I spent $142 on garden stuff yesterday. The welded wire tomato cages were the most expensive items. I had hoped to make it back there before the turquoise cages were gone. I would have bought a couple last time I was there, but they were all zip-tied together and they were closing in ten minutes, and it was too much of a hassle. So I got two yellow ones and two hot pink ones in the smaller size. I use these on peppers not tomatoes anyway. It is just so windy here during May and June that the cages help keep the plants from being blown over. They were pricey.
I was able to find a jalapeño plant, but they were out of bells. They had cayenne, but I had one of those already along with 1 bell. They had serrano and poblano, but I'm not growing any other spicy peppers this year. There were no Anaheims. I just wasn't able to get over there when I needed to. But I was able to pick up 4 gold rush zucchini plants and 2 of the regular green ones, 4 cucumbers, 2 Early Girl tomatoes, and 1 Joe's best Roma. I have 1 million pears already. I also picked up four big sweet basil plants, decided not to get a Thai basil plant because the three they had looked very stressed.
After that I looked for some flowers. As much as I wanted to get a couple flats of petunias, I have no place to plant those. I ended up getting a 1/2 gallon pot of Veronica, which is a deep blue perrenial (unless it goes to 10 degrees, which might happen once every ten years or so, and a deep red yarrow. Deer don't like either of those flowers so I will plant them with my zucchini. The prices of starts have gone way up this year. Next year I really have to start my own. I have the grow lights and I have the station set up, I just haven't done it. I have all the seeds and everything.
After that we went over to the grocery store that carries plants from the same nursery and found 3 Better Belles in 1/2 gallon pots. Better Belles are not my favorite type of bell pepper. I feel like Northstar performs better here, but I waited too long and these are my choices if I want plants from a no-spray source and not a big box store. I may yet check the food co-op, because they will often have things later than others and they are organic from another source. I might find an Anaheim that way, but if not it is not a deal breaker.
That about did me in, just going to those two places, since I was still not doing that great, but again, I wore my mask, and DH handled the money and picked up the plants, so I didn't touch anything and I wasn't passing anything along to anybody. Plus I had a negative Covid home test, so I think I'm okay. We can't not ever go out with a head cold again, after all. If I waited any longer there would have been nothing but flowers, herbs, and lettuces left.
I didn't plant anything yesterday, but I sat out in the fresh air and under the lightly overcast sky while DH put in another row of potatoes and then hilled up soil on the other four rows we planted before we left. Those five rows were all the seed potatoes I purchased. This morning DH put in two more rows before I got up. These were the Kennebecs and Russets that I planted last year and saved for seed this year. He's still got some more of that to do and then I have some grocery store potatoes that have sprouted as well that are golds. I'll have to check the other potatoes I bought two weeks ago, too. Everything that can go in the ground, will go in the ground.
After all the potatoes I have get planted, I will plant the sweet potato plants that I've been growing in water for 3 months. One of the vines goes all the way up to the top of the window, so now that it is warm enough to plant those I want to get them in the ground.
I still have to plant the plants I bought yesterday and the put a wire cover over the zucchini and cucumbers. I have to make the wire cover, though. We have the welded wire fencing and the wire cutter, which is one I can operate with my arthritic hands, but the fencing is so heavy DH will have to help with it, since DS has come down with the cold.
I think I'm about at 60%, so I still need to take it easy and get enough sleep, but I definitely turned the corner yesterday and I think tomorrow, if I stay on this projectory will be about 70%. I have physical therapy on Tuesday. I won't make the decision on going or not until Monday around 3:00. If I still feel sick then, I will cancel, because I have to touch too many things that others have to touch.
The cottonwood has started blooming and blowing its fluff balls all over the place, so it's hard to tell how much of the congestion is from my allergy to that and how much is left from the cold. Either way, it is not helping.
DH is out running around trying to find a pharmacy that has Adderall that doesn't have blue dye. DS is allergic to blue dye. Walgreens is out in the whole county, so he was going to try one of the Rite Aids and have them call around to the others and then he'll try the Haggen pharmacies, then Costco, Fred Meyer, and Wal*Mart. Hopefully he can find them, since DS left it to the last minute to tell us he needed it.
When he gets back I will plant my plants, since they are still in the back of the van.
May 30th, 2022 at 02:57 pm 1653922678
You aren't a kidding on how much stuff has gone up.