Too much work for someone my age

The weather is cooling, it was only about 72 or so when I got up and ticked up a bit more by the time I got to the garden. Technically cooler today but n ot enough breeze to make it bearable. Not sure if we'll be closing up today,  might not happen until later.  I was determined to get the chicken wire in the ground and I did. It may have cost me a bit more physically.

I am beyond my patience and tolerance with what greeted me when I got to the garden.

It got into the north bed and took out one of the peppers and marigolds. I took out my frustration on the dirt putting the chicken wire in and have made a decision.

I was pretty proud but also frustrated ad how hard the dirt is using what tools I had. Oh yes, I got a picture of 'the stick'.

 The right end of the stick is very pointy, I have no idea where this stick came from but it's perfect for making divots in the ground for planting.

Halfway through digging I decided to move the cucumber over to the fence bed. It would be safer there and I finished filling in the trench with chicken wire installed.

 I'm not even completely around the bed and I'm done. Done with the whole project given the new development in the north bed. The dirt isn't worth it, the work isn't worth it and my health isn't worth it.

Wasted money on the netting only to discover it was way beyond my capacity to do the job. I didn't even water I was so overheated and exhausted. Will go out there in a bit to do that because they deserve to be taken care of, whatever is left.

I will be looking at containers now for the north bed and the south bed. Raised off the ground somehow either pots or whatever I can figure out and can afford. I left the remaining chicken wire in the electrical closet with the bag of the ground soil. I'll mix that into the south bed just to use it up.

Knowing my situation with the rent and money why would I spend precious dollars on this? Because, as my sweetie says, 'it feeds the soul'. It's something  more tangible and rewarding than buying pictures or jewelry. It is a nurturing thing and gets me out of the chair and caring about something else.

Am now looking at container options, fabric pots seem to be a good deal on Amazon. There's a six compartment one that is almost the same size as the bed I was just digging in.  Will be looking at options for sure.

Why is my life like this?

Early start but not done yet. The Trench war continues.

It's now unbearably muggy with high humidity as well as the heat. Not a good combination for working outside. Projected high temp today is 89 but right now it's only 74 which would normally be pleasant but for the 59% humidity.

I knew digging the trench would be a bear given the size of the area and only having a standard garden shovel and a pointy stick (not pictured).

 

 

 

 

 

 The seedling in that bed is indeed a cucumber. The first set of true leaves are out and not the same as the sunflowers. So of the three seeds I put in there only one came up. I am trying to be oh so careful not to disturb it too much with all the dirt moving. There will be a full trench all the way around with netting dug into it for sure. Just going to take a lot more work and time than I anticipated.

If I had indeed planned ahead more and had the money (I would have a small tarp to put the dirt on instead of doing this in stages. Digging a trench part of the way around, moving the dirt to the other side of the bed then laying in the netting, cover it up with the extra dirt then digging the other half of the trench repeating the process. I don't think I can get any deeper than about a foot which may not be enough to deter the little varmint. I only got maybe 10 inches down, depth of the shovel and then had to use the pointy stick (not pictured) to get the bottom of the trench a little deeper and more or less level.

As I'm typing I notice out my window a bird flew into the tree on the other side of the fence. I've seen a bird perch there, large bird and thought it was a dove. Until I noticed it was pecking at something and noticed the telltale motions of a hawk eating freshly caught breakfast, most likely a rodent. I don't have a good zoom on my phone but it's nice to know they are thriving and I don't know if it's the fledgling or one of the adults. (Double panes of glass both of them dirty and the distance to me is a lot closer than that). Vision is wierd for sure.

 Anyway, not sure if I'll be doing anymore digging today it usually doesn't cool down until dark so it's not going to happen tonight. That trenching/drainage shovel would be perfect for this job but just don't have the money for that.

Need to go get a shower and some food and decide what to do for the rest of the day. Other than planning the next leg of the trench war.

Nothing different, weather and garden the same

 It is already 90 outside and it's not even 11 am yet and very little breeze. It's 88 inside because it never really cooled down sufficiently in the apartment last night. So we are buttoned up for the day but have to go back to the store to return something and then will be home for the day.

The gopher is still pushing dirt, the peppers are continuing to put out flower buds and still no beans. 

I'm tempted to take some of the bean seeds and try sprouting them in damp paper towels then plant them. Package says to plant every two weeks until just before frost. Alrighty then, more planting will be done.

I think if I keep pestering the gopher it will stop hanging around so I got the hose on jet and blasted the tunnel entrance where the dirt was piled. I need a longer stick to go all the way through the dirt it might have pushed there.

So if it weren't for the gopher being there that dirt is wonderfully soft and easy to dig and I would through the last of the garden soil in there but not until barriers are installed or it is gone. That latter option won't ever happen. They may reduce their activity in the fall but they never really go away after finding a prime living area. I had a bulb of garlic that half was not usable and I just threw it out instead of crushing it and digging it into the soil. Oh well. I would have to dig it in deep and use a lot more than what I have so will come up with something. Cheap things... multiple metal stakes driven in close? That would take a lot and the cost would be almost the same as getting the shovel. Something that will work that doesn't put me out of a lot of money, time or energy. Chicken wire only comes in large rolls and even though we have cutters, that's a lot more work than I would want to do. 

I need two  3' x 2'and two 2x2  pieces of something to be barriers for that bed.  I priced drainage shovels and they run over $30 no way am I going to buy that even if I was going to return it. Might try to catch one of the landscaping guys to see what they have in their tools when I get what I need. It comes down to my need for a successful and thriving garden and doing whatever necessary or throwing in the towel because it's not being dealt with by the owners. The garden is a 'perk' for the residents, it's not like the actual landscaping and since only two of us are using it, very very low priority. So... still thinking about it.

Holding steady, wind is up.

 It's a warm breeze today, almost windy but it's hot. So not so good as for cooling down. We will be buttoning up soon and it's past the mark I would have done it (and as I was uploading the pictures my sweetie came in with the big fan to start the AC).

Things were hot and dry in the garden. The bark is helping but the constant heat makes the peppers wilt by the time I get out there. Not full on but they are not happy. the one at the back has a permanent bend, might have happened when it was little or when I nipped out the buds. If it affects it I'll get a stick and some wire to splint it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gopher closed up the tunnel I ran water in yesterday. Puddled immediately and even using a good pointy stick didn't dislodge the dirt.

Plugged it up good, new dried dirt piles at both ends, was not in a mood to use the hose on it today. 

The trench around the seedling is my doing. At first I didn't remember and ran water on it but then backed off because I was drowning the poor plant. Trenches almost make a skull and crossbones, hahaha!

Grasshoppers have made short work of that plant and the grass around it. That particular bed is two onion/garlic (not sure) and the rest is grass and purselane. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So far the fence bed is okay, I am really surprised the beans aren't up yet. They had a shorter germination than the sunflowers and the sunflowers are coming up first.  I may have buried them too deep and it's taking longer to get to the surface. Still confused on whether those are cucumbers or sunflowers but according to my crude markings, they are all sunflowers coming up.

Instructions said 1 1/2 inches deep and yet you can sprout beans in a paper towel. Might have to just bury some more only a half inch below and cover them with pieces of bark to keep them cooler. Maybe. (92 outside already and projected to be 93... it's 83 in the apartment right now)

So not much else is going to happen, try and keep the plants cool and watered and the same for me.  

Oh when I went to the store to buy some cilantro I noticed that most of the bunches had not only the large leaves but the ferny type leaves of a flower stalk. That means this was a later crop and from here out they either grow in a greenhouse that's temperature controlled or import it from other places. My cilantro gave up long ago and it brings up a point I made before about crop timing.

Onions, garlic and cilantro are all early (cool) season crops whereas tomatoes and peppers are warm season. So if you live in an area where the spring lasts longer or you have a mild summer they might overlap but more often than not, the tomatoes are the last to fruit and the other two are long gone. Luckily onions and garlic are a root crop and can store for a long time, cilantro not so much.

So for now, hoping to plant those big red onions in the fall along with some new cilantro seeds. 

Time will tell.

Same weather, dire garden

 Yep, weather is the same but a little breezier today. 

The last marigold is down. The trench war begins.

First thing I checked and my heart sank then my blood boiled. You damn varmint. It was inevitable of course but I still held out hope for one more day. 

This is going to be a rocky year for the garden for sure. Took pictures of the beds then got to work with the hose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the seedlings in the fence bed, one of the leaves has been eaten. The other is fine for now.

Peppers are finally taking off, hoping that bed is the producer this year and will just have to take my chances with the other beds.

The holes and the plant, it didn't even get completely pulled into the hole. Half eaten and partially pulled under then left there. I took the hose to the area and flooded the tunnel and holes. I have video of just how long that tunnel is going the other direction. I just might take the shovel and dig that whole bed out and run metal or plastic sheeting around it. But then, it's not my yard. It's not my dirt. I'm renting here and it is not worth the investment of time, tools and money to fix something that the owners and managers won't do anything about.

Not a very long video but it shows no backing up of the water, it's going straight through the tunnel to the north, under the other beds. I'm leaving that trench open to deter any further invasion. That's the only thing I can do. I ran the water for about a half minute, doesn't seem like a long time but it seemed like too much and a waste of water.

Grasshopper nymphs. All over that bed. Dozens of them and eating everything and anything. 

I futilely chopped into the soil around the seedling in the bed, just to vent some of my frustration. That bed is going to be a wreck this year and not going to waste any more energy on it emotionally.

When I went back upstairs I realized I had locked myself out of the apartment. Either I locked the door or it was locked and I didn't realize it. My sweetie was in the bathroom taking a shower and poor rocky was yelling at me from the other side of the screen, 'mom! mom! Why aren't you coming in here?!'

I decided to go walk around HD and see if I could get any energy and ideas. Ideas yes, no plants I could put out, it's past garlic/onion season, no gopher purge, no plants that I could see they wouldn't like.... went inside and the only gopher repellent/baits weren't on the shelf, they were in the overhead. I toyed with the idea of putting plastic light panels into a trench, they wouldn't last long though and I have nothing to cut them with. They had huge 3'x3' pavers outside but again, nothing to cut them with and too heavy and expensive.

Back home I went after wasting some time and proceeded to make spaghetti sauce for tonight. Because that's what I do when  I 'm frustrated now or anxious, I cook or eat.

On my way to the car I noticed the lantana bush was in full bloom and soothed my eyes and heart with  picture to share.

Because there's always flowers to brighten your day.

 

Early start today because....it's haht.

 Hardly a breeze out there to move the trees, clear blue sky and the neighborhood is eerily quiet for a Saturday morning. I think I got sunburn on my neck the other day and got heat rash as well. Another hot sticky day and will be buttoning up before we make one more trip to the store.

The sky is blue but not that blue. Just had to show the rare occurrence of a cloudless sky considering it's still morning.

Got a picture of 'Stumpy' the lizard scurrying up a tree on my walk this morning which Rocky totally missed. Then on our way back to the apartment he honed in on something behind the pipes. This is after a tiny baby lizard scooted around the middle pipe and ducked into the insulation. So there are lizard hatchings, just wish they would come to my garden.

Because everything was going good, the mulch did it's thing and barely had to water the north bed but of course the fence bed needed to be hit. As I was watering the south bed I noticed things hopping.

Remember that grasshopper that I let live?

Grasshopper nymphs. A lot of them, no more than maybe a quarter inch long. You know why she laid eggs and was hanging around? They lay their eggs in the dirt of undisturbed areas. What area is the most undisturbed?

 Yup. The one that doesn't weed, puts random plant cuttings and seeds in her plots and lets everything go wild. See the holes in the leaf? Technically grasshoppers eat the edges of leaves because of their anatomy but these little boogers could eat that.

I can't do a darn thing about it either. Hoping they continue to munch on allll her greenery and move on by the time my plants are up and growing. Even if I had killed/chased off that hopper she may well have laid her eggs already and it wouldn't have changed anything. Sigh. Heeerreee leezard leezard leeezard!

 So anyway, seems the sunflowers are busting out first and still waiting on the beans. Those flowers will be up and blooming by the time the beans are even half grown at this rate. Cucumber might be the one coming up in the south bed but given the leaf it's likely a sunflower. Could swear I put cucumbers there. Whatever comes up will be watched with a hawk eye on pests for sure. 

So that bed got a more soaking watering than the other beds. At this time of year, with my soil and exposure watering every day is a must. That fence bed sure could use some actual mulch though. Keep the soil cool and shaded, give the seeds a chance to come up.

Sigh. Dirt gardening.