BKLYNrooftopGRDNR: April 2014

who knew ...
I built this thing.
With its imperfections and all as you can see from the pics.
I only made two wee "design" mistakes (easily corrected) and only hit my thumb with the hammer once.

Now I just gotta get some brackets of various sorts and sizes, screw those in, fix that one little piece of wood missing at the far end and bob's y'r uncle!

I planned it out to be 8' X 31"H X 22" W - but it just looks ... big. So I guess the tomatoes will be very happy this summer.

So the plan is to finish up those few things by next weekend, add some dirt, a little compost, mix, stir, wait two more weeks and get those peppers and tomatoes transplanted outside in early May.

In other news, today I saw the first few filigree of leaves for the lettuce, swiss chard, and spinach I planted outside two weeks ago. That took a long time but then again, it's been cold!

In any case ... enjoy the pics and the music!

http://youtu.be/KFGdK2GAXVU (not sure if I like this one yet) - new David Gray

Right ... so it feels like I've been away for awhile ... I haven't ... I've just been slow.

So the updates: things are rolling along more or less on schedule. Lots of plants sprouting and growing. Tomatoes and early greens are doing the best. Lots of growth, about the size they should be, etc.

I have not had the same level of success with my hot pepper, onion, and eggplant seeds sprouting as I've had with my tomatoes, greens etc. I have replanted these three on two separate occasions. The peppers seem to be happenin' now, a little behind but ok. But only 2 out of about 10 seeds of my eggplants sprouted and the ratio is even worse on the onions! Maybe the third time will be the charm(!?). Other than that, my indoor plantings of swiss chard and basil seem to be on track too.

I made my first round of outdoor plantings last Friday ... lettuce, radish, carrots, more swiss chard, beans, and spinach. I was a little concerned 'cause forecasts since then have more or less been a bit cooler than what I was hoping for and with lots and lots of rain. But I guess that's exactly what these cool(er) weather crops need and want - cool and wet! Fingers crossed. Pics below are from this morning and nothing has sprouted yet, but hopefully by this weekend there will be a few shoots here and there.

I have started to harden off the lettuces, kale, and spinach I started indoors. So far so good ... we've had days with temps in the lower 50's, and lower 40's by night with mixes of sun, cloud, and rain and it is working so far. Depending on weather and time, the lettuce and spinach will be transplanted this weekend and the bins with the kale and mesclun will be moved to the roof.

The wood for the new planter has been ordered and should be delivered Friday. Costs seem to be a little lower than I initially expected but let's see what happens when I actually try and put it together. That's gonna test my mettle and possibly a few other things (my patience!? my tenacity!??) ... stay tuned for pics and info on that!

Now if only the weather would get a little better!

And since they performed last night and will again tonight ... please see below some Kraftwerk links and pics for your viewing and listening pleasure!

'til next time ...

ps - the indoor tomato plant continues to give and give and give ...
pps - the rose bush on the balcony is comin' in nicely!
pps - don't forget your bird netting!

Das Model - Kraftwerk
Music Non Stop - Kraftwerk