What Did You Do In Your Garden Today?

[897tgigvib]

Lesa, why don't you all move to northern California?

Believe it or not, today while I was sweating warm, one of the campers mentioned what a chilly day it is. It was about 75 degrees! I succeeded at not laughing, I mean she's nice and all, but to be cold when it's 75 degrees, and heck, she's only 30 or so.

 

[digitS']

You should be careful about such a general term as "northern California," Marshall.

Lesa might end up in Crescent City. There must not be any town in coastal California with less sunlight & warmth, and that's saying something.

I would be driven out of my mind living there!

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

yea you're right Digit!

How many upstate New Yorks could fit into Northern California?

 

[digitS']

As forewarned -- I am back for some on-topic editing . . . 'cept, I didn't make it to a garden today :/. Instead, I spent much of the afternoon in the greenhouse up-potting tomatoes from 4-packs to 3 " pots. It rained and continues to rain.

It is great to have some more heated growing space! Usually about this time, I have become "jaded" - that should be the correct term. It gets so that I see so many tomato plants suffering from being crowded and root bound, my response to their misery gets slower and slower. I mean, if I give them more room - where am I going to put them?

I really don't have anywhere to put them at the moment until I can move some of cool-season plants out of the hoop house but, that should be in just a couple of days. The Sweet 100's, Sungolds and Buissons that I moved from 48 plants/flat to 18 plants/flats are just at the right moment and they can sit on the greenhouse floor for awhile and recover from having their roots disturbed. Soon, they will have not only more soil and room but plenty of sunlight!

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

That was someone else who decided the line between southern california and northern california should include over half of southern california.

The northmost boundry of Sacratomato is where the line should go east west. (I was born in Sacramento and raised in mostly Santa Rosa, but neither of those megalopises feel like north california anymore. Ya see, northern california is a feeling.

Actually, I'd be even more of a purist. Not just create a northern california with that artificial straight line that just excludes santa rosa and sacramento, but then, I'd create yet another smaller state! Kind of an odd balloon shape that has for a southern boundry point, Upper Lake, Just touching into Clear Lake to get the Pomo reservation there and the historical sites, extending and expanding northward into the Mendocino National forest, Pillsbury, the Eel headwaters and the Snow and Yuki wildernesses, Round Valley, into the Trinity and then west to the ocean, a margin south of Eureka. A portion of the Sonoma County and Mendocino county coast would also be included here.

=====

Ok, back on topic!

Today I'll be planting Beans. I will also be planning and perhaps cutting parts for to frame up 2 beds. 2 beds need framing up bad. I prepared the soil so high on them, and it is so fluffy, like a house of cards. Frame them up and fill the edges.

It got down to 49.9 this morning. I know, that's warmer than the highest temperature of the afternoon for some of the northerners. I've been there. 21 years. Came back.

 

[digitS']

On-topic: today, I have to make arrangements for a 1500watt heater in that new hoop house/shed! Otherwise, I bet it is 37 in there tomorrow morning. I've lost tomato plants at that temperature before!

Off: Haha! Marshall . . . . Don't you know that it can work both ways? I had often wondered why northern Idaho is so skinny! A few years ago, I decided to do a little historical research. It seems that the federal government wanted the Washington territorial government taking responsibility for the land all the way to the continental divide. The legislature in Olympia said, "Nope. We have no interest in that region. Our focus is on setting up the Puget Sound as a Pacific Ocean port." Or, words to that affect.

Disinherited stepchild . . . heck's fire, even the name "Idaho" was an invention of people in Colorado! It was meant to apply to the region bounded on the north by the Sawtooth, Lost River and Lemhi Mountain ranges. In other words, the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho. The Mormons of Utah were all for it. Nobody cared about northern Idaho.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Digit, I heard another story somewhere about why the panhandle of Idaho is so skinny, regarding that it was originally intended to include some of northwest Montana.

Seems a Senator wanted to be a big shot or something and got the president drunk and convinced him to make Montana bigger by taking some of Idaho. I don't know...

Today in my garden I got the framing of the big tall bed good and started. There's quite a bit to it, especially since the bar on my chainsaw had gotten pinched a few weeks ago and i did a screwdriver repair, but I got it going again. Took down a pecker pole, nice. Landed bingo where I wanted. Cut it into mostly 8 foot lengths, used my lawn tractor and a rope I spent 20 minutes unknotting. Slip drag knot around a length, drag to my garden, set up on the bollard things. Found a dead log, debarked it, cut it into arm length pieces for uprights, dug holes for them, sunk them. 8 of them. Cut each length to the right lengths after measuring, doggoned bar won't make an accurate cut, need a new one, Use front of chain to fine tune the cut, carried into garden, set, and double or triple toe nailed in each. Got 6 lengths in. Need 10 more lengths or so depending on thickness.

Kinda tired from bucking up to it all day, but more tomorrow.

Did not get seeds in today.

Also maintained the burn pile today as yesterday, 2 rounds yesterday, one today. Realized I forgot to eat today. At least i had coffee.

 

[peteyfoozer]

The turkeys and I spent the last two days hoeing and pulling some little weeds hoping to get ahead of it this year. It's really hard to get down and do that for me anymore. The turkeys don't accomplish much, but they are awfully good company. They follow me everywhere I go. I headed thru the gate into the sheep pasture leaving them in the end of the garden and they sat down and waited for me to come back!

I got the herb bed mostly cleaned out, most of the flower garden and have yet to weed out along the long rock wall. Raked sixty-eleven bazillion tons of leaves onto the grass and got DH to run the lawnmower over them and mulch most of it up. Now I can rake it and carry it to the garden or somewhere and mulch it all in. There was an earthworm the size of an eel in there. Happy little guy!

Put some tomatoes in gallons today, they have to wait in the greenhouse 4 more weeks. The tomatillo i started already has flowers on it, and I got one of the two rosemary's in a gallon container. They are going to have to live in the greenhouse year round, I'm tired of losing them! Started hardening off the brocolli and cauliflower. Hope I am doing it right. Setting them outside by day and back in by night.

Storm coming in. Looks like tomorrow might be another day of not being able to get up. Will have to catch up when high pressure comes again.

 

[thistlebloom]

I love your little turkey "puppies" Petey! They sound so fun.
My tomatoes are still midgets. I haven't even got them into their individual pots yet. You got a lot done, hope the low pressure doesn't beat you up too bad.

 

[vfem]

Petey, this is why I CAN'T have turkeys! I would get a attched, they'd become my little buddies and we'd be having tofu for Thanksgiving from now on.