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Tonight I got the strawberry runners dug, planted, watered and mulched. I planted them just over a foot apart in two staggered rows. The book said one row, but I can only dedicate this one bed to them, so it will have to do. I will keep all blossoms and runners cut off for the rest of this year, mulch over the plants after the first frost, then rake the mulch off of the plants in early spring. Then I'll let them fruit, but keep the runners cut off. At least that's the plan.
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They look so good right now, but I wonder what they'll look like after tomorrow, when we're expecting it to be 101F. According to the book, they should survive just fine. We'll see.
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I think I'll head for the bathtub. Just look at the little scratches all over my legs! Those are from trying to get through the squash patch to pick squash and zucchini. Those things are wicked! That big black spot on my foot is where I put some antibiotic on it after I dropped the 5-gallon bucket of compost on it. The dirt stuck to the ointment, so it's probably really nice and sterile....NOT! I wonder what that bucket weighed.....
I took the scale out and weighed a bucketful, it was 28.6 pounds. On my foot. I don't know how many of them I carried out to the garden today, at least six not counting the wheelbarrow full that I wrestled through the door, almost wiping out the marigolds!
My kitchen is a mess.
I'm soooo tired.
Will this day never end?
You amaze me. Seriously. Take it easy tomorrow....rest.
ReplyDeleteIt's the next morning now, 1st. Man....I survived! Nothing big planned today, just maybe planting that small garden.
DeleteGardening is a contact sport! be careful!
ReplyDeletenBoer, bucket contacting foot, stickers contacting legs, fence contacting arm and requiring large bandaid. Definitely a contact sport yesterday, LOL!
DeleteLooking good! Your plants always look so healthy and vibrant! Seems like I struggle with black spot and mold and stuff this time of year.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, there is lots more information on the Roe strawberry method and much more in Herrick Kimballs (http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/) new book. I just love it. Herrick's blog is the first one I read and got me started. His book can be ordered on Amazon or here: http://whizbanggardening.blogspot.com/
Ray, not all are healthy and vibrant. My tomato plants are really struggling this year. I have them all planted in ground, and I grew virus resistant varieties, but they don't look like they are going to make it (except for the 4 by the shed). It's always been a problem in this soil, which is one reason I switched to growing them in potting soil in buckets. Looks like next year it will be back to the bucket method, or just planting 3-4 behind the shed where the overhead sprinklers won't hit them.
DeleteGood advice on the strawberry growing, but good advice is usually read and then goes right over my head and out of my brain! I'm such a creature of habit :-)
Ouch, poor thing! But the garden looks good! I need to get busy.
ReplyDeleteBtw, my tomatoes too are doing so ... badly this year. One is completely wilted, seemingly overnight. It was the one with the most fruit clusters, it makes me want to cry! I'm guessing it's too late to replant, although I saw Home Depot still has some gangly ones, but they were $2.98 each. At that price, I'd rather buy my tomatoes. Have you tried the orange cherry called "Zima" sold at Sam's Club? They're actually very good, not at all cardboard-y.
Mrs. R., my cherry tomatoes are doing great, but they aren't in the sunniest area so are ripening slowly. It's only my purchased plants that are looking horrid, with one of them going into the garbage today :-(
DeleteI've never tried Zima, but Black Cherry and Una Hartsock are my favorites. They are both OP varieties, so I save the seeds each year. Una was the one that evidently crossed and gave me an unknown this year (I still got 1 Una), so I've got it planted a bit of a distance from any others. If it crosses, its closest neighbor is the Black Cherry, but I really need to go bag some blossoms to keep it from cross pollinating.
Do be careful!!! 101 degrees is way too hot! Thankfully it has cooled off here a bit but still no rain! Hope your foot is okay. Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, I've been going out for just a few minutes at a time today, as it's already 99 in the shade. Too hot for gardening, and the strawberries, beans and tomatoes need to be picked! They'll just have to wait until evening. My foot is red and sore, but no bleeding, as it was just a surface scrape and bruise. Luckily I didn't drop it straight down in my foot, so I just got the glancing blow from it!
DeleteI love it when you post your dirty feet, legs or clothes...makes me feel so much better about being dirty after a hard days work in the garden! My neighbor always tells me, " Robbie you are a mess, look at all that dirt on you"....I agree with the person above..it is a contact sport! lol....robbie
ReplyDeleteRobbie, I tried to get a photo of my dirty shirt and hands, too. They were blurry and out of focus. It's hard to get a picture of ones self with this new camera, as it's so much larger and heavier than my old one, my fingers aren't long enough to hold it in one hand and push the button! If you think my feet looked bad, you should see my fingernails :-(
DeleteI should wear shoes in the garden, but it was so hot I just stripped down as far as decency would allow!
Granny!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've missed you. (I used to be under the screen name Z's Garden). Glad to see you are still gardening!
I remember strawberries. I really miss gardening. Can't do it right now, Just don't have the space or the time really. It's okay. I can look at your blog and reminisce.
Take Care!
ZZ, I've missed you, too! I'm sorry you aren't gardening, but I'm glad you can live vicariously through my blog :-)
DeleteOh granny, you need to take a rest. I know you wrote this two days ago so I'm sure you have had your rest (and gotten tired again and rested), but still. I'm hoping I can get out into the garden for the first time today. I won't be able to get to most of the weeds though as most of what needs weeding is my beans and they are wet wet wet.
ReplyDeleteYup! I rested, then went out and did it again! I've managed to keep on top of the weeds, but I'm still pulling hundreds of morning glory seedlings nearly every day. I just can't believe how many seeds fell, and germinated, from that one planting! It's supposed to hit 101 again today :-(
DeleteAbout half of the strawberry plants wilted badly in yesterday's heat, but luckily I have more to take their place if needed....after it cools down a bit!