Backyard soil rejuvenation project

Damn Bermuda Grass! So more planting today. Even though the veggie patch has been rototilled I still have to shovel then manually sift through the soil and pull out whatever grass and grass roots systems I can find by hand. Shovel, kneel, sift, try not to keel over from being out of shape…repeat like a thousand times. lol. Sunflowers are now planted, mammoths, Ms. Mars, Italian whites. Planted jaguar marigolds and some Nasturtiums. Mulched paths and walkways. Still a big section to work and plant, mostly zinnias. Snapdragons and Vincas from greenhouse combined in container combo. Also tigers eye violas in final pot. Exhausted and filthy.

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OMG you guys! I’m hobbling around like a hunchback! My back, my ass and my legs are SORE! Maybe from the 1000 squats I inadvertently did out there while shoveling and sifting. These gosh darn seeds better sprout! No pain no gain??
Hopefully I forget all about this pain come summer when I see all my flowers and veggies bloom. Why did I decide to do this again? :sweat_smile: :unamused::grimacing::sunflower:

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Photo dump for look back later
Blue globe thistle bare root, starting leaves


Bare root sea holly…starting

Bare root dicentra… white gold bleeding hearts starting

Found a few Lily of the valley that Jezebel didn’t trample starting

Cosmos…lots of flowers so far @Tinytuttle I’ve deadheaded quite a few already too. Must be the mammoth P? lol

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Looking good @Meesh I’m think of starting my tomatoes this week have almost a 10/20 flat of newspaper pots ready to go … my cabbages not all of them are having issues for some reason can’t figure that one out

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Maybe a bad batch of seeds? I tried to start some brussel sprouts last year, the seedlings all came up, looked good then bam, died. I’m gonna try again in midsummer, although they would probably do much better in your neck of the woods cuz they get sweeter when they are harvested in some cold fall weather. How much longer do you expect until your last frost? You just had a blizzard recently didn’t you?

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Oh yeah, @Tinytuttle Farmers Almanac hasn’t told me to plant my tomatoes yet, but they seem to be happy enough under the trellis. Hopefully it stays warm enough. Looks like some rain is rolling in right now.

Super excited about your Columbines sprouting! What exactly did you do?

I spied a tiny English Lavender sprout today, this is my second try. I started 3, but I can live with one. lol

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Ya we had blizzard like conditions last week snow is almost all melted however iirc last average frost is right around Mother’s Day

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So you’re planning to keep those tomatoes inside I take it?

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Tomato doesn’t like when the night time temps drop into low to mid 50’s so watch those temps it has a tendency to really slow them down I’d suggest wrapping cage with a heavy plastic with maybe a few slits in it

Just ignored them I thought the peat pellets had dried out and was about to toss them

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They are under the trellis. I believe the indeterminates tolerate a little more weather. If not, I’m screwed. They’ve been hardened off now for like 3 weeks. lol We are in the mid and low 50’s at night now. Oops! I’m afraid of the heavy plastic because of our humidity. It was baking the plants in the greenhouse during the day. Well, they live or they die. This will be another lesson for me not to jump the gun with the tomatoes. Hopefully the soil is warm enough from just being Southern Cali.

EDIT- Seed pack says March - May for my area :relieved:

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Oh! I put my glasses on and the seed pack also says July - August. Guess you can’t plant them here during summer solstice. @Tinytuttle Good! If I kill them this time around I can plant more. hahaha I bought tomatoes for dummies! Can’t stop laughing!

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Major sunburn from planting. Giving my back a rest as well. Plus today was the first day I worked in a week. Been out in that garden everyday instead. I’ll finish up the planting this weekend. Need to earn my weekly bread.

Killed the dinky speck of English Lavender that finally germed. I thought I was careful while I was watering, but dislodged it. Damn! Well it didn’t pop until I had thrown all of the flats completely outside of the greenhouse. Maybe I’ll try germing a new set outside with starter soil instead of the Soilless mix. I’m thinking the real soil won’t dry out as quickly as the sunshine mix does when in direct sun. I have some of those jiffy pellet things, never used them. Anyone know if they work good in direct sunlight?

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They dry out real fast as all they are is compressed peat that expands in a little net to hold it together…maybe a seedling tray with lid to set the pots inside or clear plastic cup on top to trap humidity?

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Well, since they just wouldn’t germ in the greenhouse, isn’t that sort of the same thing?

The only damn things I can’t seem to germ so far are any seeds I tried with the coating on them, petunias coated and uncoated and the damn English Lavender (except the one recently I just killed) can’t understand it. The only common factors were either the coating, the greenhouse or the Sunshine Mix #4

Kinda. Just a smaller enclosed container to add a little more warmth to sprout and keep them from drying out as fast…dunno you’ll have to play with it. This time of year we are taking milk jugs and halving them for late winter sowing of cold season crops then tape them back together…essentially a mini terrarium with handles :stuck_out_tongue: They stay outside unless Mother Nature decides to drop it back down to the 20’s at night…hope not as the youngest is going camping this weekend. Bad enough that it may rain

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How old is your youngest?

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10 til June…he is going with his Troop. Great practice for next winter’s monthly camping trips…ease the new boys (and parents wallets) into it

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Even if it rains, kids don’t care. As long as they can be with their friends, they could turn blue and grow icicles from their ears and say that they are fine. lol

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Ain’t that the truth rofl!

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I have always been such a girly girl, when I was his age my Mom used to send me to summer camp for a week every year. It was up in Wrightwood near Big Bear. I didn’t mind sleeping in the cabins too much, but they made us hike like 10 miles (it was probably 2 or 3) for one of the days and sleep in tents and stuff. OMG! I HATED summer camp! The bugs, the archery, fishing etc… Plus it was a group thing. I have never been a joiner or liked group activities etc… I won’t even join a book club. Haha! I think I’m forever traumatized. They wouldn’t let me take my Barbies to summer camp. lol

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