Hey all! Gonna try and get everybodys boxes out tommorrow and wednesday. I wanna try for tommorrow, but wil not leave the phone and computer til I know whats goign on with my dad. My bother from Ohio just called and my Dad in the cardiac unit. Not looking too good. They will be giving him a coupel of pints of blood in the mornign and runnign some other tests besides the ones they have run.
I mad cuz I told him just the y othe rday don't be out there tryign to plow the snow, and yet wanna cry at the same time if that possible. My brother is a landscaper and snow plows inthe winter and guess they got 12" of snow and whiel my brother plowed the drive, since the rest of the neighbors did their sidewalks he decided to get out there and do his so it wouldntlook bad and he gave himself a heart attack and passed out and don't know how long he was out in the cold and he bleeding internally and they don't know where yet.
I knew somethign was wrong all day cuz I couldnt reach him and kept trying and my first phoen call to him was don't be out shoveling let mikey do it. Guess he been in the hospital since noon and my brother just now callign me. Oh I could smack him. My brother that is.
Sorry to be unloading here, but just wanted ya to know that I won't leave for po til I here word about him. Then soon as I know he stablized will head out the door to mail stuff.
Cheles. Ya makign me laugh girl. LOL Did ya dance by the light of th emoon too when ya finished sowing? : )
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #23
Oh Star, you'd better not go to the P.O. until you update us on your Dad's condition! I'll be keeping you and your Dad (and even your brother) in my prayers.
Your windows were rolled up when you took your bee hive home? That's even funnier! Doesn't sound like they drilled you though. : ) That wouldn't be funny.
Now, you've given me a visual of 'Chelle dancing around sowing her seed by the moonlight! With beautiful girl children skipping along behind her! : )
Critter, it looks way different than mine does. I do think it is in the Kalanchoe family though. Another picture of more of the plant. One straight, skinny stem with small branches with the last photo (the close up) at the tip of the branches.
WIB,
SW
Oh Star, dag-on-it girl. You've sure had your share of mishaps and misfortunes lately. I will think of you all as I lay down to sleep tonight and keep you close and warm in my thoughts tonight.
Ohhh Star! Am I close enough up here in Ohio to your dad and brother. I grew up with an older brother who picked on me so I can be tough. Let me know if I need to go lay the smack down on your bro! Ok, just kidding but honestly I could go hold your dad's hand and pretend to be you. :-(
You all make me laugh and cry at the same time. SW, I've never thought of myself as an "over" achiever, I just have to do things to the best of my abilities. My dh says that I do nothing in a small way. Hee hee. As a matter of fact, I do a little happy dance every time I look out the door to peer upon my jugs. They are all snuggled in! My girls now hunt me down excitedly whenever they empty a milk jug. ^_^
nbgard, if I had to ws outside, I would never do it. WAY too cold. I took over the kitchen and stopped at 40 because that is all I could fit on the counter at one time. Plus I was able to complete them in one day and then clean up.
Starlight, your dad is in my prayers this morning (you too, of course, and even your "didn't think to call sooner" brother). *BIG HUGS* for all of you, and I'm hoping you get some good news soon. Please do update us, if possible, and don't take chances with that cranky battery.
SW, I think you're right that our plants are close cousins... I'll bet those little oddities at the tips of the leaves are plantlets... they'll drop off and take root if they land on soil!
"My girls now hunt me down excitedly whenever they empty a milk jug"
Chele, you make me smile!
I am so sorry to hear about your father, Star - I do hope today brings better news for you.
Oh Star, I understand the tension and apprehension you are feeling as my dad had gone through the same thing. I know that heart attacks are not uncommon, unfortunately. I've said a prayer for him and for you. Pleae let us know when you know something.
Chele - I guess I chose to do it outside because I didn't want to have to deal with the draining water mess. I actually should have just waited one day. Sunday was absolutely beautiful. I spent time then putting Starbucks coffee grounds in my flower bed. Such great therapy!
SW, I'm wondering if I will stop at 40 more. I am getting so many seeds from the swap that I'm thinking I'll try to WS some of most of them! Already working on DH to dig me some more beds!
Tonya
There's no water mess if you moisten the potting mix first. :-)
I'm fortunate to have a big old laundry tub to use for stirring up potting mix... I fill my containers in the basement, then bring them to the kitchen island for planting, then whisk them out to the back deck!
Soon... :-)
Jill, that makes sense. I know some of y'all had mentioned moistening the mix first, I just thought it was important for some of the mixes where the seeds would wash away if you watered after you put the seed in, so, in my "infinite wisdom" (haha) I just watered the soil before I put to seeds in and just misted a bit if I covered any seeds. Wellllllllllll, convenience and warmth are powerful motivators! Will try that with my next batch!
Chele, I WSed "by the moon", too, but just coincidentally. I doubt that I will ever do enough tracking and research to see if it made any difference. If any of y'all have noticed a difference with moon planting, please share your stories!
I do garden by the moon to some extent but don't have a way of judging if it works or not. I just like the regimen that gives me a time to destroy weeds on those destroy days by pulling weeds, pruning and maintaining the garden), and a time to sow and plant. Just fun to have a set calender of 'to do's'.
CD, do you weed and prune when there is very little moon? I am so unfamiliar with this method that I hadn't heard anything but planting on the full moon.
The calenders are free from the drug store with symbols on each day. I never reaaly looked at the moon, just the calender. For instance, Dec 9th was full moon and the symbol on the calender says 'unfavorable for planting, destroy weeds and spray pesticides.' Then on the tenth, (half moon right side says not a good time fplaning seeds. Good for harvesting root crops and spraying peticides. Then again on the 31st, right side of the half moon, says excellent time for planting above-ground crop seeds, particularly flowers. I need a new 2009 moon calendar, My friend gests them from a mom and pop drug store in Douglas.
Sproutlet sighting! The winner of the "first one up" prize is.... Alternanthera Purple Knight... making up for not coming up at all last year!
Yippee! Here we go!
The calender says that the light phases of the moon, between the new moon and the full moon, are favored for planting about-ground crops like flowers. The dark phases of the moon, between the full moon and the new moon are favorable for planting below ground crops such as bulb flowers. Each days symbols on the callender can be crossed referenced to a legend (cheat sheet) that's written on the back of the calendar.
Congrats!
Ella, I hope and pray everything's alright with your Dad, and you too. I know how frustrating it is to have parents who won't listen to their own common sense (and your clucking as a daughter) - VERY frustrating! A number of years ago my Mom asked Sis why I got so angry with them - for little things like not calling me when one of them fell, or they didn't feel good enough to make dinner. Dang it, that's why they moved into the same condo unit as me! You'd think since I was on the 26th floor and they were on the 9th they could call - but they didn't want to "bother" me....argh.....It's a fine line between being a daughter and a caretaker - they are adults after all, but I swear at times they act like they're 8....
Just got back from Target to get us one of those oil-filled space heaters (got our gas bill, and decided to do that after I came to). Hopped out the door, and POOF - dead battery! Fortunately I've got AAA (Nora insisted, and I'm quite happy she did) so I didn't have to sweat that too much.
nb - I use a big old aluminum mixing bowl for wetting down my mix. It holds "just enough" so that I don't get carried away with wetting down more than I can pot up and seed.
And I still didn't get the bags of soil into the containers for WSing, so I'll have to wait until they thaw again - another argh!
Edited to add:
here's the link to the Gardening by the Moon thread - very helpful folks there:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/lunarmania/all/
This message was edited Jan 13, 2009 11:56 AM
Hi All
I just heard from Lea and she sends word that she is ok just overwhelmed with all the stuff she has going on now. It was good to hear from her and I told her when anyone hears from her that person lets everyone else know.
Just keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through this adjustment in her life. She says she will be back and is busy getting her plant stands ready along with all her challenges. The plants will be a good stress reliever for her.
Veronica
Veronica... thanks for the update on Lea. She and her dad have been in my thoughts.
well.... off and running... i'll be gone most the day. ... and i know i will miss about a hundred posts.......
didnt even read todays yet.
T.
Star,
Have you heard yet from your brother, about Dad? Still keeping you all in my prayers. : )
Seems to be the same for all of us who are caretakers for parents. It isn't for the faint hearted.
tcs, please check out this link http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/942799/
The rest of you should too!
I didn't want you to think we forgot Your Day! : )
dryad, thank you for the link, I was going to track it down, and thanks to you, now I don't have to.
Tonya, I may sow some directly into the ground since my winter season is so short. But am going to make up more milk jug containers for the Swap seeds I have coming my way. Maybe we should see who ends up with the most milk jug/other containers, and give them an attaboy/girl! : )
klstuart, Congrats, you are an inspiration to us all. You had to wait two years for those sprouts. Good thing gardners are patient! : )
Critter, I'm sure of it, and have a very nice DG'er helping me find it. I'll see if I can propagate some of those plantlets. : )
'Chele, your girls are just so darling! : ) I was joking about your being an over achiever that is why the smiley face was there. I admire your organization, and forgot you are housebound.
Veronica, Thank you for the update on Lea. I will continue to keep her in my thoughts and prayers.
Good idea about using old washing tubs for mixing soil in. Have a couple of antiques sitting around collecting trash and water and this would be a much better use for them, and not hurt my back as much! : )
WIB,
SW
Just got off phone, was able to talk to my dad for a minute. He was half in and half out of it. They still have him in hospital and he stil has more tests to do and more to get since he still bleeding from somewhere too.
Boy our group sure has been hit these past weeks with family problems. I pray nobody else has any.
Firend comign early in the mornig and we talkign all the boxes to po. By the time the po gets all thes epiggy troughs checked in and I get back home, hopefully Dad wil be out of surgey thingys and will have update on him.
Thanks for the prayers, Need em and appreciate them.
next door finally got my hood open so they can work on car and they foudn my squeek is comign from one of the belts s nee dthat taken care of too.
KLSTUART AND MAXINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You will be gettign your big envies and then you will be gettign a little bubbler too. I kne i woudl mess soemthign up and sure did. With so many seed buckets and my junk around. Forgot too put your lttle envie of seed sfrom me in your big envies and there aint no way I gonan try and open them babies back up.
EVEryBODY!
When ya get your boxes and envies, Please be very careful opening them, some are really.. really crammed. Don't be surpised if your piggy seeds dont come back in same box or envie. Jugglign stuff around cuz some of ya don't realiz ehow much ya got comign back and by the time ya add all the baggy outside wrappign it take sup alot fo room.
I knwo the regulars knwo how it is , but the new folks and our surviors may not.
Will send ya all tommorrow sometime your confirmation numbers. be sometiems towards evening after I hear from hospital.
In a few days ya all wil be saying SUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEE LOL
Again sorry for the delay on my end now. I apologize esecially since I knwo some of ya are axnious to winter sow.
I sure I probably made some other mistakes somewhere and If I did just let me know , no problem. There afew of you regulars that asked for somethign and if it aint in yoru envelope from me that means it went to a surviors and just didnt' have enough left. I may have put 1- or somethign up but had dmails for like 10 or more people all wantign the same thing, so shared it out as best I could. By the time I got the last dmails caught up had almost close to 1,000 oinks on me.
Wil take pics of troughs goign to po tommorrow. Man oh man that mail person gonan be havign fits and a half with me for sure. Wonder if it wil help make themailladys day when I hand her oen of thes e big huge fat enveies and say " feel it cushiony soft"
I just glad there no time limit on how logn ya can stay in post office. I gonna be there for awhiel for sure.
Ok piggies just a few more days for some of ya maybe even by the weekend and ya can start snortign and runting in the dirt! : )
Forgot somethign very important!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERESA TCS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope ya a good day and have many more!
Hello Ella!!!!!!!!,
Okay we been chatting and trying to make each others day plus figure out where the seeds went . Over here and over there now out the door and in the pots and show all evryone have them pots ready cause she trying very hard to get all them piggie bags out to you.
Hope all are ready!!
Carolyn
Thank you Ella for all your efforts! Hope your dad fairs well and comes home soon.
Deborah
Glad to hear your Dad's chatting with you Ella - and hoping he makes it through his surgery and stuff OK. Glad also to hear someone found out what your squeekie problem is with you car! Be sure to take care of yourself.
Hi Ella,
Hope your dad will be ok.... I am sending prayers to you and your family...
Trishann
Ella, Hope your dad is doing fine. Prayers coming your way.
Help! I've had to cancel my order for more seed starting supplies from Park Seed, they are back ordered until forever (keep changing the date, not til mid feb. at this point).
Anyway, I need to order some "greenhouse" kits from elsewhere. Maybe Novosel? Any favorites out there, that are quick?
Also, I'm curious, what size do you all prefer? The kind with 36, 60 or 72 cells per flat? I've had some with 36 in the past, and it seems that when I plant, there's alot of dirt in the bottom that doesn't have roots in it yet. Thinking smaller (more cells) wouldn't hurt...
I use 2 sizes, 48 cells per flat for basil and other annuals that I start just 8 weeks ahead (not long enough for them to get rootbound), and 36 cells per flat for peppers, tomatoes, and stuff like wave petunias that I start earlier. That said, I've a friend who successfully starts tomatoes in cells as small as the 72 per flat size... but I think she puts them out pretty small.
I've ordered in the past from B&T Grower's Supply (GWD: http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/2793/), but I remember thinking the guy I got the cowpots from had good prices on other pots... will have to see if I can find who supplied that co-op!
Kelly I've ordered from Novosel and have been pleased with their product. I think they're pretty reasonable in price also. As far as size I bought an assortment, but I think I use the 72 cell the most. I start all my seeds on one container and thin them at the appropriate time. The 72 cell takes up less space so that works best for me.
Ella PLEASE don't fret about the seed packets until you get all your other ducks in a row. A couple of days is not going to make a difference!
Wanted to add that I use the extra-deep 36 cell sheet pots... I think they're the 606 Jumbo ones.
My cow pots came from Growers Solution: http://www.growerssolution.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT
Ah, we cross-posted. Good morning Critter!
After reading your post I should add that sometimes I do have to repot the first bunch of seedlings before they get set out. But I start so many plants, and start them so early that space is a big consideration for me.
I got a case of cow pots directly from the supplier, and Roger was great to work with!
Grower's Supply is in TN, and B&T is in LA, so it might be worth taking shipping cost differences into consideration... For example, GS charges about $10 more for 100 of the 606 sheet pots, but a lot of that difference might be made up in shipping savings (I haven't checked).
Thanks! I'm checking them out now. Also in the market for labels and 2.5" square pots... Growers Supply looking good. Now, I just have to call and make sure they're not back ordered!
OK, I didn't find my previous order for sheet pots, but I did find my order for 1 gallon pots from B&T, and it looks like shipping from GS (which you can calculate from your shopping cart) would have been about $5 less (allowing for the fact that the pots from B&T were about 25% heavier).
GS has 48 cell sheet pots, too... I only found 50 cell round plug trays at B&T.
Oh, and I discovered (or re-discovered) that you can get a shipping estimate pretty easily from B&T... click on "checkout," then enter just your zip code and pick a shipping option.
I just got a Dmail from Starlight... her dad is out of surgery! Yay! That's all I know... hopefully she'll drop by soon and give us an update.
That's great news Jill. Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the update Jill - when do you find the time to do all that you do???