#52 These are Strange Times
We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: these are strange times we live in. We certainly appreciate all those who are out there doing what they do so we can stay safe and continue following the stay at home orders. After all, we’ve been in the over 65 category for some time now.
Fortunately, we have had our garden and our backyard wildlife to keep us going. The madman’s plants are the best he’s ever had. We haven’t gone on a road trip since last December when we visited Dixondale Farms after an amazing 4 days hiking at Big Bend National Park. This virus business put a halt to any more adventures in our National Parks, or anywhere else for that matter.
A lot of Fussing
So the madman got to fuss over his plants. Good thing he did fuss because he’s heard from lots of sources that not only are seeds a little scarce, plants are also few and far between. And, would-be gardeners have picked over the plants. That’s what our silver lining is; we grow our own plants. This year all we have are what we have grown.
Stuck at home, the madman was able to check his plants frequently. In fact, he had a regular routine going. Once he started his seeds, he would eat breakfast. Then check his seeds. Eat lunch. Then check his seeds. Eat supper. Then check his seeds. After the seeds sprouted, he changed the routine slightly. Eat breakfast. Then check his plants. Eat lunch. Then check his plants. Eat supper. Then check his plants. He really nailed the plants this year. I guess that’s what frequent fussing does.
Keeping Busy
Of course, he didn’t spend all his time with the plants. After all, there was the usual Wake up the Garden maintenance to do and the moon garden to create. Thanks to our friend Bill and curbside pickup we were able to get lumber to repair some of my raised perennial beds. While the madman was at it, we even did some long-overdue maintenance on the stone paths between the beds.
Moon Garden
But, we spent most of our creative energy on our moon garden. At the Hartford Flower and Garden Show in February (was that really the last time we were out?-as a matter of fact it was!) we saw an irrigation system made of white PVC pipe. The madman said, “With a couple of modifications, we’ll use this idea for our vine supports in the moon garden.”
Of course, we figured we had plenty of time to wander through lumberyards and plumbing supply places to fine-tune the design. As you all know, thanks to the virus, we couldn’t go out. So we had to resort to shopping from home. What we found were items too big for us to pick up, too big to be shipped or just plain unavailable. A frustrated madman said, “Let’s just use what we have at home.”
Luckily we had some landscape timbers that he was hording for I don’t know what. Reluctantly, he parted company with them for the base. So, we cut the size of the garden to fit the materials.
We didn’t have a problem with plants because we had been ordering seeds. It is amazing how many white flowers are out there. Since we like to have our seeds by the end of February, we were all set by the time the virus shut everything down. This was just before people started buying anything they could get their hands on. So our philosophy became, if we don’t have it, we don’t need it.
The Only Thing We Needed
The only thing we really needed were 10’ lengths of ¾ “ PVC pipe and fittings to attach them together. Elbows and tees were easy. But we needed a few more scarce connectors for the exotic construction kit the madman had envisioned. After all, the kids had an outdoor construction kit in the 80’s that we used to build anything we wanted. Too bad we no longer have it.
After careful planning, we ordered the connections online. As of this writing, not all of them have shown up. But, the madman’s plants don’t know or care that their supports are somewhere in the ozone. So we had to get the plants in and worry about the supports later.
Virtual Volunteering
Interestingly, it seems like forever-ago we had agreed to teach some planting workshops for the Parent and Child Center at Bristol Hospital. No one could have foreseen that these classes would never happen. But, Kelly from the Center asked us to do some basic planting videos for them. The madman was excited. “How many hours do you need?” he asked. You should have seen the shock on his face when Kelly said, “about three to five minutes.” Three to five minutes? At the five minute mark he’s usually just getting warmed up.
This presented a challenge. The madman loves to talk. But we wanted the videos short and informative. We were aiming them at a group of people who may not have gardened before, but here we were in the middle of creating a very specialized garden. When you think of it, it all follows the same principles. Know your site; know your soil; know your plants. Sometimes experienced gardeners forget these principles because we have done it for so long that it just comes natural.
Sticking to the Basics
But, for the videos, we had time to cover only the very basics – those key ingredients that make a garden grow and produce. We told our viewers that all gardens require sun, water and food. Just like our moon garden will. If you feel like checking them out, here’s a link.
We all know vegetables do best in full sun. To us full sun means 6 hours between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so garden siting is important.
Another basic need is water. Plants need 1” per week. If it doesn’t rain, the gardener had better be prepared to supply the water, either through a hose or a watering can.
And finally comes the food, or fertilizer. We have always preached soil testing, but considering the time of year and our target audience, we felt that basic fertilizer was as deep as we should go. After 11 takes, we finished the first video. We were still speaking. Darned good thing we didn’t have to tape 1 hour! But in the end, the madman had so much fun he said, “Let’s do another.” So we did. In fact, we did four more and I have to tell you that we took our own advice as we planted each area, and the gardens are starting to look good.
We are Ready for Summer
The vegetables are planted, fertilized and watered in. The mulch is in place. The Row of Death is set to go. The flower beds are cleaned up and planted. The herb beds are ready for picking. The cactus garden is looking empty thanks to Mother Nature’s messing with us. The madman is afraid that nights are still too cold to move out some of his exotics. But, he’s ready. The weather can warm us anytime it wants. In the meantime, we have a support structure to build. The mailman just brought another package – maybe it’s the last of the parts.
We’re ready for lemonade, but with night temperatures forecast to be in the 40s this week, we are sticking to cocoa.
Stay safe. Stay home. Remember to thank an essential worker or two. Garden.
