May 3, 2012 - I Should Have Known!

The weatherman didn't tell me it was going to rain, but I should have known.  Yesterday I was checking on my Fortex pole beans, wondering why I had one healthy bean plant growing in the bed where I had planted probably 30 seeds.  I dug my fingers down into the soil, and pulled up a perfectly dry, unsprouted bean.  The bed was dry as a bone!  I don't know how that one plant managed to not only survive, but to look absolutely perfectly healthy.  I also don't know why the bed was so dry, as the garden sprinklers hit the fence where the beans are planted.  I know my sandy soil dries out quickly, that's why I've eliminated most of my raised beds.  I had amended the soil along the fence with quite a bit of compost, and raked it up into slightly raised half-circle beds for the pole beans.  The soil in the pathways was damp on the surface, but the slightly raised beds were dry.  All three of them.  There was nothing I could do about the bed that was already filled with bean seeds, but I grabbed the rake and leveled out the two unplanted areas.  Then I attached a "Y" connector to the garden hose that feeds the two main sprinklers, and installed another hose for spot watering.  With the "Y", I can control which hoses are being used, so as to not overwater the rest of the garden.

With the new hose in commission, I set a small sprinkler to soak the bean bed.  Then I soaked the two newly flattened bean beds and planted one of them with more Fortex beans and a 3' home made carrot seed tape that I had left over from the planting on May 1.  I'll be sure to check the moisture more often back there against the fence.

I decided it might just be time to set the timer on the automatic sprinkling system.  Usually I run it manually until the weather really warms, but I do tend to forget if I've watered certain areas or not, so I decided to play it safe and set it to water twice a week, starting at 5:00 am this morning.

So it rained all night.  I might have known.

My chore list has been put on hold for the day, or at least until the sun comes out.....if it comes out.  My shovel, rake, 4-pronged cultivator and garden shoes are taunting me from just outside the patio door.  I was really determined to finish edging the patio flower bed today.  Not going to happen.

I've stuck to my chore list all month....all two days of the month, that is!


Chore List for 5/1

Dig out 1 bucket Bermuda grass.  (I dug out two large buckets)
Fertilize & hill potatoes.  Germination is 100%.  
Weed, hoe and rake east beds and paths.
Fill large container with potting mix for Diva cucumbers to be grown on east fence.
Plant one hill of Honey Bear squash in north garden.
Plant three 3' rows of carrots.
Start edging patio flower bed.
Replant 1 row spinach. This replaces the spinach that mysteriously disappeared.

Chore List for 5/2

Dig out 1 bucketful of Bermuda grass.
Clip out raspberry suckers.
Plant cantaloupe seedlings and a few seeds. Seeds saved from store bought, planted as backup to seedlings.
Plant 1 bed Fortex pole beans with 3' strip of carrots in front
Work on edging patio flower bed.


Chore List for 5/3

Dig out 1 bucketful of Bermuda grass.
Finish edging patio flower bed.
Plant Four O' Clocks around patio.
Install folding fencing around Four O' Clocks.
Clean and hose off patio.

Rain, rain, go away.  This old Granny wants to play....in the garden!