Ducks ALIVE in 2025!

[ducks4you]

I like to share articles that are from reputable sources. TEMU pays for first hits, and some other nonreputable sources do the same, so I like to recommend the better ones with much better gardening advice.
Here is one about planting potatoes, in case this is new to you!

Planting Potatoes: Learn How Deep To Plant Potatoes

Let's talk potatoes. Though many people are familiar with when to plant potato crops, others may question how deep to plant potatoes once they're ready for growing. This article will help you with that.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

Also, this:

How To Grow A Water-Wise Garden That Still Looks Lush

Growing a water-wise garden does not mean you need to sacrifice beauty. Learn how to plan for plants that need less water.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

 

[ducks4you]

Reported on the tablecloth and tarp covering the stones next to the house to suppress weeds AND the 3 big pots of potatoes now getting rained on in my mint bed, on the other thread.
I also weeded my porcelain garlic, dug out several not so deep dandelions and a few smaller burdock, and chickweed and young curly dock.
I will need to cover the spaces in between my chicken wire fencing. TOO many weeds went to seed there last year.
I also re seeded the 2nd row of fencing with 92 more Sugar Snap Peas, and about a dozen of them were seeds that I had saved from my meager attempt last year, when 5 grew and I nabbed the dried out pods.
For this re seeding and the one a few days ago I planted them barely 1/2 in, just making the row, placing them on it and lightly covering them with soil so you can't see them.
I actually have ONE Alaska pea up, and I am thinking that it's from the reseeding I did last week.
I checked on the 4 grapes that I planted in a temporary pot on Tuesday. They looked a little bit shriveled so I gave them another gallon of water. Now the soil is saturated and I am thinking that will help.
My back could NOT take moving one more big pot, so I will try moving them to the west window, where the potatoes Were tomorrow, so that they can get better light than a 60 watt bulb and not as direct sunlight from the basement window. I think that they are little bit shocked. They don't look terrible or dead, I thought that they would be happy there and I don't want to transplant them until my established grapes have leafed out.

 

[ducks4you]

Photos of above taken today, after the heavy rain watered my 3 potato pots. I drained some of it out, but this spot is under the eaves, won't get any rain, unless it's heavy and the damaged 100 gallon water tank still retains a couple of inches of water in it. Here are two tomato cages staged for two early tomatoes to grow IN this tank next to the house. I will need to stage some taller stakes for them, but the warmth of the house Should enable me to put them out earlier, plus DH will be thrilled if we have slicers before August of this year.
Here is the old plastic tablecloth and the tarp with bricks and cement parts holding it down against the wind.
Sure, I will need to weed on the edges where I have some coming up, but it's A LOT less weeding work for me this way.

 

[ducks4you]

Finally started some seeds in my basement setup with heat mats and gro lights!!

TOP SHELF:
Started (4) 42 day tomato seeds--Sample pkg said 5

42-Day Tomato Seeds

For single packets, click here For bulk packets, click here Our 2024 Free Seed Giveaway! Be the first in your neighborhood with ripe tomatoes! At only 42 days to maturity, this is one of the world’s earliest tomatoes. Vigorously produces high yields of small, bright red, cherry sized fruits with...

seedsnsuch.com

Started (25) Stupice tomato seeds (early tomato--52 days)

Tomato - Stupice - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Stupice Heirloom Open Pollinated Tomato is extra early with a high tolerance to cold. Has great flavor and high yields of 1 to 2 oz fruit.

www.stclareseeds.com

Tomato: Stupice

Abundant, early tomato with abundant yields of 3 to 6 ounce fruit

www.smartgardener.com

Started (20) Amish Paste tomato seeds
72 Cell seed starter
with plastic lid below to hold water and topped with Clear Dome under a pink gro flourescent LED

THIRD SHELF:
Started (20-18 cells) California Giant Bell Peppers
Started (12) Fooled You Jalepanoes
Started 6 Turkish Orange Eggplant seeds (Sample Packet)

History Of Turkish Italian Orange Eggplant

There is something very exotic, and yet adorably cute, about Turkish Orange eggplants. The chubby little fruits are also confusingly referred to as Turkish Italian because of their popularity in Italy.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

Turkish Orange Eggplant

WE SHIP PLANTS (for $) & LOCAL PICK-UP AVAIL. (OTTAWA AREA ONT. mid-May+, see ads)TURKISH ORANGE EGGPLANT | id:23276 | Solanum melongena | Certified Organic by Ecocert Canada | Annual | Open Pollinated | HeirloomTurkish Heirloom. Popular in Mediterranean countries. Fruits are 2 oz, orange-red in...

gaiaorganics.ca

18 cell seed starter in a 10 gal fish tank so that I can keep water in it, under a gro light
Room for one more 18 cell next to it

I have 6 heat mats downstairs, including one which is square and actually a baby chick heater.
I have one heat mat plugged in above my fridge.

I am Very glad that I started seeds in water jugs First. VERY LITTLE babysitting needed!

 

[ducks4you]

OH, I even remembered to label everything! Thanks @heirloomgal , for the reminder with you recent post!

 

[ducks4you]

This is certainly a year of experimenting and studying and applying what I have studied to what I am doing.
Tomorrow I have to cover 2 spots outside in anticipation of the frost and freezes forecast.
1) Baby peach tree with a dozen blossoms!!!!!
2) Big black "pot" above with potatoes
I have a rag wool blanket that can cover the peach tree and I intend to open up a 41 gallon black garbage bag and duct tape it around the blanket, just to be sure
I think I can use the tall blue and green tomato cages as a frame and use a used plastic tablecloth to cover the potatoes. I should be able to move the sprouts inside of the pot and they won't be touching the tablecloth.
Since they are sitting above ground, and frosts and freezes are worse at the surface, we should be ok.
All I know is that I will have damage if I do nothing, and it won't be too hot for the next few days to bake any of them.

 

[ducks4you]

God showed me where I left a blue 6' x 9' tarp in the garage, in good condition. I covered my baby peach tree first with a rag wool blanket and then with the tarp, which I secured with the usual--baling twine.
GOOD THING, too, bc we are expecting 25mph winds today.
I must have HAD 30 peach blossoms on this tree. Don't expect all of them to survive, but I Do expect a lot of them to survive and make fruit for me.
Since we are expecting a low of 25 degrees F at 6AM Tuesday morning And same low Saturday morning, I will leave the blanket and tarp ON until Saturday afternoon.
I covered my potatoes with first the 3 white garbage bags that I used to keep the cats away in the basement AND a 41 gallon black trash bag and a large plastic tablecloth that is destined to cover more stones on the bed between the sidewalk and the house. I am slowly making my way all of the way around to the front, and I have 2, possibly 3 more used tablecloths to put down.
INteresting...going through the "lodge", which is our 2 car deep garage on the north side of the barn, and where the tractor lives, I found this, a seed package from 2007. 18yo seeds! Wonder if they will germinate for me...

The Sweet Pea Seed Viability Timeline: A General Guideline​

While the exact lifespan of sweet pea seeds can vary, here’s a general guideline:

• Freshly Harvested Seeds: These seeds typically have a viability of 3-5 years.
• Properly Stored Seeds: With optimal storage, seed viability can be extended to 5-7 years.
• Older Seeds: While seeds older than 7 years might still germinate, their germination rate will be significantly lower.
• https://kelseyviews.net/how-long-are-sweet-pea-seeds-viable/

 

[ducks4you]

I went shopping today after picking up our truck. DH was wrong--we didn't neglect to drive it and hasten the demise of it's two batteries.
Garage said they have NO record of replacing the batteries and their records go back to 2018.
So.....the batteries died a natural death.
Period.
Youngest DD wants to go to a CW Reenactment (again, like last year, same one) in early May--
"May the Fourth Be With You," is her b'day--
and we needed some stakes to hold the banner for our little CW Civilian Camp, 2025.
We are:
"The S.ociety F.or M.oral U.plifting and T.emperence."
We will be entertaining visitors with our singing, songs on the camp organ, and possibly some violin playing.
There will be PLENTY of drinking of our "nerve medicine."
Anyway, I bought these for our banner/2025 gardening:

https://www.joann.com/p/48in-black-flag-holder-metal-shepherd-hooks-by-place-time/20242277.html

 

[ducks4you]

Menard's had 2025 seeds, their cheapest ones, for sale for 10 cents/package, and an additional penny/pkg with their rebate. I bought 30 packages, including marigolds, dill, broccoli, cabbage, acorn squash, etc.
I was wanting to start broccoli with winter sowing this week, but couldn't find my seed package, so now I can do it.
I Hope when I snail mail back the rebate form it gets there, considering out postal service has been pretty lousy of late!

 

[ducks4you]

We did have a heavy frost this morning, which I saw on top of the tarp covering the blanket covering my little peach tree.