Journal of a Gardener

May 28-31, 2008

The HOME GARDEN was very wet the last days of May due to the heavy rains we had earlier.  I got my shoes muddy just harvesting some onions and checking the soil temps which ran from 65-70 in the early mornings and 75-80 in the evenings.

RAISED BEDS at Culpepper Place are getting attention from residents who now see growth.  Some tomatoes show stress that may have come from too much water.  Some may need to be replaced.

GARDEN NEIGHBOR – On the 31^st I visited with Randall, my gardening neighbor who has many more years than I do growing veggies.  He is a productive and innovative gardener who raises food to contribute to three households from over three thousand square feet.  At the beginning of our visit he told me how slow and spotty germination has been.  He has re-planted some veggies.  His cabbage got scalded from excessive moisture.  His three successive plantings of corn are all looking good.  Early tomatoes promise to deliver about Fathers’ Day.  There is a black plastic over some rows to help the soil to heat up, retain moisture and limit weed and grass growth.  Some of the middles have four layers of newspaper with straw and grass clippings on them.  There are peppers – growing slowly, peanuts, green beans, summer squash, lettuce and other veggies.  The melon bed is about twelve feet wide and it has a layer of horse manure, straw and saw dust from his daughter’s family next door.  He waters tomato transplants by placing tall, bottomless plastic cups around them when he sets them out; and next to the melon hills he buries gallon jugs upside down with holes punched near the neck for targeted watering.  He showed me his workshop where he has a tractor, tiller, a homemade sub-soiler and many other tools.  Randall is an equipped, dedicated and disciplined gardener, who is not afraid to experiment; and he is ready to share his ideas and experiences.