Quiet Sunday

Finally getting to where I can get out again for a bit. Taking a short break because it's muggy as all heck - the humidity is ridiculous and the temps are near 90F, so doing anything for more than 30-45 minutes at a time is just not happening. I did get photos taken (I hope I can remember what is what because my photos of the labeled stakes just did not come out at all) of what is up right now, at last. I'm finally starting to get something of a garden going, though it's still got a long ways to go before I can get anything to eat from it.

So what I got done was to unearth a 5-gallon bucket with a cracked bottom for hauling up some of the humanure to dump into the bottom of the beds as I get them going piece by inch. I figure that on the bottom half and top off with good topsoil will give my plants a really good start in life and allow them plenty of yummy stuff for their roots to grow down into. I also found three old tires fairly near the house with no rims in the middle yet and rolled them up to be new beds for the Arkansas Traveler tomatoes, which desperately need to be shifted around a bit. They've got a lot of blooms and I want them to have loads of room for root development. And as I type, Smudge has curled up next to me, purring up a storm, begging for attention. Do you know how difficult it is to type one-handed, because the other on automatically sneaks off to pet the cat? *laughing*

So, photos of what is what, and I hope I get them all right, lol.

#1 - If you look hard in this one, you can just see (front to back) marigolds, snapdragons and sweet peas popping up. They are REALLY tiny at this point but poof, there they were one day!

#2 - The three Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce that came up. I'm going to be picking leaves as they grow for salads later, and let them go to bolt so I can save the seed. Since I got my copy of "Seed to Seed" not too long ago, I've been looking up what to do and how to do it to save seed, so this is going to be fun and educational for me.

#3 - My sole Kabocha squash that has agreed to actually finish coming out of it's seed casing. The other two sprouted a root tip but have done nothing since.

#4 - Don't remember what this is - Marketmore cucumber, I think.

#5 - No photo here because it didn't come out and I don't remember what it is.

#6 - Two ornamental gourds. The big one I know is a large, I think the other one is a small gourd. I'm thinking of putting them in mid-sized containers or in tires next to some trees, right next to the walking path and letting the trees support the gourds and squashes as the grow.

#7 - Brandywine Red tomatoes - almost all of them came up in this cellpack (none in the other I seeded), so I am going to be inundated with beefsteak tomatoes later this summer. YUMMY.

#8 - Didn't come out good, as I accidentally moved when I hit the shutter button, something I'm very good at, but it's a cute little spider I saw outside. Light brown with darker brown stripes on the abdomen, it looks like it's just a plain little old common grass spider or maybe an orb weaver. So not poisonous, and quite helpful in the garden. S/he stays, much as I don't like spiders, because they have their place in the garden, too.

#9 - I think that's a Roma tomato. Yeah. I put in lots of tomatoes. If they all grow, I'm going to be inundated, but that's okay. Some to eat, some to save, and some to sell, right?

#10 - Large Red Cherry tomatoes. A whole two, but the older one has developed it's first true leaves.

#11, #12, and #13 did not come out and it's too hot and muggy for me to go out and retake them, lol. I know one of them is one of the mixed mini peppers, and another is a Hale's Best canteloupe, and the other is a Black Beauty eggplant. I also lost the photo of the jalapeno pepper that's come up.

So that's my day so far, and I'm hoping that while it's cloudy out, once I recuperate a bit, to go fill those tires and move the tomatoes ... assuming that Quentin quits messing with his van to gussy it up and gets the gas weedwhacker out to chop down weeds like he's supposed to be doing. (Apparently, lately, homestead chores come after his playtime with his van, then he gripes because nothing is getting done around here. Really????) Off to find us all some good books!!

KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST


Kitty Draft Excluder - Easy Knitting Pattern
Container Gardening for Beginners: Grow Healthy, Sustainable Plants Indoors
Worm Composting: & Composting Ideas for use in Organic Gardening & Growing of Vegetables & Herbs
I CAN CAN CHICKEN!! How to home can chicken to save money and time with quick, easy, tasty family recipes (I Can Can!! Frugal Living Series)
Growing Bulbs in Containers: A Season by Season Guide to Growing Bulbs in Containers (The Weekend Gardener)
Tomato Container Gardening: How to Grow Tomatoes in Small Spaces
The Complete Guide To Gardening: How To Find Happiness and Joy While Growing Amazing Things in a Small Space
Square Foot Gardening Guide: A simple guide on everything you need to know for successful square foot gardening
Indoor Gardening Guide: How to successfully grow plants and vegetables inside your home, apartment, or office!
How to Grow Potatoes: Planting and Harvesting Organic Food From Your Patio, Rooftop, Balcony, or Backyard Garden (Booklet)
Our Survival Essentials: The self-sufficiency, homestead, prepper book for people that want to not only survive, but to thrive, in a difficult world