I did it!

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

 

I'm baaaaaa-aaaack ...

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

the rose bush comin' in nicely

kale and some spinach

swish chard sprouting

mesclun 

the last round of indoor tomatoes

tomatoes, basil, peppers, etc ... doing well!

more of the first round of the out-
door plantings

the first round of outdoor plantings, radishes
and carrots - nothin' to see here ... yet!

Kraftwerk NYC 1 April 2014

Kraftwerk NYC 1 April 2014

Getting closer ...

The seedlings are here ... the seedlings are here!

A few short days after I planted my seeds, I started to see seedlings pop up.  First up, the lettuces - cos, romaine, and mesclun (natch!), then the kale, then some of the tomatoes (still waiting on a couple more).  I was really surprised how quickly the lettuce(s) came up ... 5 days - barely!

I am starting to get worried that I haven't seen any peppers, onions, or eggplant sprout up yet, but I have to keep saying to myself:  patience grasshopper.

I think I also see a wee spec of a basil plant or two coming up - I guess it will become obvious in another 2 or 3 days.  All this as we prepare for another (the last!??) winter storm to hit the northeast.  Hopefully that really will be it!  And I'm thinking I will plant radishes, swiss chard, and spinach the weekend of March 22 and then beans the weekend after.  I gotta get on (re)building my bigger planters for my tomatoes and eggplants, etc as well - the stacks of dirt and manure I bought don't look so good sitting in front of my door!

And for anyone who got the post title ... see video link below.  Also, Broken Bells was great last Friday (see also link below)!

Keep calm and plant on ... (sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Nitzer Ebb - "Getting Closer"

Broken Bells - "Holding on to Life"

mesclun in front, kale in back

my welcome mat!

tomatoes in front, cos and romaine in back

Spring is nigh!

OK, well, it's done - gardening has started just in time for another late season storm scheduled to dump 6" - 10" on us.

It took a little longer than I expected and a little more space than I expected but round 1 plantings for 2014 is done.

I moved ahead with two types of tomatoes, 2 lettuce, mesclun, kale, onion, hot pepper, eggplant, and some basil.

I've never started so much so early.  Now it's just about water, sun, and warmth - let's see what happens!

Am I living in a box?

Well, yes, a glass box that is.

#1 on my list of requirements when I moved to my current apartment was sun.  And I got that ...in spades - and it is bearing fruit!

I take my composting to the Greenmarket (Union Square) and then I rinse out the containers and water my indoor plants with the "rinse water".  Well, I've had random "compost remnant" seeds sprout in my potted plants before and I usually just pluck 'em and throw out (or back into composting).

A couple months back, I noticed a tomato plant growing out of one of these said potted plants and thought, "eh - just leave it."  And leave it I did and guess what?  It grew ... and Grew ... and GRew ... and ... well, you get the picture.

And on top of all that ... it bore fruit and continues to do so!  I have no idea what kind of tomato it is.  It is not one of the breeds I grew last summer.  The tomatoes are small-ish, about the size of a silver dollar, round (give or take an inch) and I've gotten 3 or 4 already and I have another 5 or 6 more on the way, it would appear.  They aren't the most flavorful tomatoes I've ever had but a nice and unexpected addition to the winter mix!

And last week when I cleaned up/swept up a bunch of dead leaves and branches, the smell of tomato (nightshade??) permeated my entire apartment, a temporary and neat little bonus!

they're here!

The seeds arrived over the weekend!

good stuff.

Now I just have to get a couple more bus tubs and in the next week or so start sowing the tomatoes, eggplants and peppers inside and wait ...

The days are already noticeably longer (there was a bit of twilight in the sky 'til about 6pm yesterday) and despite all this nutty weather we've been having in the northeast ... spring is nigh!

a side note, orchids

So towards the end of last season, "someone" had left a very dried out looking orchid by my planters; leaves looked "eh", one leaf kinda burned, etc.

Not quite sure why but something my friend Bruce mentioned to me once was that orchids go dormant and that stuck out for me.  So I took in this abandoned, red-headed stepchild of an orchid in and did what I used to see Bruce do:  soak the whole plant/pot in water for an hour or so and then just ignore it.  (disclosure:  Bruce used to have a lot of orchids and he knew how to handle 'em)

So I soaked the orchid once a week and even bought some fertilizer.  I fed the plant a very watered down amount of fertilizer and lo and behold a new shoot and a couple new leaves sprouted!  Then about two months after the first soaking, buds started to appear and a couple weeks after that, they started to bloom.

All tolled (so?) I got 8 amazing flowers that have lasted well over one month!  Moral of the story:  looks can be deceiving.