Ducks4you for 2022

[ducks4you]

Asap I will be fixing up my grape vines. 3/8 that were growing 20 years ago are still left. I have 3 very healthy new concord grapes, and one that doesn't look so good.
I will be buying 2 more this week, bc they aren't too expensive.
I pulled most of the old metal and very rusty fence posts to replace with new, and newly colorfully painted ones. HOWEVER, somebody without a brain pounded one post RIGHT NEXT TO an alive an flourishing grape. I think I'll saw it off at ground level and leave the rest to rust.
I am afraid if I pull it out the plant dies.
Somebody last December was musing about pounding fenceposts as stakes for grapes RIGHT NEXT TO the plants.
My new ones will be at Least 1 ft away from the living plants.
Would that it was wooden....

 

[heirloomgal]

I will N E V E R understand when people don't lock up their stuff.
MY GOSH!!! If you live waaaaaayyyyyy out away from other people, you could come home to a squatter, with a weapon, or a mental problem, who got into your UNLOCKED HOUSE!!!
I sleep good with my 14yo dog AND my 3 yo GS, who both sleep IN MY ROOM on the floor, and all doors are locked.
P.S. Weapons are also within reach.

You are so cool @ducks4you !

 

[flowerbug]

Asap I will be fixing up my grape vines. 3/8 that were growing 20 years ago are still left. I have 3 very healthy new concord grapes, and one that doesn't look so good.
I will be buying 2 more this week, bc they aren't too expensive.
I pulled most of the old metal and very rusty fence posts to replace with new, and newly colorfully painted ones. HOWEVER, somebody without a brain pounded one post RIGHT NEXT TO an alive an flourishing grape. I think I'll saw it off at ground level and leave the rest to rust.
I am afraid if I pull it out the plant dies.
Somebody last December was musing about pounding fenceposts as stakes for grapes RIGHT NEXT TO the plants.
My new ones will be at Least 1 ft away from the living plants.
Would that it was wooden....

if it is an older vine you can probably remove the pole as long as the root isn't growing right through the cement plug somehow. grapes are pretty hardy plants once established.

 

[ducks4you]

Thx, but I'm not gonna take the chance. I have metal blades for my reciprocating saw. Guess I'll be laying on the ground with the "constant on" button, holding the saw until it breaks it off. IF I dig a couple of inches below ground, then put 1/2 brick on top shouldn't cause any problem.
Honestly, I am probably going to buy 2 more concord grapes, then pot them up for the summer, just in case. They can always go someplace else.
I DO have need of another partial old metal fencepost along the south fencing next to my now trashy neighbor.

 

[ducks4you]

I now have all 4 new grapes, 2 that survived the winter in the basement and 2 that a bought at a local nursery, out in the south facing window wells. The cement in front keeps the wind from whipping them around, but they will get full sun. My "Mr. Lincoln" red rose didn't survive the winter. I picked up another cheapo rose to replace it. The new one is flush with leaves, and I hope to dig the old one up and transplant the new one before tonight's rain.
My yellow knockout suffered little winter burn, as well as the orangish "Tropicana."
Both yellow and pinkish mini roses in the front made it through the winter well, too.
Just like the lone daffodil, I caged in the spent purple tulips. I think that there are 8 bulbs and I PROMISED them to DD, who loves purple.
Glad I thought ot this. When they die down you can't find them.

 

[ducks4you]

I started tomatoes in very little dirt. There are 40-50 of them, very small, but transplanted now and doing well. Box stores are Still selling tomato plants, and I bought 12 (4 packs/$3.49/each) yesterday at WM, plus 1 Roma, an oregano--somehow I'm not seeing any in my patch--and 16 wax begonias, plus 2 pots of some kind of perennial grass.
ALL are now well watered, ALL New tomato plants are downstairs, pots sitting in water, on top of a heat mat and under a gro light. They will stay there until Late next week.
I gotta prep the 2022 tomato bed this week, but we are having a cold snap, so I want them warm and happy.
Dunno what I'm gonna do with the ones I started from seed.
LEARNED SOMETHING THIS YEAR from a garden expert.
Start tomatoes in 3 inch pots, so that they can put on some good roots.
Part of my fault is not having my inside starting areas fully ready before the season started.
NEXT year they will be started in February in big pots, and I will keep them warm and wet.
Funny. at WM the tomatoes were on a shelving unit outside, left to dry out and die.
Probably 400 plants.
I watered mine at an inside water fountain, cleaned up my mess, and brought them home in good shape.
BTW, Bonnie Plants Won't let stores discount their plants, so you will NEVER see them on sale. The stores end up having to "eat their product."

 

[ducks4you]

Don't be sad!!
I have 32 tomato plants that I bought that are about 6-8 tall with good stems, sitting happily and waiting for a warmer day to transplant. I need a couple of hours to prep the area, anyway.
Here are 2/3 of the tiny tomatoes. I purchased a 5 gallon fish tank last winter. They have been transplanted to 3 inch pots recycled from previous plant purchases, and are sitting in 1/2 of water, on the south ledge of my porch. I closed the window for a few cooler days, but when I open it up again they get full sun and some breezes to harden them off. You will notice that the 2nd from the left, 1st row looks a little bit different. THAT one is an Early Girl, forgot the name of the seeds but it is from High Mowing. ALL of the rest are from Cherokee Purple seeds that I saved last Fall. I have been telling you, 2022 is my Learning Curve Year. 2023 will be the year we will NEED to feed ourselves as much as possible.
I will keep them here for at least a full month. They may be reserves if any of the Better Boys that I bought die.
Plus a have a friend who is fairly new to gardening, and SHE may need some replacements, DD's want at least 6--you know the drill.

 

[ducks4you]

Bought the last of the bedding annuals for my two north of the garage beds. Funny, I partially divided a hosta and the divisions have really grown pretty big. Gotta move ONE of them bc it needs more room, so I will divide it again soon and give 1/2 of it to DD for her yard. Perennials have really taken over the west/north bed.
I picked up 6 New Zealand vincas, white, to put there, still have to plant 6 red geraniums, 4 more red wax begonias, and 8 pink wax begonias. Don't care for pink, but it makes for some variety.
Also, don't know WHY I don't shop at Menards for vegetables. They have a very large garden center and the discounts have started. Picked up 8 more tomatoes that need to be transplanted to pots TODAY!!, and some large herbs and petunias to plant this weekend in DD's outside pots, along with nasturtium seeds and maybe others.
I am thanking my past self for putting them away dry and upside down in their garage on and old door, to keep them from damage.
Don't know about you but I LOVE ceramic pots!!
I was window shopping at Lowe's yesterday--other DD gave me a $50 gift card--and I have my eye on some pots that may go clearance this summer.
I had to laugh bc I used their self help checkout, and couldn't figure out the PIN to the card. Clerk showed me that you scratch it off.
I said, "OH! It's scratch and sniff."
{Pictures when the bed is fully planted.)

 

[ducks4you]

Got all of the north of the garage beds flowers in. Another First! Within a week of purchase?!?!?
WHO would have thought!
Transplanted some onions into one bed, may throw some seeds in.
I really did a number on the west bed,since the perennials have been filling in. I used my spade and hand removed the weeds and broke up the soil with my gloves before planting.
Glad it's a one and done. Now I can enjoy looking out of my kitchen windows every day as they get bigger and fill in.
Yesterday and Tuesday I went back to finish a 2021 job. I had hired a kid to chop down my burdock in the south pasture, and I sawed down some pine limbs. I didn't clean the last 3 piles up until yesterday. The big piles have been now burned in my firepit. I left my rake out there to search for any more sticks/burdock below the trees.
Disgusting wads of burdock seeds were hiding under 2nd year burdock and are now ash. I have mowed most of the burdock areas.
The horses are off of the this pasture for the next 2 weeks while I mow down and poison as much as possible. I may miss some, but there will be no forest of burdock, as I have had in the past.
Oh, potatoes that I planted last weekend are up.

 

[heirloomgal]

I love ceramic pots too @ducks4you, though not all of them have drainage holes. I prefer the ones with drainage!