The restless nature caught up with me this morning. After a quick cup of tea and bowl of cereal I marched out to the garden boxes and got things stirred up.
The price of "tapes" of small things like carrot and beet seeds just baffles me, so I make my own. I cut organic paper towels into one inch wide strips. I soak these and lay them out on a board. I can then control the spacing of the seeds on the wet paper. When that's done I cover it with another strip that soon absorbs even more of the liquid. Out I marched to lay the strips and label the rows. I have beets and turnip on the outer edges of the big box, then carrot seeds just broadcast willy nilly across the soil. Then I lightly sprinkle the top with a thin layer of good soil compost. I watched a video a couple of years ago by a fellow who is a commercial carrot grower. That's how he "planted" his carrots. I tried it last year and it worked out just fine. Don't fix what's not broke, right?
While doing some cleanup in a rogue flower "bed" I found a chunk of lupin trying hard to take hold. I pulled it out and took it out across the front field where I'm trying to get some flower beds established. There are already "ditch" lilies and daffies there so the lupin will hopefully join the crowd. There are tulips and a couple of iris coming up in grass that are going to need moving too. I'll have to wait for them to bloom though.
We are having plumbing issues. It started when our pump switch had to be replaced. The new switch and adjustments increased the pressure into our cold water line that soon sprung a leak. There have been so many water lines cut out and replaced over the years that M has a virtual spider web of a nightmare to fix. He's making his third trip to the town for Ts and connectors now. Since this house was built 40 years ago the water heater has been changed/moved three times. The laundry facilities have been moved twice. A bathroom was added on the top floor and one was removed in the basement. The kitchen facilities were moved from a central wall to a west wall. The dishwasher was moved over 12 feet. The laundry was moved from the downstairs bathroom to the pantry. Every one of these functions made the plumbing down there a nightmare. We just hope and pray there are no more leaks showing up when the water is turned back on!
It's a coolish, sunny day. I'm going to finish a cup of tea then head back out and do some more gardening.
It's not nice gardening weather, but one likes to get at it.
ReplyDeleteI am loving your strip for seeds idea. And, yeah, I threw the carrot seed. And curated the bed by pulling and eating the babies.
ReplyDeleteWe had to have a high hoe come in and pull our line when we had well troubles. We had the well drilled and it came out hugely deep; 400 feet. So we went with 200 for the pump. Laid it out and it stretched across the back yard and the field behind the yard. We employed a whole family of neighbours to come and pick up sections and we all marched along until the pump hit placement. Not a spider web, but equally crazy.
Great idea on the seed tapes. I have made them during winter with tp and water soluble white glue, then stored then for spring.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to get out and get one's hands dirty!
Hope you get your plumbing issues sorted satisfactorily.
All good now
DeleteI don't envy the plumbing issues, I hope you get it all worked out. As for the gardening, I am prepared to put in my few things but the weather just isn't cooperating here yet. I gave up on carrots after 1 year of trying them and needing to pull them before we left for the South. It isn't for us and a good thing Bill isn't that fond of carrots anyway.
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