Sweat Equity

It has finally started raining.  And it is hot.  Hot, humid.  The trouble with sweat is it messes up your glasses.

Today

March - Just Starting

I don't have any really before pictures.  Suffice to say, this was all overgrown with pruned azalea hedge, boston fern and large leaf philodendron.  This [photo left] is after the front yard remodeling compliments of the drain field replacement project.

March

And then, along come the mondo grass recovery project!  Woot - expansion has began.   We started down by the front door.  Then decided to expand the path.

Much fun commenced.

Today

I'm still working on the section near the driveway.  Between the water spigot and the jog that begins the garage.  Trying to resolve the last of the heavy rain drainage issues. 

Life is Good.  Hot, but good.  Seedlings are growing for early fall.  Too hot and wet to go in ground yet.  I'm going to be planting Green Glaze Collards by the garage window.  Need to get a lot bigger first.  And the dang lubbers need to leave.

Today

The horizontal rain barrel aka 'That Tin Can' is working out great.  Took a bit of tweaking, but we have it collecting rain water and moving the overflow to the lawn area on the opposite side.  More on that project later.

I need to finish digging the french drain ditch, then bring in some paver base to sit the landing zone in front of the spigot.  The final big project then will be bringing in the bags and bags of the final layer of brown mulch.  I'm still thinking I would like to put a Pickering Mango under the eaves to the left of the garage window.  I think it will have good weather protection there, and the Pickering is a small plant with good tasting fruit.

In getting ready for fall news - I lost all the cherry tomatoes I had started with the exception of the Black Cherry.  Have restarted more.  Started early tomato seeds on the front porch, followed 10 days or so later with a whole.bunch. of tomato seed in the garage under lights.  Have also got bell and sweet peppers growing, as well as collards, broccoli and cabbage.  Celery and onion seeds are out.  Some kale and other heat tolerant greens are struggling seedlings at the front porch.  I've got one batch of lettuce started.  I started the seed in the house, then moved them under lights in the garage.  Ran out of seeding mix and need to go get some more tomorrow.

Getting the NE Garden ready for fall planting.  The bush cowpeas are finishing up.  I've picked the last of them to save for seed next year.  Though, next year I will plant them someplace else - the dang white flies were horrible.  Double jeopardy - neighbors hibiscus and my cowpeas.  Once the cowpeas are all out, I'll add soil amendments, some more lime then plant out the Leaf Amaranth/Callallo  I've got started.  Picked up some other greens I want to try also:  Red Veined Sorrel, Cress and Magenta Spreen.   I'll probably plant a few of the Kurando Carrots in there for *hits and giggles.  To see how they do.

Speaking of see how they do, the Icicle Radish seed I started in ground in the South Garden on a Dime?  Is growing along nicely.  I just love pleasant surprises.  The salad in a box is giving me fits.  Dampening off.  Neighbor gave some activinate to try.  It has been very hot and humid, this is August after-all.

I have one potted tomato that lived through pruning and heat waves intermixed with drought or flood.  I'm preparing a hole for it to get buried deep and see how it does.  I've dug the hole out and lined it with newspaper.  Hopefully it will get rained on tonight, then I'll mold the wet newspaper to the hole, fill the bottom with some lovely decaying oak leaves, stick the plant in, and fill the hole up with good amended garden soil.  Yes Virginia, this is an experiment.

The summer tomato surprise?  Red Pear - next May - start lots and lots.