Peas and other hodge podge

Last time I suggested I might be talkin' about support ideas for them there peas!  What I usually do with peas and beans and the like, is to set up a "teepee" of 1 x 1's wrapped with jute twine.  It's not a big deal how you do it.  What you NEED to do is supply the vines with something to grab onto.  Set 3 pieces of 8 foot long 1 x 1's outside the pan....tie them together at the top with jute...and then working down, a foot or so at a time, wrap the jute in a continuous piece...around each upright as you work downward.  Tie it off about a foot above the mix.  Help the trailers (the vine tendrils) find support if they need it.  Keep monitoring the situation and help as needed!  If you like, you can also mount a plywood circle on a bamboo stake and run strings of jute to the pan (you may drill the pan to attach them....use your imagination!.  No hard and fast rules here....just give the pea vines something to hold onto.

It's about time to plant summer bulbs.  The soil should be about the right temp now.   So, the gladiolus, the acidanthera (peacock orchids) and others can be set now.

Too early for the green or yellow beans yet.   They hate cold...and if you plant them...they will either sulk until it's warm enough for their liking...or they will rot...and give you nothing. So it is my opinion that you wait till the soil is warm.

If you grow cukes in hanging baskets, go ahead and do at least one basket (3 seeds to a 12 inch basket) and leave it in the house till they sprout.  Hang the baskets outside before you leave for work on days when there is no danger of frost.

Peas? Please!

I NEVER understand it when someone tells me that they HATE peas.  It's like someone telling me that SUGAR is something they would never put in their mouth.  Well, as I always say, it's what you grow up with.  If peas came in a can for them....well maybe I get it.  Uhh...mushie mess! (and I feel that way about 95% of CANNED veggies!  But if they EVER ate them frozen or better yet fresh...or even better yet....picked, shelled, and consumed right there in the garden....I KNOW I wouldn't ever hear that!  PEAS are amazin' little green balls of sugar!  How could you not like them?  Ah well, I guess I can't convince EVERYONE....but give me the benefit of the doubt.  For less than $2 you can buy a package of seeds.  Mine were set today, in one of those half barrel plastic pans (designed to sit atop a half barrel so you don't have to fill the whole thing.) My pans just sit on the ground.  I had one in under a butterfly bush that I hadn't used in a while (the PAN, not the bush silly!), because a few of those 'escapee' plants I talked about were in residence.  I transplanted the 3 strawberry plants that had taken up residence, added a bit more container mix and planted a couple dozen seeds around the perimeter of the pan.  The ones I planted were a snap pea (means you don't have to get the peas OUT of the pod...you just eat the pod and all!) that need support. We'll talk about support for the vines next time.  If you plant in the ground.....make a row....in the east to west direction....and plant in the ground as per instructions on the packet.  Dig that area at least 12 inches deep first, removing all rocks.  Rake smooth and then lay your seed on the soil surface.  Push into the soil with your finger, cover the holes with more soil and press down gently.  If the soil was dry, give the area a drink.

Tomatoes continued...

Just a quick update on the tomatoes that you started.  Most if not all of the seeds that you planted should have sprouted by now.  Mine are MOSTLY up....there are always a few that like to 'sleep in'.  Anyway, I took the covers off as SOON as I saw the first ones popping through.  My two, 72 cell trays are still sitting on my dining room floor (they get morning sun..and up to about 2 pm).  The trays are sitting with the narrow end facing the sliding glass doors...and I've been turning them 180 degrees each day so keep them from a permanent bend in the stem.  Now is the time you want to make a decision on the light issue.  If the plants are getting 'leggy'....long stems between the mix and the leaves....then you may want to consider that 'shop light' I described in a previous post.   At around $10....it's not  a bad outlay and you should get at least 2 years out of it.    I have shelves in my basement with 5 shoplights.  A couple years ago I had a flood down there about planting time, I so had the trays on the dining room floor.  When I saw that the sunlight just wasn't cutting it, I brought up one of the light fixtures. and hung it from a wall shelf that I have in the dining room.  Point being if you need to supplement the light....it's not too hard to come up with a jury rig.  Like hang the light's chain from a dowel set across 2 chairs.  The trick is to get the light bulb to within 2 inches of the top of the plants.  Then it is simply a matter of adjusting the chain to maintain that distance as the plants grow. You may also want to consider a cheapie timer....so you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn the light on or off.  Nothing else to do at this point except making sure they don't dry out.  I'm using a spray bottle to mist the plants and soil once in the morning and once in the afternoon.  Before next time.....look for a cheap source for 'Party' cups.  Buy enough cups to acomodate the number of plants you have.  Also, while you are buying stuff, a bag of potting mix will come handy when it's time to move your babies to their second home before moving into the world.  I'm using Miracle Grow potting mix at present, but as always whatever works for you is ok.  Obviously, the biggest bag available is usually the best buy.  (HINT:  Before you hit the stores.....google 'coupon codes' and then look for a coupon for the store or the brand you will be shopping at or for.  The manufacturer's site is also a good place to look for coupons.  And of course this also applies to ANYTHING you are buying.  Ok....do your homework.....and don't forget...you may ask any question you need an answer to.  Till next time....play in the dirt!