It seems like spring is bringing out the busy bees, and busy me's! Between all the activities going on around here, and me being in the mood to do some heavy duty spring cleaning, this here blog is getting pushed aside... Isn't that always the case?
I did have the chance to get outside on Monday, clean up a little, and take some pictures, so here's an update for you.
I fed my Meyer on the 8th with 1.5tsp of Espoma Citrus-tone, and 1tsp Blood Meal (nitrogen), hopefully erring on the side of "less is more." The leaves are starting to look a little better, and the blossoms are opening up.
My Clementine is also blooming...
Just look at these ratty cilantro under the kitchen window! I wish they'd hurry up and give me some seeds already...
At least their blossoms look pretty (up close LOL)...
Here are my
bucket potatoes. In the green buckets are the first round I planted on 2/1, and the white buckets were planted on 2/28. Guess I started the first round too early... All other signs of fungus gnats around the yard have disappeared except in these buckets. I've been using Neem and a BT when possible, but it's been a tough battle trying to dry the soil out when it's been raining almost once a week. So, they've spent the last 24 hours in the shed to stay dry while it rained yesterday. I noticed the fungus gnats don't really even leave the space between the leaves and soil, so I've also loosely bunched and tied the leaves up and strategically placed a fly trap close to the buckets. If this experiment fails, at least I've learned a few things... Regardless, I'll be trying potatoes in containers again next year, just in larger containers.
The new setup so far...
The citrus were to the left more, the salad table was where the trees are now, and I had the cilantro and potatoes where the SWP peppers now are. The citrus will move to the west side of the patio once it gets warmer to be shaded in the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure all of the SWP's will be moved to the east side of the yard. The pepper's soil temp is already getting 10-15 degrees warmer than the air, so they'll fry if they stay in this south-facing spot all summer.The lavender plants in front of the Meyer will go in the ground soon (I'll share in a later post). I just have them there in hopes of attracting bees to the citrus. And I know, I know, I need to get my baby Calamondin in a larger pot.
I know that was plenty of pictures for one post, but I
have to post this of the boys playing well together. They're checking out a roly poly...
Have a great day!
Cilantro blooms do look pretty! There is a beauty in everything. The picture of the boys is precious!
ReplyDeleteDo you SWP's have lids on them with holes in them??? How does THAT work? And yes, a picture with boys playing nicely together is always worth posting! LOL.
ReplyDeleteKate~ Yes, there are lids on the containers. I made a whole large enough (using a dremel saw w/a tip that looked like a drill) to avoid the base of the plants from being strangled. My pepper plants are skinny enough that I was able to slip the lid over the leaves. You could also put the plant in through the hole... If you don't have lids, you can use a trash bag tucked into the edge of the soil, and an "x" cut into the plastic where the plant will go.
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