I figure start with what you have and keep busy planning out more for next year. 

When the weather turned nice I so wanted to buy and plant all of the things. But my inner farmer's daughter told me it was way too early. Early April or late March is still too early even in New Mexico. But I planted some cold/cool weather seeds, and I held off for a few more weeks. I figured a few flowers wouldn't hurt me .

Then the urge overcame me, mid May should be pretty safe, right? I have all my pots from the last house sitting here empty and forlorn. Surely mid May is safe?

I pottered and planted to my heart's content.

Then I added much because we live in New Mexico and I need to learn how to water better.

 This year I am trying three types of tomatoes, a tomatillo, three types of peppers, six zucchini plants, two types of snow peas given by a friend, some swiss chard, nasturtiums, and beans from seeds I had leftover from Oregon. 

As we can see clearly I should plan the layout better and I have room to possibly plant some other things but I've got enough to learn from for the time being. So nice to have my hands back in the soil and growing again.

New Love

So a while ago my backyard looked like this. Super unusual for where we live in Oregon. Don't worry the Rosemary survived. She is tough like the rest of the Yarnkettle household. Oh heck we may as well be British sounding today, Yarnkettle Cottage. I do so love the sound of that.

Last year at this time I was busy healing my broken parts. I was busy knitting myself back to health and plain old knitting my yarn too. I was fretting about the virus like many others and trying not to plan and dream about my garden. 

This year I am so in! The snow came to town and I started thinking maybe I could add gardener, or as I like to think of it Proud Plant Momma to my list of skills. I checked out some books and started thinking I would like to try my hand at starting seeds inside. I was immediately intimidated. Did you know some seeds only germinate in darkness? Would I be put on some sort of watchlist if I bought grow lights? Did you know you can use an ordinary fluorescent bulb as a grow light? (Me neither but it works!) 

I started saving up TP rolls, put in my first order to a seed company, and made a run to my local Feed and Seed store. Yep we have one of those. Being a farmer's daughter I could not resist supporting a business called CowPots. It is made from just what you think, but they do not smell. So it is not quite the true farming experience. 

I consulted multiple websites for an estimated last day of frost for where I live. That was not terribly productive. My answers ranged from March 15 to April 15.  So being a pessimist I added two weeks to the last date and decided to figure on planting the end of April. Then I consulted the seed packets and yowsa I got a move on. (I think I should have thought a little harder about it but heck what is a anxious girl to do other than experiment?)

I cannot express how happy it makes me to see green things growing that I planted. Yeah I started some stuff too early but I am trying to figure out how I can just get an indoor crop. Plus it is an experiment, if all I do is learn what not to do that is useful too. 

I have pricked out and potted on my tomatoes and tomatillos. I have learned about cotyledons and true leaves. I may even be obsessively watching Gardeners' World, but that is more of a nice calm antidote to the world we live in. 

I will admit that yesterday was the first Friday in a month that I did not take a trip to the Feed and Seed. I will further admit that I also bought and assembled a short tent greenhouse. I even managed to tie it down effectively. Look at me learning. 

And this week I woke to more frosty than not frosty days so I am going to hold off starting more than I can handle right now. But I am trying to figure out how I can pot on and fill some window sills. Anyone else concerned I am going to go plant something after this? Me too.

Poor hubby has been encouraging through the process but admitted to having a dream where a friend of ours started plants. His waking thought was damn it, not her too!

Never fear hubby dear you're going to love my tomatoes as much as you love me.

 

Growing, Shrinking, Growing.

How does my garden grow? Well that is a topic for another post but I can tell you how it started. This year we decided to try a couple of new things. First added some topsoil to our existing plot and made it more square than round. We planted five or six tomatoes of various kind to keep it interesting.  A few marigolds to help with bug control. You now I may need to stop saying I dislike orange and yellow. I really like marigolds and orange socks now.

We've got a couple of pepper plants, rosemary (vermin prevention) and basil, because who can resist the smell of basil?


Second tryout this year is container tomatoes. We bought the near one already growing and planted the far two. You should see them now, they're all stretching their heads over the lattice work, craning to see who has the better view.

And speaking of growing and shrinking. I started knitting the Honey Cowl in some Madelinetosh DK yarn. While I liked how it was coming out I though maybe the bigger loop would look better. So I ripped it back.

I knit a few inches on the longer one and did not like the way the yarn was pooling, so I ripped back. And knit the same thing twice now. Good think I still think it is beautiful.

Amazing how the lighting affects the color isn't it? I bet this will feel nice this winter. Now I just need to know if it is to my sister's liking. Although Kisknit said she would take if off my hands if it was not to my sister's liking. That woman is a saint I tell you. The sacrifices we make for our knitting friends. (Hee Hee)

Not all knitting

I've been told that Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend in May, is the time to plant in NY. Well the last couple of years I've missed that date, and the weekends after it too. So the last couple of years our tomatoes have been from the store. Yes, I know I am hanging my farmer's daughter head in shame. Life sometimes it moves way too quickly for me.

This year we were in NC so I knew I would miss it yet again. I hoped I would go get some plants the weekend after we got back but nope that did not happen. 

Luckily we decided to go to the farmer's market the weekend after that and we found tomato plants! They were even good sized and healthy looking, yay. We dug up the grass and put in tomatoes.

We bought four different kinds and brought them home to plant while it was misting. Now I love trying different kinds and D just wanted some tomatoes so he let me choose. We have...well shoot now I forgot. There's an Amish one, a purple one, Sweet 100s and another one. I'll have to look again next time I'm out there. We plant them sideways to give them more of a root base.

Look what a difference a week makes.

The all figured out which way was up and started growing. D is so enthused he has been researching how to grow tomatoes and has a couple of sites bookmarked. He's taking out his water bottles to make sure they get the recommended water amount. He's looking into pest control. That reminds me I need to buy some cheep beer to control the slug situation.

I asked him the other day if he was talking to them to make them grow more, but he said he was not. I guess that is better than telling them to grow faster so he can eat their babies. Yikes that would sound scary to a plant!