I got seeds! No planting yet, plan and prep first.

 My wonderful friends seed gift came yesterday and now the planning and prep work starts in earnest.

 It's not much but it will do because I had nothing to plant. So, as I say,  it's better than nothing. I got out and watered because if I'm prepping for planting that is a must. We did a grocery run and lunch before I could get out so it was around 1:30 which is not a good time to do watering as it is getting warmer. Another warm and breezy day so working outside later than noon is not comfortable.

So looking pretty hot and dry before watering. Can hardly see how many purselane have sprouted. That will be tackled tomorrow when I cultivate. Even at afternoon there's plenty of sun area in the south bed to plant something. The potato bed is definitely going to be beans and zinnias, maybe sunflowers at the back. I've got enough in my small spaces to tuck things here and there. Thoroughly soaked for sure and am hoping to get at least a bag of soil and fertilizer tomorrow, maybe later today so I'm ready to plant.

IDEA 1: If I dig up the potato in the fence bed, that gives me enough room to plant three mounds since the beans are bush type they only take up about 2 feet. (2-3 seeds per hole). Zinnias along the front edge with the beans making a triangle two in back one in front. Maybe a few sunflowers in the empty space on each end. For the north bed, there is room for another set of beans in the corner behind the Marigolds and maybe zinnias in between the peppers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to draw on my phone with a rubber tip but you get the idea. Big green blob is beans, orange and yellow are zinnias (they come in pink I know but there is no pink in my markup choices). All yellow are sunflowers. Might throw a sunflower or two in the corners of the fence bed (formerly known as the 'potato bed') and maybe put some zinnias in the south bed instead of sunflowers. I have fewer sunflower seeds as that is a partial package but more than enough to drop here and there. The flowers are for beauty and bring in the pollinators. The Skippers and other butterflies will love the zinnias, need more purple or white for the bees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm planning for just the beans at this point because the cucumbers are the pickling type and I don't have the facilities to use them properly. I would love to make pickles some day, I still have my dad's pickling recipe but A: it's for dill pickles and B: I don't have the supplies/money to properly make them without risking poisoning myself or making a bigger mess than my tiny kitchen can handle.

So there, planning is done. Watering is done. With the way prices are it's going to be about $20 worth of supplies for only fertilizer and soil Yeeesh!  Sure it's cheaper if I get MG but you get what you pay for and there's some ancient bag of it in the electrical closet already. I could get a gallon of fish fertilizer but... then I need a good quality watering can and keep it in the electrical closet which makes it look like anyone can use it. I bring my basket and nozzle upstairs for a very good reason.

 I might have to go to Wmart instead of HD for supplies due to cost, they carry similar products and at this point, cost is a big factor.

Should I plan for another tomato crop in late summer/fall? Nah. Fall will be for lettuce, onions, chives and root crops. Late summer after the beans are done, maybe a tomato but will see when I get to that point.

Looking at prices of soil even at Wmart a bag of top quality soil five years ago would have cost maybe 18-$20, it's now $30 and change. The only size I can afford is a puny 1 cf bag which isn't enough for any of what I'm planting. I'd have to buy 2 and amend only the area I'm planting in and not the whole area. Not good. Will figure out something.

Looks like I won't be needing those stakes for a while but at least I have them for the future. Even the sunflowers are only going to get about two feet tall so yay for plants that don't need staking!