A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Garden Chores

Well Tk now you have something to look forward to tomorrow! All my work is done, so I made arrangements to go to mom and pops and do some yard work there! What an idiot I am! What did ya get anything pretty for Lady Huh?

Well yesterday I managed to get out there and make a temporary compost heap to store the grass clipping until I can figure out what to do with them and now it's time to get out there and sweep up the grass that I missed. Which I noticed that there was a bunch of around the bin. Soooooo of I go. Talk to you later.

Everything is swept up so I think I am all caught up for the moment lol. Hope the bin heats up this time. Take care.

Good Job TK. I spent the day shopping with my momma, she wants new curtains! We are going to have to go back out and look again no place had enough to cover her windows. I am wore out but it was a nice day! I drug her to the library too! She was so surprised when she went in! Our library has a whole floor dedicated to children. Rocking chairs by windows with flowers and bean bag chairs, big floor pillows for them to sit on. A wall with a huge bug collection on it, and a little stage area for puppet shows and a box full of puppets. I love it there and so do my kids. My mother did too. Hopefully I can get her to go a little more often. More library and less walmart! lol No yard work today!

It sounds like a wonderful day. Glad you and your mom had such a nice day.

Well today I finally planted the Hollyhocks I wanted to get in this year. I was suprised at how much work it took to get the soil moist. I definitely need to get some of those water-keep pellets. That will make it much easier to keep my plants happy. Even the compost gets dry and then doesn't want to absorb much moisture. But while I was planting the Hollyhocks I ran into some of the wild garlic that I thought hadn't sprouted. I'm very happy to see it there. Hopefully I didn't bother it to much and it will continue to grow.

I cleaned out the truck today! Since hubby and I switched vehicles it needed cleaned! It is so clean now and looks great. Hubby said ewwwwwww looks like a girls truck. How is that since I only cleaned it and took the spitoon out. MEN!

Other then that we went to the park and beach and had a picnic, with my neighbor/best friend! Then we came home and flew kites. Its great to be a mommie! It was a great sunny day! Decided to enjoy it to the fullest!

sounds like a really great idea. Glad you had a wonderful day.

darn the post just went lunar. And I'm about to go ballistic. Grrrrrrh!!!!!

As I started to say. I've been a very busy girl. I harvested some portulaca seeds. I transplanted some portulaca so that I can try to overwinter them inside. I got a package of seeds put together to send off. Missed the mailman but they are ready for the next time he comes by. I guess that will be tuesday lol.

Tommy says he'll be by between 2 and 4 to pick me up for a grocery run that would be swell if it happens.

And I separated out some seeds so that I could package them up and add them to the seed exchange room. I'm not finished with that chore so I haven't done it yet but I'm getting there. And of course now I have that pile of assorted unidentified seeds that fall to the bottom of your seed storage space over time. Any ideas what I am suppose to do with those? I just can't seem to throw them away. Maybe this fall I'll just toss them on the ground of the part of the weed patch i'm not allowed to garden. If they grow it's not my fault right? lol I'm bad lol.

Woohoo turned the compost today and it is looking so good. I was afraid it was going to be a big problem since I was short brown. But it's comming along nicely inspite of not generating the amount of heat I had hoped for. And yesterday my landlord brought me another load of grass and dumped it on the extra pile I started so that's great. I mixed it in with what I had already and will see what happens. The weed/brush killer I got seems to be working on the smaller minosa trees which is a really good thing. It also seems to have accidently killed the neighbors blackberry and strawberry plant. Oh well. Planting them in amongst the weeds I guess you have to expect that.

Wheeew what a day! Got the kids fort repaired. It needed to be redone on the sides because they were useing it like a ladder to climb on the roof. Now it runs up and down on the walls so no ladder effect! Built my compost bin (about time huh). Weeded the flower beds and Made a bench to put beside the fort. We covered one whole side of it with those rock things to make a rock wall outta it. The kids loved it. Got 2 of the 4 trellis's put in for next years morning glory garden! I just love this weather here lately! Also weeded the cracks from grannys drive way so we can seal it in a few weeks. I think I am going to go to menards and see if there is something we can put in those cracks to fill them in before we seal it this time. She so hates the weeds poking up through them, it doesnt look too good I must confess.

Did you use the weed killer that is suppose to keep them away for a year? Or you might think about pouring some boiled salt water down there. I'll tell you the salt vinegar dishsoap weed killer really ran off the weeds they haven't been back in that bed at all and I had a bunch. Of course it hasn't been anywhere near a year yet so who knows right?

The portulaca held their flower and extra day when I moved them inside and seem to be doing fine. I am really pleased. Woohoo. lol. I'm such a nut.

Sounds like you completed some very ambitious plans yesterday. Good for you. I just noticed it's getting close to noon and I haven't had breakfast yet. I need to get going on something I think.

Well my chores where the inside types of chores today lol. I was looking up all of the types of seeds I have to find out when and how I should plant them. Needless to say I want to be ready when fall gets here so that I can spend day after day planting. I am soooooooo looking forward to that. Just call me crazy I guess. So far I have seven different types of seeds that I want to try fall planting with they are:

Portulaca
Celosia 2 different variety
Miniature snapdragons 3 different variety
Columbine of many different colors
Lobelia "Crystal Palace"
Alpine Sea Holly
Bells of Ireland

I'm so excited about it I'd like to run outside and plant them right now but I have to wait on the compost and the weather to get just a little colder. But Just a couple more weeks and I can start on them. Woohoo!!!!!

Today I filled the compost bin about half way up with brown and some green. I think I am going to have to add more green though. I raked leaves from the neighbors yard to put in it. They had one tree that was just brown and orange and it had a ton of leaves under it. I got quite a few. I had a dog cage for a large dog, I filled it with the leaves and placed it beside the bin so as I add some green or table scraps I can throw some in as well. I bet the neighbors are gonna love me. It looks nice and tidy though. Not like I have a pile of leaves sitting there they are all contained.

I sealed the back patio for the season and want to do it once again before winter. I think I may get some bids on some concrete work to enlarge it a little more. It is currently 16ft by 18ft I think I would like to add another 8ft on each side make it 24 x 26ft. You can never have enough patio space. I need to do it now before I start planting around it this coming spring. So many wants so little funds. If I do the patio I will have to skimp on the greenhouse I want. Poooh! But the patio will help increase the value of the house, which is important! Need to make wise choices! Sniff Sniff........Maybe mom and dad will fund some of the greenhouse for christmas. They are sending sister and brother in law away for 3 day trip. Half the greenhouse won't cost near as much! Now how to go about asking hummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Dear Santa letter ya think? I swear mom and dad I still believe!

LOL that's cute. I'm sure your mom and dad would probably get a kick out of that as well. I would try it on a very pretty although young looking large christmas card. What do you think?

I'm not much into patios I like the idea of a solarium on the southern facing side of the house and a mudroom between the outside and the backdoor into the house but that's about it. And a solarium really isn't that different from a greenhouse except one side is a shared wall between the house and outside. And it's easier to have piped in water if there is a spigot on that side of the house. Plus it adds a layer of protection from the weather so that you loose less heat/cooling. Anyway that's just me.

We will eventually close in the patio and make it a sun room if I have it my way or a game room if hubby gets his way. But I try to do imporvements a little at a time so as to increase the value of the house without hurting our pocket book.......The cost of liveing is doing that for us lately. But since my hubby gets paid weekly and our budget is set up for 4 pay periods a month that leaves an extra check every few monthes and when it doesnt go to pay a hospital or doctor bill it goes in to the house. A little at a time slowely but surly. In the mean time I just count my blessing for what I am fortunate enough to have.

As far as the christmas card good thinking. Maybe I otta use a crayon to write the letter in it. Lol I am rotten!

I think a crayon is the perfect writing instrument. And form the letters kinda crooked lol. That would just be great wouldn't it.

Have a good night.

Well other than watering the seeds I've planted so far all the rest of the work has been planning and research. Not exactly outdoorsy stuff. I had no idea this much brain work went into gardening. Hope no one reads that and takes exception lol. But you know what I mean I hope. Which plant can you plant in your zone, what kind of care does it need to sprout and then what care does it need once it's mature and then how long does it live and then how long does it bloom for and that's just the beginning of what I need to know before I decide if and where I want to put one little seed. Geeeeeeeeeeeeee whizzzzszzzz!!!

And my other project is trying to get at least one portulaca of each color that I have indoors for the over winter experiment. So far I know I have the following colors:

White
Light Yellow
Dark Yellow w/red splotch
Pale Pink/peach
Mid pink
Dark Pink/fusia
Dark Orange

I know I have a red one some where. But if I've captured it it hasn't bloomed since I brought it indoors. I really really hope this works.

Well the streaker came and got me to show me where some volunteer portulaca were trying to survive in some curb dirt from last years plants. So I dug them out and moved them over into the garden with the other ones. They are much smaller than the ones in the garden bed but they also have many many more branches. Anyone know why?

watering today and day dreaming about a greenhouse for the winter! To be honest their is not alot of garden work to do around here this time of year. I will be decorating outside here in a few weeks for fall. We put up corn stalks and some bails of hay with pumpkins and gords around them. I just love fall! I simply cannot wait for all the beauty to fill my yard. (beauty = orange yellow and red leaves) lol

What are you planning on doing with the portulaca indoors this winter? I purchased some beautiful portulaca flower seeds for next year. Did you start yours from seed, or did you purchase plants? I am curious as to how long it will take a seed to mature and fill my containers out front.

I started my portulaca indoors last year from seed. They didn't grow as fast as I would have liked but that might have been my fault. I have a hard time remembering when to fertilize. And I still have many that are a single stem. Or are just barely beginning to branch now. I think I need a master gardener next door so that I can get a good look at the plant spacing I should have used so they wouldn't have gotten so crowded. I have a real problem with that. I would like the garden to look very full so I crowd things and it just causes them to look sickly and spindle. Does that qualify as live and learn?

seeds, fertilizing, spacing, learning...
hooper, you have busted your butt this summer with your plants, and I am so impressed.
Just wanted to tell you that.

Cindy

Hey Cindy,

Thank you so much for your kind words. I must say that you and the other members made it 100 times more enjoyable. I've really had fun every step of the way since I had you all to share it with. Today I took some dryed cherry tomato seeds and put them in the last seed envelope you sent me. And I can say that everyone that was involved with the failed overseas shipment of seeds has now been responsible for starting a number of gardens this year. So out of a booboo comes a good thing. I should have kept track of how many gardens got a boost through the seeds that were sent but I didn't think of it until it was tooooooooo late.

So here is the list of seeds I felt I just had to buy today. I am sooooooo bad.

Sparkler Allium Mix
Impatiens rose Parade Hybrid Series - Red
CELOSIA MIX
DUSTY MILLER SILVER
SALVIA MIX
SNAPDRAGON MIX
CORAL BELLS RUBY BELLS
CORAL BELLS, NEWEST HYBRIDS
CHRISTMAS rose
LOBELIA, CARDINAL flower
SALVIA X SUPERBA, BLUE QUEEN

I hope at least some of them survive. Have you noticed that burpees just cannot keep seeds in inventory? I thought swallowtail and 2bseeds had more in stock. Although once people find them they will probably be without also. I just wanted to get them now because the stores around here have already stopped selling seeds and potting soil and compost and won't start until April 2006 which is way to late as I found out this year. But I'm ahead of them this time lol.

Gardencrazy sent me pond plants that multiplied so much I have sent them to I don't know how many people...and they still keep multiplying!
I say "PASS IT ON!"

I think I can arrange for some more seed packs.....

Cindy