Yes, I'm still here... just been busy.

Thursday April 26, 2007 - 10:00pm

Okay, so I've ignored the virtual world for a little while now. Forgive me, I've had a busy schedule. I would have warned someone, however it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to request permission. Besides, did anybody really care that much?

Well, I finally received and planted my Garlic from Burpee on or about the fourth of April . I think they sent me something like four bulbs of Early Italian. Honestly, I don't think it was worth the price. My local grocery store sells what looks like the exact same thing at four for a dollar. *shrugs* If they turn out well, I won't rag on them further.

About a week after planting my Garlic, we had a freak frost that killed off nearly everything in the area. My pear trees probably won't produce this year, but since we pruned them anyway, I'm not terribly concerned. The Garlic appeared to die and the onions went on like nothing happened. Maybe three days after that, the Garlic shot right back up and has been doing fine ever since.

I didn't have enough room for all of the Garlic in the front garden, so I bought half a dozen window boxes and planted some more in there. I have three boxes inside, in the windows, and three boxes outside on the deck. Four plants to a box, with the leftover 2 dozen in a pair of over-large black pots. It's a good thing I like Garlic.

My grocery store onion that sprouted and the wild garlic/onions that I transplanted are beginning to look like they're going to go to flower soon. While I'm intending to let them, because I don't intend to harvest anything major from them this year, the plants I bought from Burpee will probably get their blooms snipped off in favor of producing bigger bulbs.

Everything I had started from seed, except the Marigolds, died last week. I'd been trying to harden them off to get them ready to transplant outside and made the mistake of mentioning that I didn't know what I was going to do with twenty-four Habaneros. They all died that night, thus solving my problem, eh? Oh, and one of my Potato plants died too... sort of. It dropped all of it's leaves, but has healthy(small) tubers and some green stalks.

I started some more plants inside. I want to give them every advantage I can. I have six of each of the following growing inside under three grow lights(Yeah, I bought another so that the seedlings would stop leaning towards the window): Leek, Merveille des Quatre Saisons(A french heirloom lettuce), White Pumpkin, Orange Sherbet Melon, Campbell's 1327, Pikalot Hybrid Cucumber, Grape Tomato, Bush Champion Cucumber, and Luffa Gourd.

I received the Lettuce, Melons, and Tomatoes from WinterSown.Org. Yeah, the free seeds thing really paid off! Actually, they sent me a whole bunch of seeds that I'm going to be growing this year. If you didn't send in your SASE by now, I'd advise you do it soon. The heirloom tomato varieties alone are worth it. As a bonus, they send you some interesting growing information as well. A big kudos to these people and try to send them some seeds from your own produce this year, to keep them serving the public good.