JAP69's Blog

While I was outside doing the screening installation while in the window frame I stopped for awhile while family members went after groceries. Did not want to fall off the ladder and have to lay there with no help right away. Might fall off only two steps up and break my hip or something.

While they were gone I drove to the store and got my one number for tonight. Do not want to spend all my garden money gamblin.

When I got back from store I emptied out another container into my bins.  That would be the container that does not have flowers in in. I have violas in three of my garden containers I will need to transplant into my 10 quart round plastic buckets that has a nice rope for hanging. They work quite nicely for potting buckets after you drill some drain holes.

https://www.dollartree.com/Multipurpose-Rope-Handle-Bucket-2-5-Gal-/p350749/index.pro

Redone the screen frame I messed up yesterday installing the screen while in the window frame to keep the frame to the shape of the window.

This vid will help with those who attempt a re-screening project.

Went out yesterday [Sat]  afternoon to install the screening in the screening frames. I had purchased 36 inch wide screening to fit 35 inch wide screen frame. [big mistake] I cut the screening to allow a couple inches extra on top and bottom. I rolled in a short piece of spline on one end of the long rail of the screen allowing about 1/2 inch extra screening. I started at the other end and rolled in the spline  working to the other end. By the time I got half way down the rail I noticed too much extra screening exposed. Went to the other side to see if I had enough screening to roll in the spline in the groove. No go on that. Removed the spline I had rolled in and now I have a nice looking groove in the screen where it will be exposed if I try it again. Must be the screen rail was not perfectly straight.

What I may do is take a wallpaper roller and roll out the kink in the screen. To maintain the shape of the screen frame I will install the frame in the window locking it in place with the frame guide on each side at the top and connect the screen hooks on the bottom. Then line up the screening properly in the frame and roll in the spline on each long side starting at the bottom and work up to the frame guides at the top.  I will place the screening behind the frame guides on each side to help hold the top in place.

If it works that will be fine. May have a visual blemish in the screening where I straightened it but the bugs will not know the difference.

Other wise I will need to buy wider screening. Have some nice new screening for the garden containers.

To really properly install screening in a screening frame is to have a large enough work table where you can lock in your screening frame keeping it square. I am installing screening in a frame about 65 inches long.

While I was at Home Depot today I was grubbing through the 70% discount bin and found a 1 x 5 x 6 foot finish grade piece of untreated lumber with flaws on the edges. Paid $3.10 for a $10.33 piece of lumber. Need a three foot portion to replace a side rail about three feet long on the pull down ladder section  that split where the hinge part is on the attic pull down ladder.

Work on that when I feel like it. Right now we just pull it down and lay a step ladder over the bottom section.

Yesterday I finished the triangle corners on the two empty boxes. Mixed up the bottom portion mix for both containers and put that in. I dragged out the 15 lb bag of Charcoal I crushed up by driving over the bag with an old sheet wrapped around the bag. That was a fun thing to do. RUUUM, RUUUUM, back and forth, crunch, crunch I went. I dumped that bag of charcoal into one of my masonry mixing trays. Got crushed up pretty decent. Has a few large chunks I sort out to crush again. So I took about one quart of the charcoal and spread it over the top of the bottom layer of mix. Then I mixed up the top container mix with vermiculite and about one half quart of charcoal. The containers hold about 11 gallons each.

Planted the rest of the radish seeds in the elevated bin filling the bin up.

Went to Home Depot today and picked up screen hooks for three screens that were missing the latch hooks. Got lost over the years. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Screen-Tight-Window-Screen-Hardware-Kit-SCHDWKIT/206145995

May go out tomorrow and install the screening in the three screen frames.

Monday in the afternoon I went out and emptied the  3 ft x 4 ft elevated container that is 8 inches deep. I put the top layer down to the charcoal separation point including the charcoal in one 20 gallon storage bin I had. Then I put the bottom layer into another 20 gallon storage bin. Washed out the container and then cut my 1 x 6 inch boards to make the octagon corner. Installed those with screws and then cut the four triangle caps for each corner and installed those. That was it for Monday.

Tuesday I went out and installed the aluminum screening in the bottom of the container. Then I mixed my bottom layer I had in the storage bin with a 40% perlite to 60% container mix. I dumped that into the container to the half way point. I mixed the top portion containing the charcoal with a 20% vermiculite and 80% container mix with the charcoal. Filled the bin to about one inch from the top. Now I have left over top and bottom container mix I will use on the two empty 16 x 16 inch containers I made last year which I never filled. When I am done I should have a quantity of container mix left over for the additional containers I was going to get at the dollar store I mentioned in an earlier post. Tired of making wood containers.

Today I went out and put on low nitrogen ferlizer using about 3/4 of the bin. Then I spaced out my 2 inch grid pattern and planted the radish seeds 1/4 inch deep. Should give me my spring crop of radishes before it gets hot. Checked the soil temperature in the 16 x 16 inch containers which is only 60 degrees right now. Checked the temperature of the lawn soil which is only 60 degrees. A little early yet.

Tomorrow I plan on working on the 16 x 16 inch containers. Need to do some lumber work on those, then put screening in the bottom where the burlap rotted. I decided not to put screening on the sides of the containers. I figure the container mix should not wash out the side gaps that much until the container mix gets settled in.

The violas are still blooming well. The pansies and hyacinth are starting to bloom again. The aster plant is still alive sprouting new green. The aster took some winter kill on the foliage it had from last year.

Deciding what I want to put in the balance of the elevated container along side the radishes. Maybe I will just finish the container with radishes and pickle the extras for summer use. There are different ways of preserving radishes. https://www.bing.com/search?q=pickling%20radishes%20raw&pc=cosp&ptag=C1AF44D29E0DB&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127

Do not do much every day as I have severe arthritis in my hips and legs and use a cane to get around on my bad leg. I will be glad when this prep work is done on these containers. Get that done all I will need to do is plant, tend and harvest anything that grows. Plus have some flowers to look at.

Went out and reseeded the ones that did not come up. Checked soil temperature and it was 70 degrees. I put two seeds in each pot. If both come up I will just keep the best plant.

That light bulb is working quite well for heat source. Might decide to put an aluminum reflector above the lamp.

Reminds me back on the farm with a piston type well pump with a tank that was in an unheated area. We built a box around it and put a light bulb inside for heat. Covered the box with blankets to hold in the heat. We done something or other similar for the piping until it got in a heated area. I remember using heat tape for piping back then.

I have not been in the yard working on the container redo thing yet. Has been too chilly out there. Also decided not to bother with steaming the container mix. The violas and pansies are still flowering nicely.

The seeds I planted have only sprouted about four plants out of 11 so far since Jan 13th. I think the soil has not been warm enough to encourage sprouting. The soil temp has only been between 60 and 65 degrees. So a couple days ago I took a table lamp with about an 18 inch goose neck with a 60 watt bulb and placed it about eight to ten inches from the pots. That brought the soil temp up about to between 65 to 70 degrees. May need to reseed those that have not come up in a couple days. I will just take a pencil and put a hole in the pots that have not sprouted and drop the seed in.

Went to store this past couple days and picked up a 2 cu ft bag each of perlite and vermiculite to redo the containers. Use that up and see what I need from there. I want to redo my 3x4 foot bin first as I want to plant some radish and lettuce seeds maybe this coming week. Warm enough temperature outside now for those to be planted.

I also picked up a 25 foot roll of aluminum screening to redo 3 house screens that need repairing. Will use the old screen to reline the containers I put burlap in that rotted. Also picked up enough 1x6 lumber to finish the square boxes that I want to put into octagon shape. Got the 1x6 out of the 70% discount bin at Home depot. Going to cut it up into small pieces any how. The split portion I will use for my ground containers I am going to make. Paid $4.03 cents for $13.44 cents worth of lumber. What a deal    A couple weeks ago I pulled out a 2x8x8 ft out of the 70% discount bin for something like $1.80 cents.  will use that for my ground container bins also.

All the stinkin lumber I threw away over the years doing construction that was usable and now I am out there buying the crap.

Left the heater on last night at mid point of dial setting. Does not have degree settings marked on it. Went out this morning and checked air temperature and it was up to about 70 degrees, seed starting mix was about 65 degrees. Turned the heater up a couple positions this morning after checking temperature.

Went to store and purchased some ingredients to make a vegetable stirabout [soup] . Got home and made the stirabout and just recently finished that. Have that on my lunch menu for the week.

After that I went into the back room and air temp was 80 degrees and seed starting soil temp cranked up to 70 degrees. Turned the heater down a couple notches and came in and taste tested the stirabout. Delicious. Seasoned just right. I will leave that to simmer until three pm.

Now I am writing this and may take a trip to the library for a couple more books. Finished reading the three I had checked out.

Got my butt motivated and planted eleven 3" pots containing Peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. Had my starter mix I had in a 10 quart basin adding ferlizer  to give those wee tiny seedlings a boost. High in nitrogen and potassium with trace elements.

Went to Home Depot yesterday and purchased a bag of garden sand. Filled my pots near to the top and used my thumb making a small cavity in the center. Placed a small amount of garden sand in the cavity and set the seed on that. Then I took enough garden sand to cover the seed as recommended. When I was finished planting seeds I watered the pots with slightly warm water. The soil temperature is about 62 degrees right now. Looks like I will need to leave the heater on in back room to bring it up to at least 70 degrees back there.

Looks like I may need to purchase five 10 gallon storage containers to make a total of 12 containers. I put two seeds in one pot.

I would like to have two plants of each variety I planted.

Looks like I will need to plant the cukes, squash and melons in ground boxes. Just nail some 2x10s together making a square frame about 16 inches. Just set the square frames on the ground, fill with appropriate gardening soil mix and plant the seeds.

Seeds came in mail yesterday. Time to prepare the seed starting mix and plant seeds. I can feel the anticipation of spring in the air.
There is a bird feeder in my yard that has bird seeds that spilled over onto the ground and I have noticed those seeds are the first to sprout indicating the change in the season. They have not sprouted yet.

Look out and see the rebirth of life spring forth in its abundant glory.

 Ferlizer

________________

Fertilizer for Vegetable Gardens

http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/fertilizer-vegetable-garden/

______________________________

Understanding Fertilizer Numbers: N-P-K

http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/fertilizer/basics/understandingfertilizernumbers.aspx

Ordered more seeds today. Should be planting seeds in another week or so to have them ready up to size to transplant around first week in March.

Charleston Belle pepper. Nice sized pepper for stuffing and other needs.
Yellow Monster pepper, Another huge pepper
Yellow Cherry tomato, Nice sweet tomato for salads and whatnot.
Suyo Long cucumber, An Asian cuke that bears hot weather and up to 18 inches long that tastes great according to the description. Can be picked from fingerling size up to full length.

Still have other seeds left from last year also.

Suppose to warm up next week for awhile and may start doing a few things for spring readiness.

Do not want to procrastinate.

My violas and pansies still have flowers blooming.

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Flowers+That+Grow+in+Snow&FORM=IDINTS

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Flowers+That+Grow+in+Winter&FORM=IRIBIP

When I started school it was not consolidated until I entered the sixth grade. Yep, I went to a one room school house for my general area which had maybe 30 students at the most from grades 1 through 8. There was no such thing as preschool and kindergarten. A diligent parent taught their children their numbers, letters, basic reading skills and some writing before they even started school.

I walked to school the majority of the time which was about one mile one way. The school had a coal stove to keep us warm during the cold days. There was a shed on the school grounds to store the coal and maybe some other school needs. There was out door privies. No indoor bathrooms in that school. The outdoor recreation area had swings, teeter totter, and a few other pieces of recreational equipment. There was maybe a 2 acre field for ball games and a basketball hoop mounted on the shed wall.

When the teacher started teaching on a higher grade level than I was I paid attention to the higher grade level picking up bits and pieces of their studies. Penmanship was a must back then to keep your letters and words legible. The chicken scratch you see today is horrid. I learned my letters using the Palmer method.