Right after my last post we got a freeze warning. It got down to 34 degrees and we had frost. I knew I had to cover everything and I did. I used some 24 inch bamboo stakes, a couple tarps, a kiddie pool, and assorted buckets, etc. to accomplish this. The stakes held the tarps up off the plants. It was quick and easy and a Macgyver moment. Here is life inside the green bean tent.
The next big garden highlight was the rain last weekend. I forgot to take a picture of the water in the backyard, but there was several inches in areas around the garden so I dug a trench, And I dug, And I dug, And after about 60 feet of trench I threw my back out. Did I mention I was sick digging a trench in the rain with a bad back? It was my fault and I was suffering. I ended up at the doctor on Monday with a sinus infection and a bad back. The worst of each I have ever had. The left side of my face felt like it was going to pop off. I was hobbling around like old Yoda. I won't mention what has come out of my nose since I started antibiotics. Ask Stace, unfortunately she had to see it. The doctor also prescribed some steroids, which dramatically improved my back situation. This is probably the quickest recovery I have had when I tweaked my back since I had back surgery at 17 years old. At least now I have excellent drainage. The trench leads to a french drain on the side of my house, which leads to the street. The water was shooting out of the pipe into the street when I had finished digging. I am considering converting the trench into a dry river bed type deal, but that is on the backburner for now.
My last post I showed how I fertilized to improve some growth. I did get some growth, but not what I expected. About a week ago I decided to buy more tomato plants and transplant some of my smaller ones into pots. The small ones in pots I put some rich garden mix I picked up at Nature's Way Resources. I wanted to compare the plant growth between the pots with proven bagged soil and the plants in my garden beds. I was hoping that since it has heated up that the growth would be similar. That is is not what happened. The plants in the pots are growing better than the plants in the ground. This was kind of discouraging. Here are some pictures to compare pot vs. ground growth. Notice the tiny tomato plants in the front below.
Now take a look at the 2 tomato plants on the lower right. Those plants were the same size as the two tiny plants in the ground about 2 weeks ago. Now they are at least twice as big.
Now anyone who knows me knows I am kind of stubborn and passionate at times, which leads to me getting really focused. This difference in growth was bothering me. All of this work and research into how to prepare a good soil and now this is happening. This is not supposed to be this difficult.
Before I go the soil test route I figured I should get to basics. I decided I should get some garden mix or some more compost to improve my soil. I also planned some organic foiliar feritlizer because from what I have read plants absorb more nutrients through their leaves. So today I made a trip to Nature's Way Resources to get some advice. They suggested that I add more organic matter into the soil via the leaf mold compost. I agreed and instead of 4 bags like last time, I loaded up. I figured I needed less than half a yard, but a full yard is only $10 more so I went with the yard. Well the guy working the loader can't measure very well because I think I got at least 1.5 - 2 yards. Being the honest guy I try to be I even told him he was putting too much on, but he said he was right so I said okay. I was worried my truck was going to have a problem with the weight, but it worked fine. This picture is taken after I already removed 3 or 4 wheelbarrows full. I don't know.. maybe this is a yard and I always got shorted before??? I will definitely have some left over, but I will put it to use for future expansion.
I added 2 - 3 inches throughout the garden and worked it in to the soil. Notice the growth on my green beans. At least they like my soil.
This is the foliar fertilizer I bought and applied today. Here is an excerpt from the website. It sounds like it should work. We'll see.
"The goodness of Super Seaweed will enhance plant color, increase chlorophyll content, build stronger roots, increase plant development and vigor. All this is well proven by university research. Also university proven is Super Seaweed’s ability to fight pest insects, disease, frost, nematodes and stress. San Jacinto’s own Super Seaweed is a superb combination of Cold-Processed Kelp, Soluble Fish, Humic Acid, Molasses, and selected plant extracts. All the ingredients are combined in the right proportions to give you unsurpassed performance."
By the way, after all of this work I do have a few tomatoes and peppers started.
Here are some parting shots of the kiddos.
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