Lock-down Day 313

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time getting out of bed, lately. Mippies always have to work hard to wake me and get me up - I only got out of bed half seven this morning!

Mewthos, Ziva and Mini worked overtime nudging, pawing and mewling me awake today.

At work, I'm totally swamped today ... I'm catching my breath now - at eleven! Well, everything is under control ... no worries.

Now I have some time to pick seeds! Ha Ha! Well, the only reason I'm ordering them is, the special is only once a year, on their birthday - and it's my preferred supplier. If it was anyone else, I would leave it ...

Okay, if you expected me to get carried away: I did! Ha Ha! Yeah, I just can't help myself! I love growing things! It's just so exciting to see these teeny tiny little specks of green pushing through soil, unfolding their first leaves, then grow day by day!

I started out in Pretoria North with just pots on the balcony, then very chaotically in PE. My last place, I started to plan. Not just what, but also where - though I didn't have much choice, when it came to placement. Still, I did okay. But now, this garden, I really want lasting results! I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get even one fruit from the peach tree ... and I also don't seem to have much luck with the grapes. But next year? I really, really want to enjoy the fruits of my garden! Fruits, herbs and vegetables! Oh, and flowers!

A lot of the seeds I would have liked were out of stock. And I regret that I 'wasted' some of those seeds in my last garden. Not to worry, though! There are MANY seeds I've kept, and - of course - I've just ordered more. Mostly, though, I ordered growing mediums. Well, that's what cost the most. Seedling food and Fruit & Veg fertilizer, Carnivorous growing medium (I couldn't resist seeds for 2 types of carnivorous plants!), peat pots - I plan to use them for the cherry trees, coco peat pellets, and a germination stimulant.

I get a details planting guide with each packet of seeds - how, where and when best to sow the seeds. I've tried to create an excel overview ... but it's just too complex. So now, I'm just doing the calendar ... which to sow in which month, I can then filter (and look at only THIS month's plants), and go through the individual guides as needed. The calendar does indicate whether to sow in trays or directly, and I've added a column for 'have seeds'.

In my last garden, I really needed to know the root depth requirements for each plant - with the rock hard ground, if they need a lot of depth, they had to go in the bottomless pots. I also needed to know how tall they'd grow. Now, that is not really crucial, as I have loads and loads of space!

And now I'm so caught up in the excitement of seeds, I haven't even touched my new phone, yet! I brought it to work, to try and figure out how to use it ... sigh ... I don't really feel like it, though. I mean, it's really no competition: seeds vs gadget? Seeds win hands down, of course!

I just got a call regarding the tobacco leaf cutter I ordered, they'll be delivering probably Thursday! Cool! I now have 4 deliveries en route: FIT 32 cat food due today or tomorrow, the tobacco leaf cutter, the other Takealot order, with the Whiskas due probably next week and now the seeds, also probably next week!

So, back to my seeds. One thing that made the order now so relevant is, there are some seeds that I need to sow this month, not next month or any other time this year: Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts. And for Rosemary and Sage, it's the last month until Spring. Since there's so little to sow this time of year ... I wanna, wanna, wanna! Ha ha!

Working my way through the guides, I'm realising that both the guides AND the calendar seem to be mixed, some are seeding info is for the northern hemisphere, some for us. Yet, both come from South African sites - one even called 'Seeds for Africa' (my preferred seed supplier). This is irritating. Well, I'm working my way through the list, seed by seed!

Some of these guides are quite complex, soak, refrigerate, soak, and lots more. Now I know why it's called a Nursery! Many of the seeds need nursing, like babies, to raise them into plants! Best thing to do, is to pick one and follow the guide ...

Oh, lots are quite hardy, you can just sow them and they'll grow! But I like the challenging ones, like Capers, Artichokes, Asparagus ... those are the most rewarding, IF you can get them to grow! Fortunately, I left most of those seeds for later. As in: I didn't attempt most of them in my last garden, so I still have the seeds! I did just notice, though, that I should have ordered moss - a specialised growing medium I'll need for my blueberry seeds. Ah, well - I've got plenty to keep me busy, I'll get some moss with my next order in a few months!

Yeah, I didn't get around to the phone ... maybe tomorrow!

Back at home, we had another 18 mm rainfall! Again, mostly over night - the gauge didn't look much fuller than it did this morning. Still, it's lovely! Of course, a lot of the ground is turning into mud, but that just means more time ahead to pull roots ... and of course, weeds and the grass are growing like nobody's business! I looked at the lawn today - it could do with mowing already!

I did my indoor chores - took out the bread dough, turned on the geyser, cleaned out the litter boxes, etc. And then I watered the pots on the veranda - they didn't need much, even though most of them don't get any rain.

A branch had come off the Jacaranda tree, so I took it to the compost heap ... and then got caught up pulling the tall weeds along the fence in that partition. Next to the dog hut, it's really bad: nothing but weeds grows there! When I get around to pulling those all out, I'll have a bare patch there. I can't remember what it looked like before. I'm thinking it would be a good place to move the compost heap - out of sight, plus it'll keep the weeds there from growing.

That kept me busy till close to seven. We had our quality time on the veranda, then mippies came in for their treats, I baked bread rolls, cooked and ate (and shared) my dinner. Now I've run myself a bath, it's nearly eight. I should be able to finish the episode I've started watching since Sunday!