Mid-Atlantic - June 2015

Well the heat's setting in, I just got back from vacation, have been exceptionally busy AND I've been mistreating my garden.

I HATE the heat and humidity so it's been REALLY hard to get motivated to get everything straightened up again.

Have you ever just "lost it" and kind of stepped away from gardening? 

If so how did you get motivated again?

Go to the store and buy a tomato.

+1

If the thought of store bought tomatoes, corn, and beans doesn't get you motivated...

Then how about this: how will you feel when your students and possible future students ask how your garden is doing this year?  Are you a lead-by-example type of teacher, or a do-as-I-say type of teacher?  

Or, maybe it really is time for a hiatus.  Cover up your boxes for the year, and make sure you don't do any gardening until next year.  No cheating!  How do you feel about that?

sfg4uKim wrote:Well the heat's setting in, I just got back from vacation, have been exceptionally busy AND I've been mistreating my garden.

I HATE the heat and humidity so it's been REALLY hard to get motivated to get everything straightened up again.

Have you ever just "lost it" and kind of stepped away from gardening? 

If so how did you get motivated again?

I hear you Kim. Can't stand heat and humidity either.  Plus I've been rather distracted this season with different issues. I feel lucky to currently have several lettuce varieties.
Been taking comfort in both long growing crops like garlic where the work of planting was 7 months ago, and so far enjoyed perennials like asparagus and currently lots of strawberries.  My tomatoes and peppers are still indoors!  This morning it hit a crazy cold 49 degrees so I'm glad I don't need to worry about them getting chilled outside.
 
To answer your question about how to get motivated I'm ignoring thoughts of where I was at this point in past years.  My indoor veggies weren't up-potted as planned.  They will go straight outside with shade cloth and I'm hoping for the best.  I'm growing less overall because last October I planted loads of garlic that I'm growing for a chef.  I will plant some things later than usual.   Decided there is no need for a guilt trip. It's just like writing a brand new chapter and it's all good.  Very Different this year, but good enough!

Kim, I think we can all relate to downer times. The heat kills me so it's either early morning or night in the garden during the summer. Maybe concentrate on the most valuable (to you) plants. I'm very seriously thinking of ditching the container summer squash and focusing on the container egg plants, peppers and tomatoes and the SFG boxes. And looking forward to fall/winter greens.

Kim,
Sorry to hear you have been neglecting your garden.
Hey, we are all human and things happen.
Don't feel guilty. Just take a deep breath or two, or three......etc....
Then move on.
Start anew.
Do it in small steps, one day at a time.
Take care.

sfg4uKim wrote:
Have you ever just "lost it" and kind of stepped away from gardening? 

If so how did you get motivated again?

I did just this year. I didn't plant anything over winter, even though I had been so excited to do it the year before, and I missed spring planting entirely, even though I stocked up hugely on snap peas because I was so successful with them last year and fell in love with growing them.

But I've had lots of stresses this year, and have felt so emotionally overloaded that I just withdrew from almost everything.

I think what motivated me was seeing the potted vegetables that the local stores put out front. They're beautiful and looked so bright and fresh. A lot brighter and fresher than I've been feeling.

I knew that if I didn't have at least some tomatoes, I'd feel the loss, because tomatoes are just about the only thing I like about summer, whose approach I daily dread. And all those tomato plants at Safeway, Bi-Mart, every place I went ... they finally softened me up and I bought a few. Then a few more. Then a few small cheap packs of flowers. Then I saw last year's dried bean pods sitting on a shelf, and ... well, the process has begun. I still haven't planted more than half my available space, but I've got beans and tomatoes and peppers going now.

I even got some deep magenta coleus and some purple and yellow violas to stick in small window pots where I can see them right from my bed. I've never much liked houseplants, but for some reason they seem to be just the right thing now.

I just had a hard time breaking the ice. I think I would have skipped the year's planting entirely if I hadn't seen all those lovely plants looking like they needed a new home.

Marc, I'm glad things are getting brighter for you.

Thanks! The therapy will be complete when I eat my first summer tomato ... and I have a likely candidate already -- I saw my first chocolate cherry tomato growing. Cute little guy.

Sounds great Marc!

Hope you pick up out of your doldrums, Kim.

Then again, a change of pace can be nice, and feeling like you "should" do something can be irritating enough to make a person want to do anything but. I think we often find our own pace in these things, and come back to our favorite things when the time is right. On the other hand, exploring other things or replacing an old hobby with a new one is hardly a disaster either. When it's right for you, then it will be right ... and maybe on its own schedule.

Oh, the heat is dreadfully oppressive today.   But good news, my peas finally started producing flowers in the last week of May.  I think I need to remind myself that I always expect them to be producing sooner than they do.  I took a look back at some previous years' pictures and in them I'm excited at the beginning of June to finally see pea pods.  So, I guess I'm on track.

My garden is growing like mad.  The only downside is that my neighbor's garden, which is right across the fence from mine, is watered by a sprinkler and it waters my garden too: I'm seeing some mildew on my squash.   He warned me that his plants always get attacked by SVB - I'm going to try diatomaceous earth on them to prevent this.

Here are some pictures - the tomatoes are already growing wild. 

I hope everyone is doing well...and the doldrums have all faded

Not sure if it was the record cold over the winter or the cold snap, Mid 20's for a low in late May, but our bugs have been rather tame for this time of year. No major outbreaks of any disease at this point either although it's still early in the season for us.

Just thought I'd post a couple of pics that I took yesterday.

Here's 7 rows of beans in a 6' x3' box. These three types are all for drying, think soup or ham-n-beans during the winter.


Four celery plants getting their feet in the soil


'Knee high by the 4th of July' ? Not sure if they'll be that tall, but since they are 'replants' after they were frozen last month, they'll be close


8 Broccoli looking happy


Garlic patch still holding it's green, scapes just beginning on a few of the plants


5 acorn squash, which is our favorite for storing and using for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.


White potatoes in the closer square and red potatoes in the farther one, with Cucumbers in the sink


I'll post some updates early July, and in the meantime, I'm thinking of turning this into a 'table-top' unit. ??? Thoughts?


All the Best

Brad

Brad, what did that thing used to be?

Is it strong enough to hold oodles of soil and whatever watering you'll be doing? I love a nice sturdy structure, if so, and one that doesn't rot like wood always does here where I live. Especially the part of posts that touch the earth. And tabletops are a huge blessing and so much more pleasant to work with than ground-level beds.

Marc Iverson wrote:Brad, what did that thing used to be?

Is it strong enough to hold oodles of soil and whatever watering you'll be doing?  I love a nice sturdy structure, if so, and one that doesn't rot like wood always does here where I live.  Especially the part of posts that touch the earth.  And tabletops are a huge blessing and so much more pleasant to work with than ground-level beds.

Morning Marc,

It's a piece of a 'canopy' that I took out of one of the convenience stores I remodeled last year and I have four other sections just like it, assorted lengths. It's made of 1" square tubed aluminum. That piece was part of the 90° corner, hence the part that is curved up on the left end.

I feel real confident about the aluminum's strength holding the weight and year around fluctuations in temp, but my only concern structurally would be the 'welds' holding it all together. I've done all the testing I can think of, it's just time to give it a try. I'm going to start on it today and will keep a photo diary of how we put it together...

All the Best
Brad

SWEET! I can't see that thing failing under the weight of MM.

My first two thoughts on seeing it (not necessarily practical!): Put wheels on the left end, and you've got handles on the right end to push it around like a wheelbarrow!

The left end is a pre-made top hat box.

boffer wrote:SWEET!  I can't see that thing failing under the weight of MM.

My first two thoughts on seeing it (not necessarily practical!): Put wheels on the left end, and you've got handles on the right end to push it around like a wheelbarrow!

The left end is a pre-made top hat box.

I actually 'vetoed' the wheel thought on this one Boffer, even tho I have a few sets of wheels in the shop that would work.

I have a section that's about 7' long and square on both ends that I've set aside for a portable and it also has the 'handles' on it. My veto came from just wanting to see if the darn thing will work and with the way it's going today, I could have it ready for MM tomorrow. I've got it dug into the ground for level and the vinyl bottom of the boxes attached to the frame. Going to start working on the box sides right after this spinach sandwich.

The neighbor and folks driving by are giving me a strange look as it takes shape!

MackerelSky wrote:The neighbor and folks driving by are giving me a strange look as it takes shape!

That happens to a lot of us as we build things and tend to the plants!! The flashlight after dark is a favorite!

I can't wait to see this thing!

Sanderson, my favorite looks from the neighbors is when I'm out watering in the rain in my pajamas and housecoat barefoot. But the amount of rain we get is so silly that I don't know why they are surprised.

CC

We need to bump the topic where we all described our night forays and other stuff that make folks wonder if we have lost it.