Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sowing and Repotting.

Sunday 27th July

93F
105F on the heat index.
Pretty hot out there this weekend so I'm sticking to inside jobs as much as possible.
The first of the Skyscraper Sunflowers is just about fully in bloom.

These are a really cheerful looking addition to the vegetable plots and I'm glad I decided to grow them.
I repotted the volunteer tomato plants. But as it's so hot I did it indoors!

I have 7 plants and they all look pretty healthy at the moment. I repotted them and used a mixture of 2 parts garden soil and 1 part home made compost. Then I topped them off with mulch and gave them a good watering. They are now sat in Bed 1 where I can keep a close eye on them and ensure they don't dry out. At least in Bed 1 they'll lose the sun in the afternoon.
Well, they all went outside except this biggest one......................

........which is in flower already so I'm going to plant it out in Plot 4, but not until later this evening when it cools a little. The poor thing (and poor me) would fry right now. It's a tall plant and I'll strip all the leaves off except the top few then plant it deep in the ground, including the fibre pot which it's in. Planting deep helps make a good solid root foundation.
I also potted the Golden Willow tree cutting which had the biggest roots

It's now in Bed 2 for the time being as I'm not sure whether it will survive or where it will end up if it does.
Then it was time for................................................

A light lunch. Cheese and Home Grown tomato on a roll followed by some of the delightful Fruit Salad which my wife made yesterday evening.

Lunchtime reading
Speaking of Home Grown Tomatoes, check these out...................!!

Pretty yummy eh?
This year I'm getting a bumper crop so yesterday I traded with a neighbour for some of their home grown Sweet Corn.
After lunch I decided to sow a few seeds for the Fall.
I know it's probably a bit early but I was bored.

So I put in one row of each of the following:
Catnip
Cabbage
Kohrabi
Lettuce

I use this growing medium which I purchase from the small nursery here in town. It's a little more expensive that what you get at the big stores but I have had lots of success with this brand so, to me, it's worth paying a little extra.
I gave them a light watering with the hand sprayer then placed the tray on the top of the fridge and will check them next weekend for signs of life.
By then I decided I'd done enough.
I had a quick walk around the trees to check on progress and noticed these.......................

Persimmons.
Our tree is actually 3 trees all growing together in a clump. Last year there wasn't much in the way of fruit due to the terrible ice storms and late frosts. This season it seems they are making up for it with a bumper crop.
I don't do anything with them myself but they make a good source of food for the birds when the cold weather hits. By that time the fruits have softened, turned a shade of orange and have a taste similar to dates in my opinion.