I know this post probably needs to be elsewhere, i really did not where but am open to suggestions, but since many of you sent me the seeds for this I wanted to update you and am very thankful to all who sent me seeds...
Hubby got a temp welding job in Colorado so took his vacation time from the Zoo where his 'real' job is and off we went to the mountains for two weeks. We really needed the extra cash with me still unable to work and not good news from the Dr either about my broken leg....
Anyhoo, A few days after we get there my sister who is caring for all the animals, whom all survived, and the garden tells us we got several inches of marble to golf ball size hail and most of my garden was killed, well actually she called it pulverized. She offered pics but we declined to see them. Then the next day we get more hail and it flooded. She texts us to bring her lots of presents :( as she fell in the mud and thats never fun. Started hailing the second day while she was there caring for the animals and she even saw a funnel cloud come over her in my yard. Typical Texas weather, has not rained in 8 mos and then this... Very few of my plants survived, and those that did look horrible. I lost over 250 plants. Very depressing even more so now that I am home and now I dont want to start more seeds, even though it does not hail usually here much. Cant believe all I want to do now is cry, but if I dont get the seeds started there will be nothing for anyone this year. I had plans to give all my extras to the needy people thru to various food bank and SA kitchens. Two, out of 20 or so squash plants made it and today I found one baby yellow squash on one of the plants. That was a glimmer of hope. I need to take out all 40 of the dead and dying tom plants, but they want so badly to live. No use to keep them alive since the rain stopped is has been over 100 every day, up to 108 three days in a row. Was 100 both days since we have been home and 86 to 90 all night. There are dead veggies and peppers everywhere. I wonder if the seeds might be salvaged in any of them. Any ideas to assist the few survivors with the shattered leaves and heat stress?? Sorry to vent. All I want to do is cry and never plant a seed again...Kathy
RIP my garden :( and maybe more seeds needed....
So sorry to hear that this happened! Mother Nature sure doesn't pull her punches that is for sure.
I'm a weird person who collects and buys veggie seeds and never really get to plant them (apt. gardening w/ neighbors who pick the ripe stuff) so I'm happy to send you some of whatever I have. Some of the seeds may have a little age on them but they've been kept cool and dry.
PM me and let me know if you're interested... I think I mainly have tomatoes and peppers.
Hey little friend, I'll help out again. Send me d-mail and we'll work out some seeds you need. So sorry to hear about all the hail. BUT you know, something good will come out of it. Mekos
Well Friend I am but certainly not little :) I am just not sure I can plant again just yet. I swear it is like someone kicked me in the gut and I cant catch my breath. I am way overacting, but this on top of the Dr telling me it may be two years or never before I can walk again, I guess it was just a double whammy sucker punch. I have until next weekend best i can tell before it gets too late really for this years second crop. I was already going to plant one, in addition to the plants I already had because some play out but some dont. It was such a joy to play with the seeds, plan the garden and how much of what we needed and how much of what I could grow for others. I need to go out and pull all the pulverized tomatoes but they are all putting on tiny leaves and even though with this heat there will be no more from them I still water them. I can justify that by maybe pruning some of the new growth and rooting it, now that the little BOP or whatever it is was sent to you after the hormone and rooting education I gathered for it. I feel like the rooting thing is attainable esp with toms. My pepper stalks are also putting on tiny leaves, so they may come back as well and while they wont make peppers this year or many at least I can overwinter them and they have already proven to be tough. I am trying to look at this as a trial for which plants to keep seed from, a only the strong survive thing. It is the main silver lining i can gleam so far from the storms. I will let you know if I decide to need more seeds or not. Thanks as always, Kathy
kathy, dmail me and we will put heads together to see what I can gather and send. Just dont let this get ya down! We are here for ya and we will help!
Kathy, I can't even imagine...
If there is anything you need and I have it, all you have to do is say so. What do you need or want? Let us know...
Sue
What can we do to help? I can send any seeds you need but live too far away to come to help. I'm praying for you. Let me know if there is something I can send you. I'm just so sorry.
This IS what I need, a Group hug from you all :) And it is exactly what I got. Yes, a few more seeds of what I lost and dont have more of would be great. I know my tomatoes are gone, but i had seeds for the second planting already so that is going to be ok. Off the top of my head there are the losersAll my cukes except two lemon ones, sunflowers, edible ones, Okra red dwarf and spineless, corn sweet, white and red , beans and peas several types all gone, squash only two survivors, onions, potatoes surely they will come back, Blueberries, strawberries, carrots, turnips, radishes, rhubarb, brussel sprouts, chard which hated the heat anyway, all my baby herbs too many kinds to list, all gone, some not even a trace and some just stems. There are more oddball edibles i lost as i was trying to see what unusual and not normally eaten plants that might do well here in case of a real food supply crash future planning type of garden. Another thing that makes me mad is all the record keeping that i will have to redo. I had small amounts of lots of different plant varieties to see what did well so i could collect seeds, enough for everyone who needed them and then grow in bulk the ones that did the best in my area. All those records are a wash. But, for every new realization there is a positive. Now i can just go right to my system for keeping track instead if trying to make heads ro tails of the beginning of my system. Man, I guess i will have to improve on the soils again but not as much since the majority of these plants were in containers. Soo much to redo. I am sure i missed some really imp varieties and plant types but those are the ones off the top of my head. I have also heard of others losing alot to storms and bugs since posting my story so maybe we need a single place to send seeds for people who have lost but can still regroup but need help seed wise. Like the seeds for newbies thing but this is seeds for the RIP gardens, surely there is a better way to put it. Prayers must be working as i feel better now. Really seeds are not what i need just new found friends. Thanks doesnt cover how i feel! Kathy
Hug it is then:lol: Sometime you just need to vent to those who will truly understand the depth of your feeling of loss and frustration--we are definitely the folks who will get it. I've had to vent here at Dave's a few times myself and after a few online hugs and pats on the back moving along was a lot easier:)
I'm still gonna send the seeds to you--at least they have a chance of getting planted with you even if it isn't until next season:lol: Should have them in the mail by Monday or Tuesday.
Will ship a new batch of several things tomorrow. BIG ,BIGGER, AND HUMONGUS HUGGS!!!! IT will be ok. I think I can find some herbs and corn and several beans and pea varietys. Maybe some squash. Will see what I can do in the morning. You have a good night and May God Bless you.
Whatever I get will be just what I needed. Of that I am certain. Love to all, Kathy
(((Kathy)))
We saw photos of some of the recent hailstorms... I don't want to imagine what kind of damage that does to a garden! I know how upset I was when the dang groundhog munched down several of my newly planted tomatoes...
To me, there's nothing more hopeful or uplifting than planting a seed and seeing it sprout, so I'm glad you're pulling yourself up for another try.
That news from your doc sure wasn't what any of us wanted to hear, but keep working with it... surely gardening is good therapy! :-)
Keep us posted.
I still have not seen the pics of everything here after the hail hit. Sister has offered them again but cant imagine that it would be helpful so probably never will. She was soo worried she would kill all the plants, and I teased her that she willed the hail to cover her black thumb. We had given her two lemon cukes, one tomato and one squash plant in containers and she had already lost the tom and one of the cukes before I left. I asked her how her plants faired the hail and she lost the surviving cuke to the hail but the squash plant is now in her kitchen sink, 3 gallon pot and all, and she said at lunch today that it would never go outside ever again. It is blooming and looking good, despite the hail damage. She is convinced she can never keep a plant alive but loves mine so we will try again. I think she overwatered the ones she lost early on. She is working the job i used to so that worked well for both of us, since she moved back home to help care for me right after I busted my leg up. She still comes every other day and changes my 24 year old cats litterbox. Faith, Family and Friends, the 3 F's for successful living :) Kathy