Newyorkrita said: will plant them and then mulch with the straw. Easier to mulch right away while the plants are still small.

I like to mulch first, then make a hole for the plant. When I mulch after, I'm always afraid I'll damage the plant.

I started typing this last night and was too tired.

Today I straightened the strip bed I have for berries. I took the liberty of taking over a bit of the yard. So the bed is slightly bigger, but because they are berries, it really only means there is more breathing room for them. Not more to plant for me. It will allow me to put more straw and fertilizer down around the roots. But I only have one blackberry plant at the moment and the rest of the area will be empty until the canes grow tall enough to tip propagate them. The patch to the west of the blackberries will probably have some kind of flowering ground cover. I like the idea of thyme, for the scent and usefulness as a herb..

I worked some thick brick blocks into one end of the berry bed, because it sloped down and water ran off to the rocks in the yard. With the blocks, I was able to make the bed more level. On the long side, opposite the chain link fence, I put in some black edging to keep the rocks from the yard from getting knocked into the berry patch. I pulled the garden stakes and plastic mesh fencing out so I could extend the fence all the way to the short east wall. I wish I had thought to pull the fence before I climbed it over and over while digging the trench for the edging and getting the soil leveled through the bed. And the rock mulch outside the patch is thick enough to help keep the edging tight.

I took Itty Bitty for a walk in the dark because I needed a break. And we were so busy running errands earlier that she didn't get her walk in the evening. But the temperature outside was so mild, there was no way I could miss the opportunity to get some garden projects done while we had daylight after we got home. I only wish more time and energy weren't in very short supply. I still have to finish securing the fence, planting the bunching onions the roommate wanted, and getting the straw down. If I am lucky, I can do all that in one day, including adding some ground cover seeds like thyme. I have lemon thyme already growing in a pot. IBut I will decide later the ground cover.

You are certainly kicking it out there lately!

I am in a race against the approaching REALLY hot summer days. I don't want to be doing much but watering, weeding, and eating. So all the projects that I want done will only get done to the point it is too hot. Everything else will have to wait until fall or next spring.

On the plus side, the headache I had for three days is gone. The doctor finally gave me a prescription that works. It was quite frustrating trying meds over and over while my headaches were just persisting longer and longer unchecked. Maybe I can get more done without the headaches interfering with clear thinking. Although I'm still stumbling about the garden and on walks with Itty Bitty. As long as I make it home or to my bed without any broken bones or head injuries I persist

Glad you found the right meds. I have a friend who has migraines AND epilepsy, which makes it hard for her to have many choices....

crittergarden said:

I like to mulch first, then make a hole for the plant. When I mulch after, I'm always afraid I'll damage the plant.

Well, good intentions. I planted them and watered them but they are not mulched yet. I have seedlings of -
Camilla
Gemini
Sweet Sucess
Spring Swallow
Double Yield
Burpless

So hopefully lots of cucumbers to be here.

cheshirekat, you sure have been busy and sounds like very productive. When I am gardening I just take my dog with me around the garden, She gets to help garden, supervise and then she usually manages to dig holes.

I had a doctor appointment and thought I'd do some errands afterward. However, my legs don't want to keep me upright today, so I had to come straight home.

I had a panic attack on the way to my appointment. The place I had to go is a few blocks down a big hill that overlooks a lot of city. What made it worse is that I had to come to a stop near the top of the hill, with all that scenery the only thing I could clearly see. The street I had to cross had cars parked along them, so that I could not tell if it was clear to cross. That is one thing I really hate about this city - the streets and parking are designed so that one really can't see traffic without inching into the street. I could hear traffic because I had my windows down. But I couldn't see how far the traffic was. But I could clearly see the steep hill I'd have to go down if it ever became safe to cross because I couldn't see around the cars parked to the left and to the right.

I finally managed to inch out of the side street enough to see that the road was clear for me to cross. This entire time I was holding my breath. And creeped my car down the hill to the place I was going. Then the only spot left to park was at the top of a hill. I had to sit in my car for several minutes just trying to get some oxygen to all my shaking parts that were like jello.

I am thinking that it might be better to try walking there. It isn't far by car, but because I don't know the area, I can only get there by the directions given me. And everywhere around there is all hills and steep hills. I have much more pain walking hills, especially downhill. But I'm not as likely to have a panic attack when walking. The worst thing that could happen is that I fall. If I don't break anything, I can get over a fall quicker than it takes for my body to recover from a panic attack.

When I got home, Itty Bitty wanted to go for a walk. I don't know how she tolerates such tiny little feet on hot pavement. But I won't take her for a walk in the middle of a hot day. Not unless she starts drinking water while we are on our walk. I carry water and treats for her and something to drink for me and my cell phone and poop bags. I usually end up dumping the water in the trees when I get home. I want to dump them sooner so I don't have to carry them, but I hate the thought of dumping water my trees could use. I realize there are other trees that could benefit from the water, but then I couldn't say that Itty Bitty had every opportunity to drink water on our walk.

When I got home, the roommate had garden surprises for me. The neighbor that is moving had a bunch of fencing and about 50 empty pots she gave to me. So I have more pots than I could fill all summer. Even better, I have better fencing for the strawberry end of my berry patch. I think Itty Bitty could probably jump the fence if she wanted to, but I'd rather have a lower fence than what I planned so I don't have to use a gate.

The roommate finished making our East side patio. So we have a nice flat space void of rocks to enjoy the cool evenings. I am thankful for every single paver so I don't have to walk on rocks around the garden. Even better, I can go outside to sit on the patio in my bare feet without a single rock in my way.

I am glad I watered this morning, so I can enjoy getting some of my projects done this evening. After the neighbor and I return from going to Home Depot to buy some pvc pipes. He was nice enough to offer to take me to get the pvc pipes because he has a pickup truck that can handle the long pieces. It wasn't a great day to start with, but the rest of the day looks better and better. And I will really be extremely happy to get back with the pvc so I can have the entire weekend of staying home and working in the garden.

Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be very hot and sunny, so I am going to try to get up early to get some stuff done. Then rest inside while it is super hot, before going back out in the evenings. Itty Bitty might have some more after dark walks in her future. She was so sweet at my appointment today. And I praised her a lot for eating the treats I put in her carrier with her. Treasure loved for me to drop treats into the opening. Itty Bitty never eats the treats I give her, but I still kept putting them in the carrier so she could have something to do besides staring at me. And maybe I can get her to start eating treats when we take a break from gardening in the evenings. I always feel bad that she follows me around the yard but won't accept the treats, food, and water I offer her often.

ckatNM said:I had a doctor appointment and thought I'd do some errands afterward. However, my legs don't want to keep me upright today, so I had to come straight home.

I had a panic attack on the way to my appointment. The place I had to go is a few blocks down a big hill that overlooks a lot of city. What made it worse is that I had to come to a stop near the top of the hill, with all that scenery the only thing I could clearly see. The street I had to cross had cars parked along them, so that I could not tell if it was clear to cross. That is one thing I really hate about this city - the streets and parking are designed so that one really can't see traffic without inching into the street. I could hear traffic because I had my windows down. But I couldn't see how far the traffic was. But I could clearly see the steep hill I'd have to go down if it ever became safe to cross because I couldn't see around the cars parked to the left and to the right.

I finally managed to inch out of the side street enough to see that the road was clear for me to cross. This entire time I was holding my breath. And creeped my car down the hill to the place I was going. Then the only spot left to park was at the top of a hill. I had to sit in my car for several minutes just trying to get some oxygen to all my shaking parts that were like jello.

I am thinking that it might be better to try walking there. It isn't far by car, but because I don't know the area, I can only get there by the directions given me. And everywhere around there is all hills and steep hills. I have much more pain walking hills, especially downhill. But I'm not as likely to have a panic attack when walking. The worst thing that could happen is that I fall. If I don't break anything, I can get over a fall quicker than it takes for my body to recover from a panic attack.

When I got home, Itty Bitty wanted to go for a walk. I don't know how she tolerates such tiny little feet on hot pavement. But I won't take her for a walk in the middle of a hot day. Not unless she starts drinking water while we are on our walk. I carry water and treats for her and something to drink for me and my cell phone and poop bags. I usually end up dumping the water in the trees when I get home. I want to dump them sooner so I don't have to carry them, but I hate the thought of dumping water my trees could use. I realize there are other trees that could benefit from the water, but then I couldn't say that Itty Bitty had every opportunity to drink water on our walk.

When I got home, the roommate had garden surprises for me. The neighbor that is moving had a bunch of fencing and about 50 empty pots she gave to me. So I have more pots than I could fill all summer. Even better, I have better fencing for the strawberry end of my berry patch. I think Itty Bitty could probably jump the fence if she wanted to, but I'd rather have a lower fence than what I planned so I don't have to use a gate.

The roommate finished making our East side patio. So we have a nice flat space void of rocks to enjoy the cool evenings. I am thankful for every single paver so I don't have to walk on rocks around the garden. Even better, I can go outside to sit on the patio in my bare feet without a single rock in my way.

I am glad I watered this morning, so I can enjoy getting some of my projects done this evening. After the neighbor and I return from going to Home Depot to buy some pvc pipes. He was nice enough to offer to take me to get the pvc pipes because he has a pickup truck that can handle the long pieces. It wasn't a great day to start with, but the rest of the day looks better and better. And I will really be extremely happy to get back with the pvc so I can have the entire weekend of staying home and working in the garden.

Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be very hot and sunny, so I am going to try to get up early to get some stuff done. Then rest inside while it is super hot, before going back out in the evenings. Itty Bitty might have some more after dark walks in her future. She was so sweet at my appointment today. And I praised her a lot for eating the treats I put in her carrier with her. Treasure loved for me to drop treats into the opening. Itty Bitty never eats the treats I give her, but I still kept putting them in the carrier so she could have something to do besides staring at me. And maybe I can get her to start eating treats when we take a break from gardening in the evenings. I always feel bad that she follows me around the yard but won't accept the treats, food, and water I offer her often.

You had quite a day.

Itty Bitty loves you. And she knows you love her. I don't think she understands the tokens of your affection!


Sounds like the roommate and the neighbor did good today!

crittergarden said:
Itty Bitty loves you. And she knows you love her. I don't think she understands the tokens of your affection!

I was just thinking about what your wrote about Itty Bitty and the fact that she will not take the food or treats outside. It sounds to me like the distractions outside and on trips are simply too much for her at this stage to be able to focus and take the treats. She needs to see a lot more of the big world out there and get used to everything that is going on. It is good that she looks to you for direction and protection.

Not having a dog, I didn't think of that!
Makes perfect sense!

I finally dumped the felt buckets that had dirt from last year's potatoes. I learned at my organic gardening class that if your potatoes have scab on them then the soil will infect the next year's potatoes even if they are guaranteed free of disease. So I planted my new potatoes in new pots and some old but used new soil. Then I will layer with straw as they grow. I used the old dirt to plant more broccoli, carrots and one big 12x24x12 planter with Empress of India nasturtiums. So I am officially done planting. Have harvested lettuce is all and put the poly back over the bed with the beans in it. Beans are a warm weather crop and it is still too cool for them to do much. They are okay and would produce but I think if I keep them warmer now they will produce sooner and longer.

Itty Bitty won't eat anywhere outside my room. I don't mind her eating in my room, on the floor. But she only wants to eat on my bed. I didn't mind this so much when I first got her as she was so scared and I was willing to try anything to get her to eat something. She is just too little to miss any meals. And when she does eat, she eats like her stomach is the size of a walnut. Eat, little girl, eat!

I guess I'm just used to dogs and puppies with voracious appetites. Well, Treasure didn't eat like a pig, and Reba didn't eat like a pig. But all of Reba's puppies had good appetites. I guess Treasure had a healthy enthusiasm for food. She would skip meals, but at least she would eat enough to keep me from worrying. Plus, she also had treats during the day. Since Itty Bitty won't eat treats, I would think she would be famished at meal times. I noticed that with the Beneful, she won't eat the red and green kibble. I got her a new bag of kibble with pieces that all look the same. Decided I better open that since she wasn't eating the Beneful - maybe she just didn't like it. But she wouldn't touch the new stuff either. It is a small bag, but at this rate, it might be four or five months before she eats it all.

Itty Bitty gets cold at night, so I have to put one of Treasure's puppy sweaters on her. I get hot just seeing her in the sweater, but she loves wearing it. She reminds me of a kid playing dress up in mommy's clothes. Treasure was a tiny little puppy. Smaller than Itty Bitty is now. But in my home, all puppies and dogs eat very well, so Treasure grew bigger than most people thought she would. I think Itty Bitty will grow a bit when she starts eating more of her food. I think she is cold at night because she doesn't have enough meat, or fat on her. She's mostly bones and hair. That's all I feel when I hold her.

Poor little pup. Now she finially has a wonderful home. Do you know how old she is?

My first zucchini. I was away for two days so they got fat. Have to hurry and eat these there are two more that should b ready tomorrow.


Already has one for dinner, made zuke curry with tomatoes and chic peas. No the tomatoes were not from garden yet, just canned.

Newyorkrita said:Poor little pup. Now she finially has a wonderful home. Do you know how old she is?

I was told Itty Bitty was 6 months old. I'm going to wait for her vet visit in two weeks to have another vet confirm. I hope she puts on some weight by then. I don't want the vet to think that I am the one that has been starving her. Now that her nails are trim, I don't have to worry about hearing a lecture about how important nail care is. I just don't see how anyone can have a dog with nails as long as hers were.

I was planning a short fence around the squash and melon patch. That was one of Treasure's favorite digging places, but I was going to make her a private digging place. I am trying to decide whether or not to go ahead with the fence. Itty Bitty hasn't shown any interest in digging or bugs. I think that fence would be easier to put up, so I could do it this weekend. Itty Bitty likes to lay in the thick straw in there. I only want the fence to deter her from going in unsupervised. She is always allowed in all the beds when I am with her. The rest of the yard is pretty well puppy/dog proof, if Itty Bitty decides she wants to run around when off leash, instead of sticking close to me.

When I get new flowers, I like to take Itty Bitty to the flower so she can smell it. I even do that on walks. The part of our walks I enjoy the most is looking at what other people are growing, but I also like to see if Itty Bitty has reactions to any flowers or plants. In my yard, she seems to like the salvia. I want to put climbing roses in my herb bed, so yesterday I let her sniff different roses and she had no reaction to any of them. I don't yet have enough things blooming in my yard for her to smell, but maybe she will when I have other things blooming.

I let Treasure sniff all the plants so she would know by smell what was off limits. I want my dogs to use their keen sense of smell more than their sight and fences. I haven't let Itty Bitty smell the sunflowers yet, maybe she will like smelling those. They just started blooming this week. They were off limits even for me yesterday while a beautiful bumble bee was spending a lot of time on all the flowers. But I have sunflowers popping up all over the yard that should start blooming in the next couple weeks. I let them grow for the birds and bees and to have a few spots of shade here and there. I pull them out if they might disturb tender roots, but sometimes, I just watch to see if some plants will grow around them. There is a big sunflower growing in the squash, but the squash plants are quickly growing faster than the sunflower now. They seem about 3-4 inches taller every other day I look at them.

My dog Reba thought the garden was a wonderful adventure, with all the bugs and the birds visiting the bird feeders and bird baths. Here, there aren't enough trees for cover, so there are few birds. I am sure that will change when the garden is thriving and my berry bushes and taller plants give them places to perch. I probably should have a bird bath already, but eventually I will, because I enjoy early mornings and evenings watching the birds. But I think that without some cover, the birds are too exposed and the yard will become a feeding ground for predators. I have noticed some predators circling the neighborhood looking for a meal to swoop down and snatch.

For now, the garden is all about the edibles, herbs, and the pollinators. Itty Bitty and I get to make it happen and later we will have time to watch the show.

I hope she has a long happy life with you there. Sounds like she is adjusting better every day.

Ha! I found baby green tomatoes set on one of the tomato plants I bought from Wild Boar Farms. Have 8 Wild Boar intros I bought directly from them and one Wild Boar Variety I bought from Territorial Seeds when I got plants there. But the one which green tomatoes is one directly from WBF. One called Black and Brown Boar. I can't wait to try these WBF varieties.

Cucumbers I planted out yesterday all look good today.

I have to take a good look at my tomato plants. I have seen flowers, so I give the plants a little shake. But because they are all still low and bushy, I haven't looked close to see if any tomatoes have set.

I hear your excitement on the tomatoes. I am excited about all the varieties of tomatoes I have this year. And the peppers to make chili rellenos and salsa. But I'm trying to remain calm because the only things so close to being harvested that I can almost taste them, are my snow peas. And I am sure the beets will be harvested before the tomatoes.