Saturday, May 25, 2013

Spring 2013 Begins - 15 May

sunny sunny day under the shade of my umbrella
I set up to repot seedlings a few days after starting to harden them off

slowly and surely the repotting got done
sorting happened

and resorting happened

and some plants didn't get repotted

yes I cheated and bought a few
(some lettuces have been planted at the allotment
but I wanted some for the roof too)

various peppers, some eggplants & yes - more tomatoes


Saturday, July 2, 2011

A Month Later



Look VERY VERY closely ...


FIRST TOMATO!

AND ...

the stevia is growing gangbusters on the roof (at the allotment not doing as well - might be from a different plant - details, details - I'm just happy I've finally got a stevia that is doing so well).

Thursday, June 2, 2011

... we're BACK

... to pretty 'poopy weather' again ... you can see the spike and fall to lower than before ... the descriptions read, "cool, nippy and chilly" ... I'm actually not complaining because it's decent planting weather and almost everyone's behind this year.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

a couple of nice days on the roof

... well not really nice days (or I'd have been at the allotment) but nice enough to catch a snippit or two of sunshine between thunderstorms plaguing Spring this year.

I got plants ready for the 3rd Annual YGG Swap at Mel's, and was able to sort through some little collections to give to Barry, Helen, Barbara, Gayla and Mel. I have a fair number of tomatoes - more than I expected to have - but none of them look that great - none of them ... there are some really interesting ones as well (and I do mean one ... barely did any doubles come up) ... I am very pleased though that I have the little red currant sweet peas to give away to friends as they were almost my favourites last year). My very favourite one, persimmon didn't even sprout this year (and I only had one seed left) - such a disappointment. I really like that one. It always made me smile. I liked it's colour mostly. It was that same glowing peachy flesh colour as the flower Mel tweeted about about a couple of days ago. That twit pic made me happy and then a little sad again.


I got three determinate tomatoes planted into pots today. I am hoping it's not too cold for them. Next week is supposed to be nice and today and tomorrow will be overcast and rainy so that's good.


I was going to wait and put the melon seeds into the soil at the allotment and then I thought I'd scarify them and put them into wet soil so they could at least get a bit of a start - makes sense - I think. I also planted some poppies (black, scarlet, field and white).

... here they are soaking away!


I decided to plant the peppers and eggplants into roof top pots and to save a few for the garden ... I potted them into deeper cells and filled them with mushroom compost (their second helping). I know they look yellow - don't ask me why - I really don't know - too much lovin'attention?

... a random set of pots potted up today - ah!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Day One 2011 ... some nice surprises


... onions

... as always


... surprise lettuces! (and red dock)?


... possible strawberries (if so there are a lot growing in a lot of pots)







... a little decluttering so I can begin to do a little repotting ...

Last year at (almost) this time ... tomatoes. This won't be happening anytime soon this year!


And finally ... nothing here is organic but I'm hoping it's still nutritious in the end after I grow it organically ... the whole tray was under $20 at Fiesta Farms. There are 8 tomato plants (San Marzano and Paste Tomatoes) ... good thing I check on them because 4 of the 8 were in need of watering - they will be fine once they bottom water themselves in their new tray and it's raining).

Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Final Roof Haul of the Season

Really been wondering about all the rain in the forecast that NEVER happens lately ... and I'm glad I've got a hose and remember to check the forecast after it's to have happened ... most of the pots were still damp after their good soaking the last time it didn't rain ...


... and I got a nice little tomato haul off the roof again this evening ...


... been waiting for Elberta Peach - a friend for Zaid the Zuc!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Midsummer's Day Dreaming while everythings thriving ...




Won't mince any words - it's a little disorganized BUT everythings peaking and bolting and about ready to burst into ripeness ... got to just LOVE this time of the year (would like to bottle it and keep the lid on it for a whole lot longer) ...

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

She shoots & scores ... on the ROOF


... Xmas Colours begin ... Mint & Tomatoes (I made a mint pesto using feta cheese, garlic, salt and olive oil and I stored some dessicated mint in sweet almond oil and will add some crushed almonds and put it on chicken or cookies or something else that's begins with a 'C' ... possibly?

... seriously I didn't plan any of this ... I was in bare feet on a hot roof grabbing things that looked ready ...


... some syrup and 'mash' made after collecting rhubarb on my last trip back to the allotment

Basil Pesto ... can't get the taste out of my mouth (a little like licorice gelato - which I might still be tasting from a week ago) ...


And finally ... the first strawberry of the 'season'!

Friday, July 2, 2010

1 July 2010 - Canada Day Shots


There's a little Rosa Bianca on this Eggplant!

One really really red pepper!

These look fake - I know. I just cant bring myself to pluck them (just yet)!

The dit ...

The whip ...

The potatoes look like they are doing quite well!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Day 10 - RED PEPPERS! ... and potatoes




Burans ... SWEET!





One potatoe, two potatoes, three potatoes ... more!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Day 9 - 3 Pots of Potatoes

I managed to get on the roof today and pot up 3 pots of potatoes (one round potato and two of the fingerlings) ... I used compost like the video a post or two back suggested so we'll see. It is supposed to rain today, tomorrow and the next day so that should give them a good start. I used 100% cotton pillowcases from Value Village - a nice heavy green one and two fleecey beige ones for the fingerlings and I put them into large cardboard pots (where I originally got them from I'll never remember) ... they've been up there since forever and I've been meaning to put them out in the recycle but they are the last things on my list and each year I conk out before they get brought down.

I also decided to bring the left over eggplants and peppers to the garden to plant them in the original tomato patch since it still had room.

Monday, June 21, 2010

video on greenhouse

Planting Potatoes

I found this video on You Tube ... it looks easy enough. I went to Value Village and bought a 100% heavy cotton pillow case which will hopefully work for this ... I might need a container for it to sit in ...

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Roof Tally So Far (minus more than a few or so)

These eggplants and peppers still need to be potted up or given away!



The Tally
16 Tomatoes
I Pot of Mint from Allotment
1 Pot of Rosemary
1 Pot of Sweet Peas, 4 ivy, cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) <- rennet cheese-making substitute (eat the stem)
1 sm pot lavender
7 pepper plants in 4 pots
2 eggplants in 1 pot
1 orange eggplant in a pot
chives & mustard greens
1 pots of sages
1 strawberry
Parsley(s), Gayla's Mint, Bloody Dock (needs to be repotted - I just read it will get pretty big ... not quite like the mustard greens)

I Still Need to Plant
Gayla's Naranjilla, Edame (3), cippolini onions, basils, eggplants, edible flowers, beans, peas?
ornamental glasses and ground cover



Find out the name of the third thorny plant I got from Gayla ... Morelle de Balbis (Solanum sisymbrifolium) but I don't think that's what it is from some reason.

Day 8 - Too Hot to Pot (Water Monitor Begins)

The Dit is doing well ... it's in with two broadleaf basils



I just went up to the roof and realized it's just too
hot to pot - i'll go back when it's quite a bit cooler!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Day 7 - Almost Done Planting on the Roof


Not such a great photo I know but it's as good as it gets! I am so tired.

It took days to finally get all the bags of soil, compost, 3-in-one, soil less mix and what nots up there and just a handful of hours (that's five:) ... to put most of my plants into containers. Lots of lettuce got tucked in under tomatoes ... more tomatoes this year than last. The 'Dit' finally got it's own pot and ditto - the other Whipper.



Now I'm doing a rain dance ... I wish I didn't have a pink rug - it doesn't go so well with muddy feet - albeit it's kind of dusty rose ... and I know What the What dusty rose am I nuts (I sometimes kind of really hate that I love dusty rose ... but I do ... it goes well with my toe nail polish I noticed tonight and that made me smile a big one ... it goes with taupe ... and I really like taupe ... it reminds me of raspberries in the dew ... I like it with my mango, vanilla and chocolate furnishings ... vanilla chocolate raspberry ... I like it with silver ... I like pink and black ... it's kinda like terra cotta ... aged terra cotta ... wine is a deeper version ... walking on it with muddy feet feels good too ... dustier rose & anything goes!

mid-August tomato haul from the allotment - no more time for paperwork


Maybe what I kind of don't like is that it's been stereotyped as a girl colour inferring it's one of the weaker ones ... OR ... maybe what I don't like is that it shows the mud). I also once thought of living surrounded in wall-to-wall dusty rose as being a little akin to being in a living womb kind of ... so walking around with mud on your feet inside of a womb - not coOL.

WHY ISN"T IT RAINING - it said it was going to?