A Gardener's Diary

[Monksdream]

May 17-I started early, early enough, anyway, to get a few tasks done before walking to the Uhaul up the street to pick up the van. I called Jerry and got an order for 6 lettuce for Thursday morning by 9. I got some coffee grounds from Starbucks. I rode the 11U to Walmart for Plant-tone fertilizer and returned with a packet of cactus style zinnia seeds and a Park hybrid tomato plant. I'll never change.

I picked up the van around 11, rode back to the farm and loaded up the buckets. It's true May weather now and the task of shoveling all that manure into buckets and then loading them into the van took its toll. My intention for two trips didn't pan out.

After unloading the buckets onto the patio I cleaned the van, returned it, then walked back with the idea of starting in with sowing melon seeds. I didn't. I went uptown to cool off under the shade of the oaks along N. Tryon, plus a bit of time in the air conditioned library. When I returned I felt OK again. So I started in with placing buckets of manure where I will make melon hills. A few buckets also went to the compost pile where I've been dumping bolted lettuce plants.

After delivering lettuce to Jerry Thursday morning I will take the 27 to Matthews and Renfrow Hardware for a bag of hydrated lime. The big box stores don't carry it. It can be caustic if not handled properly. I will apply it along with some Epsom salts to some plants displaying signs of nutrient deficiency. Hydrated lime works quickly but it doesn't remain in the soil for very long.

One of my pepper plants has formed a fruit. It's probably a Quadrato de Rossi.