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More boring gardening talk
Apr. 22nd, 2004 12:03 pmI got back from Homebase a little while ago. Hiking there and back, I was reminded again of the West Virginia Temperature Conversion Chart*. I only saw one other person out in short sleeves, though it's now about 57°F/14°C. All the jackets were a tad disorienting.
The trip was ostensibly for some gardening tools. Besides the trowel and garden fork, I was compelled to take home a few plants. This happens frequently. Yay for herbs!
I'd planned to plant some seeds today, but it now seems that transplanting is needed as well. The job may become interesting, since I managed to leave the store without a watering can.
Working with a small garden seems challenging, with the more careful planning required. What I'm used to dealing with isn't particularly large, but more plants can always be worked in, even it means digging another bed. A major advantage is that this should be far easier to keep watered and weeded--one of my weak points, especially when it's hot. Sorting through the bag of assorted seeds I threw in my luggage, it struck me that I think I have a reasonable idea how a number of flowers and herbs might do, but no clue how some vegetables should grow in a cooler climate with different sunlight intensity. Seeing how the couple I'm planting turn out should also prove interesting. I'll have to wait until next year to find out, but I do suspect that some of the old mountain tomato varieties which are nicely adapted to cool springs and nights may do reasonably well. Direct-seeded basil is a mystery, since the soil is unlikely to get very warm soon. The raised beds might help with that, though. I can see that I need to investigate further and do a lot more reading.
A bit of exercise and plant acquistion made for a good start to the day.
* Of course, the author(s) avoided an important bit:
+85°F
North Carolinians, Georgians, Texans, and Californians happily drive around with the windows down.
People in West Virginia submerge themselves in the nearest body of water like hippos, if they venture outside air conditioning.
No, I don't think I'll miss summer temperatures hovering around that point. :)
The trip was ostensibly for some gardening tools. Besides the trowel and garden fork, I was compelled to take home a few plants. This happens frequently. Yay for herbs!
I'd planned to plant some seeds today, but it now seems that transplanting is needed as well. The job may become interesting, since I managed to leave the store without a watering can.
Working with a small garden seems challenging, with the more careful planning required. What I'm used to dealing with isn't particularly large, but more plants can always be worked in, even it means digging another bed. A major advantage is that this should be far easier to keep watered and weeded--one of my weak points, especially when it's hot. Sorting through the bag of assorted seeds I threw in my luggage, it struck me that I think I have a reasonable idea how a number of flowers and herbs might do, but no clue how some vegetables should grow in a cooler climate with different sunlight intensity. Seeing how the couple I'm planting turn out should also prove interesting. I'll have to wait until next year to find out, but I do suspect that some of the old mountain tomato varieties which are nicely adapted to cool springs and nights may do reasonably well. Direct-seeded basil is a mystery, since the soil is unlikely to get very warm soon. The raised beds might help with that, though. I can see that I need to investigate further and do a lot more reading.
A bit of exercise and plant acquistion made for a good start to the day.
* Of course, the author(s) avoided an important bit:
+85°F
North Carolinians, Georgians, Texans, and Californians happily drive around with the windows down.
People in West Virginia submerge themselves in the nearest body of water like hippos, if they venture outside air conditioning.
No, I don't think I'll miss summer temperatures hovering around that point. :)
