Sunday, July 31, 2011

A wonderful day with my sister at garden centres and a raccoon

This isn't our raccoon,
but isn't it adorable.
My sister Jessica called me bright and early this morning (10 am) to see if I wanted to go with her to a garden centre or two. Ahhhhh, yeah. We went to Elk Lake and Marigold. Jess needed to pick up some annuals as fillers in her garden. I picked up a hardy fuchsia and a lavender. They had a lot of different varieties, so I watched the honey bees and picked their favorite.
When I got home I dug up a white primrose. It hit me that I don't really need three HUGE clumps of it.
Tonight I was getting the trash put out for tomorrow and noticed a raccoon in my neighbors front yard. It started strolling across the street like she owned the place. Out from the bushes came three more very small raccoons. Well if that wasn't the cutest thing.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Slugs are under control and trees are ready to go

Two of the few remaining trees
It seems that I finally have the slugs under control. The last wave of baby basil are now about two inches tall and just mildly nibbled instead of inhaled by slugs. There are probably a couple wee guys left, but I imagine there always will be. It feels good to have managed the problem without the use of anything unnatural. I am guessing now that there were probably hundreds of them in the greenhouse.
Allan is getting ready to leave tomorrow for the annual Salt Spring Fly In. It is an annual competition of both hang-glider pilots and paragliders. Allan and his friends actually put it on, bringing all the food and food equipment such as our new BBQ. I hope they enjoy it! In spite of all of his busy-ness today, he helped me dig up some trees that were just planted this spring. What a trooper he is. Tomorrow morning they are going to their new home. I'm glad we just bit the bullet and did it. I get very attached to plants and I could have stalled until the poor things expired.
I didn't go to the store today. I spent the whole day puttering. I made a batch of my Butter Pecan Muffins. I enjoyed the sun.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Found a new home for some trees

I have several trees that have been planted in the meditation garden that are not doing well. They are in the full sun and they don't like it. Some Japanese Maples can take sun and some can't. The ones that I have that can't are really showing the strain. So I am re-homing a few trees. They are going to an acreage, so the conditions will be much more suitable. It is going to make more room for next years vegetable garden as well. I'm going to put in an oval strawberry garden in front of the crescent of maples. I think it will look incredible. The original plan was to have a sitting area, but Allan built a beautiful deck last year that is so comfortable, with a fountain, and wicker furniture, and plants, and potted maples and....a huge umbrella for hot days. It's perfect.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Today was about the perennial border

My wonderful 20 year old Haws
watering can.
In the veggie patch today, I pulled out the bolting spinach and fertilized with fish fertilizer.
Basically it was a day to thin some perennials and cut down others. I pruned out about 3/4 of the stalks on my peonies. They have had a black spot/blight thing for about ten years. It has just got worse and worse over the years. One year I tried to remove one and dug it out, I thought, and the following year that one came back and didn't have the plague. So I have cut it back so that I can be clearing out infected leaves. I'm going to cut it back in fall to just below ground level, clean up really well around and over them and then top with some topsoil. I'll do this until the disease is gone.
Then I moved on to some overgrown iris. I started grabbing handfuls and just pulling. It works. It was not necessary to dig. The rhizomes lie on the surface, so as long as the soil is damp, they come right out. I then did the same to some overgrown asters. They are very easy to thin by just pulling them out. The roots come out easily.
I moved my last creeping thyme to the back. I have five as a test to find out which may work as a ground cover. In my perfect world, I would like to get rid of a lot of the lawn. So far, wooly thyme is winning.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Too hot to do too much today, so why make jam?

I knew when my thermometer said it was over 20 degrees when I got up, that it was going to be a hot day. It was.
Allan vacuumed the paint remnants out of the greenhouse. I reorganized it after the paint cleaning upheaval. It looks great again.
Then I started picking through the raspberries that I picked up at Thrifty Foods. They are BC grown and I can tell that they weren't bred for travel. There were lots that were moldy, but I just took the time to be picky! I made my first batch of jam in about 25-30 years. Allan just had a bagel with some of the jam, and it passed muster. He deemed it delicious. It really was too hot in the kitchen for making jam, but it had to be done or the berries would have been compost.
I pruned the rose bush way back to force another wave of blooms. It is Perdita, a David Austin rose. I've had it for about 20 years. I took the hedge clippers and trimmed the pinks. Again to force another wave of bloom. I planted a pot of catnip for the kids.
I made up a batch of the organic fertilizer that I posted the recipe for last week. I made it in one cup increments and that did the whole garden. So that made seven cups of dry fertilizer. Perfect.
My sister came for a visit. It was a great diversion. She is such a treasure to me. We had big glasses of ice water and chatted under my umbrella.
It was just such a good, good day.

My Perdita Rose


Saturday, July 23, 2011

More dragonflies than ever before

Not my photo, but it looked like this!
I have heard that dragonflies are an indicator of how healthy the environment is. I was looking out my bedroom window this morning, and I was shocked at how many there were. I could see five or six at any given time. They were buzzing and dive bombing. It was amazing.

I live near Reay Creek. When I first moved to our house in 1979 about 4 am in the summer the air would be loud with tree frogs and birds. It was like being in a jungle. I would even get up sometimes and go stand on the deck and listen. It really was astounding. It must have slowly decreased over time, because it just hit me one day a couple years ago, that I don't wake up to that beautiful noise any more. I know that frogs are also an indicator of a healthy environment......I do believe that at one point there was a spill of something toxic in Reay Creek. Obvious conclusion. Everything is so interconnected and precious and fragile....

One step at a time. I am joyous about the dragonflies and that they see fit to visit my yard!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Warm weather on the way...shade cloth

My sister is having a family BBQ tomorrow she is so certain that it will be warm. That's good enough for me. There is real gardening weather on the way.
Last night I tacked the shade cloth up in the greenhouse. I just pulled it tight and looped it onto the bolts. It brought the temperature down to 30C or so today. I have moved the lavender cuttings and newly planted divisions of a gorgeous peony, outside the greenhouse and in the shade of the snowberries. Much cooler there. Easier on them.
I have been watching YouTube videos on planting fruit trees to get ideas. When I narrow it down, I will post the videos here. There are so many.
Oh jeeps, having a hot flash.

I'm back. I was just telling my blogging buddy Natalie, that tonight Allan and I had our first ever salad courtesy of our own garden. It was a wonderful feeling. Today, I went to Home Hardware and bought a canner. I haven't canned anything for about thirty years. I am SO excited...I'm going to make raspberry jam this weekend.

Monday, July 18, 2011

From November to July in one day

I was all set for another cool July-uary day on the west coast, but mother nature had the last word today. And it was "heat". I have never figured out why exactly I seem to wait until it is 35 degrees in the greenhouse to work in there. I put on my denim shirt, left my hair down and headed out to take the old paint off the last six panes of glass on the roof. First I had to remove the shade cloth. That was a real rigamorale. The old bolts needed to be loosened first. That involved going into Allan's man cave (the garage) and finding the correct tool. What a nightmare. My camera battery is dead, but I'm going to take a picture and rat him out.

The toolbox...blow up for a closer look
Back to the greenhouse. I was out there for about 15 minutes. I came out dripping with sweat and fading fast. It was literally 35 degrees. I needed water, a T-shirt and to put my hair in a ponytail. Much better. Without the shade cloth and paint, it may be too hot for tomatoes and basil? I am thinking I could get some uv tape and just tack the shadecloth up in July and August. I finished up the job and now there are only two panes left with newer paint. Allan painted them with a paint that won't even come off with a scraper. I think I'll leave it for him.

I moved on to the veggie garden. I broke the bale of straw into flakes and started clipping grass and weeds. I underdressed the herbs, the strawberries, pumpkin, tomatoes and rhubarb. Then I spread it about six inches deep in the pathway. There were a lot of flies hanging around the area and it took me awhile to realize there must be manure in the straw. You can't see it, but the flies can smell it. So once I finished for the day, I watered it well to tamp it down and get rid of the dust and manure. The smell of straw is very nostalgic if you have ever spent time on a farm. I did when I was a little girl. My Aunt Francis farm. I remember cooking with her on her woodstove and making sandwiches and coffee for the men in the field harvesting. I love everything about farms.
Update: It wasn't manure on the straw. It is the fish emulsion fertilizer. The flies are loving it!!
This is what a bale of straw looks like
spread six inches deep.
I spent some time the past few 'autumn' days selecting my seeds for next spring. I wasn't totally convinced to use only open-pollinated seeds until I read more about Monsanto and how they control over 40% of the seeds now. I am going to use ONLY OP seeds. I see it as a my duty!

Pruning dwarf fruit trees

After talking to Bob yesterday about the pruning of dwarf fruit trees, I am unsure which style to use. I will just get them in the ground with a long, heavy piece of rebar to stake them. Bob recommended this. He seemed to favor the Christmas Tree shape. His trees were six feet tall and about two feet across at the bottom. They are very tall and skinny. You can place dwarf fruit trees much closer together than I realized. Great bang for your buck. I am also considering espalier. My whips are about two to three feet tall, so I guess I have time to think. I tend to be a real planner, so I get ahead of myself.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Fruit trees


Tydemans Late orange apple
With proper pruning, you can plant dwarf apples four feet apart. Today I selected two apples, a plum and a pear. I thought that they would all go in in the fall, but potted fruit can be planted now. So with me today are two apples. One Florina apple, one Tydemans apple and one Shiro Plum, a yellow.
The Conference Pear will be arriving in March 2012.

Florina Apple
Shiro Plum
Conference Pear


Friday, July 15, 2011

Town Hall, what a wonderful experience

Photo courtesy of Pat Stanger
Today, I ventured over to our town hall to enquire about the size of our lot. It is an irregular lot, so I couldn't do the math. The woman I was talking to was beyond helpful! She gave me not only the size, but a map of it as well, ideas as to where I should put the fruit trees in the front yard and gave me lots of helpful information. She told me that she is very interested in the concept of urban homesteading. I was SO impressed. Today I am more thankful than I can say that I live in Sidney, where new ideas are embraced.

(By the way, my yard is 605 square metres or .15 acre.)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Carolyn Herriot's natural fertilizer recipe extended version

Granular Organic Fertilizer Recipe
4 parts seed meal (alfalfa non GMO, canola or soy) or fish meal (wild not farmed)
1 part dolomite lime
1 part rock phosphate
1 part kelp meal
Granular fertilizer takes 3-4 weeks to break down before roots can access it. Sprinkle on soil around plants. Apply at the drip line of trees and berries. Work in gently.

From Carolyn Herriot's book Zero-Mile Diet. Available at Dragon Horse now known as Pitt & Hobbs in Sidney BC.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hoses are dangerous

I totally forgot about this until I just tried to cross my legs and hit a bruise. Yesterday I was watering the plants on the deck. I finished and walked down the stairs pulling the rubber hose behind me. I looked back and realized that I had missed the Chilean Guava on the other side. I was halfway down the stairs, I turned and took a step up one step, became tangled in the rubber hose. I am a great lover of slapstick. Usually it's at someone else's expense unfortunately, but this one was all me. It happened in slow motion. I stumbled, I banged my leg, tried to move and hit my knee. I twisted further which caused me to slip again and bash my leg a third time. Yup. Wish I had it on video.

What a wonderful day in the garden

The greenhouse-after
Today is my day off! It is a bit cloudy so not blistering hot in the greenhouse. I started today finishing off the paint removal of the greenhouse roof. It just looks amazing. It will be so much sunnier in there. Then Allan and I headed to Buckerfield's. I LOVE that place. Travis was there again and we briefly discussed bees. I did suggest that he start a blog. He is an urban homesteader. He keeps bees, chickens and is a successful composter. I got all the ingredients for Carolyn Herriot's recipe for making your own fertilizer. I am doing 4 parts canola meal, one part dolomite lime, one part rock phosphate and one part kelp meal. You can get all the ingredients in their bulk section. They ranged from .49 to $4.99 per kilogram. I figure it is about a quarter of the price to make your own. I also got a bale of straw for $16.99.
I double checked the price of Diatomacious Earth and it is indeed $3.99 per kilo.
We then took a side trip to Sun Wing greenhouses on Oldfield Road. I've been hearing about it for years. I bought some of their tomatoes and some cherries and a bag of, yup, basil. Their greenhouses are inspiring. If you love greenhouses, you really should see them.
When we returned home, I got back into the yard. We installed the tomato hanging bar in the greenhouse. I cut a swath through the snowberry bushes so that we can walk around the greenhouse for maintenance etc. Also, it may cut down on the number of slugs we get.
I asked Allan if he had a few 2x2's or 2x4's that I could pound into the ground at three corners of the garden as a hose stop. He had three steel bars! I'm sure they came from the same mystery place as the 14 foot, two inch tubing that is now hanging in the greenhouse. I have covered the straw, it looks like it could rain later. My arms are sore and I'm pooped.
The new walkway

Let the sun shine, let the sun shine in

The roof before
I was in the greenhouse enjoying the plants, listening to the rain on the roof and keeping a lookout for slugs. Didn't see a single one. Years ago, all I grew in the greenhouse was orchids. It was lovely, but without using a LOT of power heating, cooling, shading, venting, fanning....you get the idea. It was a single paned greenhouse, with gaps and not totally successful. One of the shading techniques I learned was to paint the glass roof with white paint. You still get a lot of light, but filtered. It has really thinned over the 25 years. I reached up and touched it tonight and discovered that it is a powder now. I could wipe a clean spot with my finger. OMG. I ran into the house, filled a bowl with natural soap and water and started washing the glass. I got about 3/4 way done the one side. It was quite milky, so I went back inside and got my homemade natural window cleaner and, yes, paper towels so I could dispose of them. I felt guilt. I can't believe how much brighter it looks even at this time of night. I do hope that the tomatoes like it and don't scorch. I'll finish it tomorrow and then Allan can install his tomato hanging bar!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

A supportive husband is a wonderful thing when it comes to urban homesteading

Pot of basil from Thrifty's
Tonight I was in the greenhouse watering in my newly planted basil. Yes, I have cried uncle and given up on the seeding. Karen was telling me that she just buys a $5.99 large pot of basil from Thrifty Foods in Sidney, divides them up and uses then as bedding plants. I have heard that basil doesn't transplant well, but Karen said it isn't a problem for her. I bought one and bashed the plants out of the pot and started breaking the roots apart and planted little tufts of plants. Probably six little plants per chunk planted.
While I was in the greenhouse, Allan came in and was showing me some strong tubing he got from his....I dunno, where does a husband get a long length of metal tubing. I've never seen it before and we live in a 1300 sf house. It's not like we live in The Bill Gates Estate. Where does this stuff come from?!....I digress. Allan brings this lovely metal tubing into the greenhouse and asks if it would work as the bar I need affixed to the roof from which I will suspend the very heavy tomato fruits. It will be perfect. I have every intention of having a very heavy crop.


Six by three feet of basil plants. Let the
munching commence!


Saturday, July 09, 2011

Urban Homesteaders everywhere are rallying around Julie Bass

This is Julie Bass's house

















I have been following the story of Julie Bass of Oak Park MI for a couple of weeks. It occurs to me when I read about her, that this could be anyone of us. I plan to put a very small orchard in my front yard. Okay, so it'll only be two or three dwarf fruit trees, but I imagine that if I were in Oak Park, I would be in BIG trouble! Here is her story.

"Vegetable gardens may be popping on abandoned land in Detroit, Michiganff, but nearby Oak Park apparently likes broccoli as much as does George H.W. Bush. At least, that is, when it’s growing in a homeowner’s front yard.
Resident Julie Bass is learning this the hard way. After Bass’s lawn was torn up during a sewer line’s replacement, an ambitious green thumb and the price of organic food inspired her to pursue a botanical project a bit more interesting than watching grass grow. The result was five large planter boxes boasting fresh basil, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, cumbers, and more — all visible from the street. Explains Bass, “We thought it'd be really cool to do it so the neighbors could see. The kids love it. The kids from the neighborhood all come and help.”
But one neighbor wasn’t so helpful. He called the city and complained, prompting a visit from a code enforcement officer. Bass related what happened next to ABC News, stating-
They warned us at first that we had to move the vegetables from the front, that no vegetables were allowed in the front yard. We didn't move them because we didn't think we were doing anything wrong, even according to city code we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. So they ticketed us and charged me with a misdemeanor.
Bass now faces a jury trial and a possible 93 days in jail if convicted.

And why is the city seeing red at Bass’s green? MyFoxDetroit.com explains,writing-
The city is pointing to a code that says a front yard has to have suitable, live, plant material. The big question is what's "suitable"?
We asked Bass whether she thinks she has suitable, live, plant material in her front yard.“It's definitely live. It's definitely plant. It's definitely material. We think it's suitable,” she said.So, we asked Oak Park City Planner Kevin Rulkowski why it's not suitable.

“If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster's dictionary, it will say common. So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what's common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers,” he said.
Since Rulkowski’s definition is likely foreign to even the wordsmiths among us, I checked a few Internet resources. Dictionary.com defines “suitable” as meaning, “such as to suit; appropriate; fitting; becoming.” Google’s online dictionary offered a similar definition. Finally, when I checked Merriam-Webster.com, I found this entry: “obsolete: similar, matching.” Well, perhaps Rulkowski is an old-fashioned guy.
Of course, maybe the city planner will use an original-intent argument; perhaps his definition wasn’t obsolete when Oak Park’s regulations were crafted. Whatever the case, in an age of budget woes, some may wonder if prosecuting greenhorn gardeners is a wise use of the public treasury. And with all the concern about civilizational collapse — with citizens stocking up on food, water, ammunition, and other emergency supplies — it could be said that Bass’s botany represents a kind of self-sufficiency that should be encouraged.

So shame on you, heavily Democratic Oak Park. What would Michelle Obama think?"

To email Mr Rulkowski click here
To email other member of Oak Park Council click here

Story From
http://www.thenewamerican.com/

Friday, July 08, 2011

Slugs 2......Erin 0

My greenhouse fan was running when I got up so I trundled out in my robe and slippers to open up the greenhouse. I was about half way to the back and I almost walked into a white stick hanging on a thread of spider web. I knocked it down and opened the louvers. I bent down to inspect stick, and even without my glasses I could see the antlers. How the hell did a slug get up that high and how did it become a hanging stick. I really thought I'd seen it all. On my way out I spotted another on the hot dry concrete floor. I scooped them both up with my trowel, and moved them to my damp flower garden. I actually admired their tenacity. Usually when I do catch and release, they get tossed into the huge cypress hedge. So..I can assume that the slugs are just laughing at my diatomaceous earth?

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Slugs and how long will I be battling them

I tried to put a picture of a
slug here. Blech. Can't do it.
Last night I had to go out to the greenhouse at about 11. I had forgot to close up the greenhouse for the night. Yes, I spoil my tomatoes rotten. So I grabbed the flashlight. Slugs really creep me out, and I don't want to step on any. I went into the greenhouse to close the louvres and as I was leaving I pointed the flashlight at the basil bed. I was just asking for it, wasn't I? There must have been two dozen small slugs and two medium sized ones, all on the march to my precious basil. I grabbed my container of diatomaceous earth and started sprinkling. Thats right, right on them. By the time I was done I felt terrible. I went in the house and thought about how miserable they looked all dusty. This morning I entered the greenhouse unsure of what I would see. I saw nothing. There wasn't a single little slug body where I expected carnage. I was relieved, but I am wondering if there is a delay in the...um...passing of the slugs or does it not really work as they say it does. Anyone out there know the answer?

So an abandoned wood pile is good thing

The Snowberries are the bushes on the
right of the greenhouse. The woodpile
is behind them.
I was reading about having a pile of wood or logs to create a habitat for snakes and other wildlife. Behind the greenhouse and under the twenty foot hedge, we had a small pile of wood that was the trunk of a small tree we took out at least ten years ago. So tonight I thought, I should move the little wood pile over beside the 'wild area' I created about twenty years ago. A friend was moving and they had acres of forest and natural plantings. I asked if I could have a few Snowberry bushes. So we dug out three. They were smallish, maybe three to four feet tall. I just put them around my birch tree, behind the greenhouse. I put a bark mulch path through them. Over time the path was completely overgrown and abandoned. The bushes are now about ten feet high. I got on my knees to look through the snowberry bushes and it truly is a wild area. There is no trace of the old lawn and you can see where years of cats and raccoons have walked. It is amazing. Turning a small bit of yard back to nature is a good thing.

Back to the wood pile. I picked up two of the branch or trunk pieces. I noticed that it wasn't just logs. Over the years the hedge had dropped tiny twigs and lots of pieces of evergreen. The pile was full of 'natural stuff'. I put the wood back on the pile and put my gloves away. There are more of these types of logs under my deck. I plan to get them out and pile them onto the pile. Nothing gives me more pleasure than thinking that I could help create an animal habitat.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Pictures on the way

My garden starting to grow.
Slowly but surely.
I am unable to load pictures to this blog from my ipad, so there is always a delay between writing the post and getting to the store and adding the pictures. I took my wonderful point-click to the yard and took lots of pictures today. Just a tip. If you are looking for an amazing camera that takes fantastic pictures and will do macro without any special settings or anything...Panasonic Lumix. When on vacation, I set it on 3000x4000, the largest size, which my son says is ridiculous and I could do poster sized pics, but I am constantly amazed at the quality I get. There you go, my tip for the day.
I read somewhere that the book Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber is a great book of jams and jellies. I had to order my copy online as it's not a book available in Canada. I have a list of about a dozen books to order from my book suppliers through the store. I am lucky I can get them all wholesale. I will review them here as I use them.

Monday, July 04, 2011

Fish fertilizer...love that aroma

Early GIrl. And they really are.
I took my old Haws watering can that was a gift from my father about 20 years ago, filled it with water and fish fertilizer. I watered it into the veggie garden and the greenhouse bed. I also gave a good shot of it to the Rhubarb too. I used 80 ml to two gallons of water.
Update: I worked the math out exactly and now I use 100 ml of fish fertilizer in the 8.8 litre (which is about two gallons) Haws watering can. I use a glass measuring cup which makes it really easy!

Lee Valley....yum

Allan and I took a trip to Lee Valley and Home Depot for supplies. I bought a set of Lee Valley Deep Root Seed Starters. I read about them in a lot of sites and blogs. I'll let you know what I think. Got potting soil and some PVC pipe to make little spray chambers for weed spraying with vinegar. I got a large container of fish fertilizer. The price was the same as Marigold Nursery. I'll buy there from now on. I like to shop local.
We were really looking for decking made of plastic composite boards. They are for the potting bench in the greenhouse. Rona had none and Home Depot only has it by special order. Bizarre. Allan wants to try Slegg in Sidney. Wouldn't that be a riot if it were available a mile away and we went all the way to Langford.

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Showing off the greenhouse



Today my family came over to go over some paperwork. Mom and Dad are buying a place nearby. Yayyyy. It was so much fun to show everyone the greenhouse. I am so happy with how it looks. Tomorrow Allan and I are going out to Home Depot to look for supplies. I need plastic wood for the greenhouse benches, some kelp or fish emulsion fertilizer, potting mix and a flat or two from Lee Valley. They have wonderful deep seed trays.
I planted my Purple Berry bush in the flower bed. Dug up some daffodils in the process. I imagine in the relocation, I'll accidentally dig something else up!! Murphys Law. I replanted the row of basil in the veggie patch with lettuce. The basil just wouldn't grow there. Replanted a missing piece of the spinach row. It's my cats favorite place to lie.
I finally tried some asparagus. I felt like I should in that I've planted some. It is delicious. A little olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled on the BBQ. It is awesome.
Went over to chat with my neighbor Lance. I asked him how he would feel about my having a beehive. He thinks it would be a great idea. I'll check with the town and make sure it's okay. If it is, I'm going to do it next spring when the timing is best. It was Lance's veggie garden that gave me the idea to build a garden above the lawn. He has amended his for so long it's about a foot above the lawn. So I thought I could just fast forward the process by piling layers of soil, compost, manure etc. After it was all done and I felt so clever, I read Zero-Mile Diet and found out that it's called Lasagna Gardening. So with my next veggie patch, I would do it her way. Just a more intensely rich blend. I am going to put a sign on the store window asking for any manure donations.
It was a lovely hot day in the yard and on the deck with the family. Life is good.

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Basil...take three

Yesterday my Mother came to the store for a little visit. I was telling her about the missing seeds. First thing out of her mouth "did you put them in the fridge?" I picked up the phone, called my husband to check in the fridge. SUCCESS!!!!! We're back in business. Thanks Mom.

Friday, July 01, 2011

Replant the basil again

Before I got the greenhouse really clean, and manually removed about two dozen slugs, about 30% of my greenhouse basil was eaten. I decided to prune the side shoots off Early Girl tomato and reseed the basil. I got the tomato pruned and came in the house to get the basil seeds. You know when you bundle things up safely, and then tuck it away.....that's right, I can't find my seeds. My memory has never been fantastic, but since menopause kicked in, it's about ten times worse. Since cleaning the greenhouse, I have a place for everything. I make sure I put everything back in the same place. I can always find the right tool. Now, if I could just find those seeds.