Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Windsday.

It's a VERY blustery day today. On my lunch break I had to go and prop some cardboard boxes up in the garden to act as wind breaks for my transplanted seedlings, which were being battered to heck and back by the weather. There are three romaine lettuce seedlings in particular that don't look like they're doing too well. They are limp and peakish-looking. I doubt they will survive. But as long as they are not rotting in the ground, I won't pull them up. It's only fair to give them a decent shot to recover. I put down some plant food this morning and we've gotten a steady sprinkle of rain today, so hopefully it will get my plot nice and moist to help out.

On the other hand, I found two kale plants and one white cabbage plant in the compost bin that looked remarkably healthy for having been thrown in the rubbish heap, so I pulled them out, dusted them off, and popped them in the ground at the end of the rows. No use in wasting good vegetable plants, especially if they look as good (if not better) than the ones you've already planted. It does screw up my neat little rows though, which bothers my OCD. But I'll live.

I did learn a valuable lesson to avoid transplant shock though - don't break up the root ball on any new young plants that you might have when you're planting. It hurts them. Especially, apparently, delicate seedlings like romaine.

To me, putting up the wind breaks seems like a pretty apt metaphor for what a lot of Americans are having to do right now. If they have wind breaks, they are putting them up in preparation for the storm. Things are hard all over, and I'll admit, it's made me a bit depressed at times. But I have faith that with dogged perseverance, charity, and a certain amount of practical preparation, most Americans will be able to weather the storm all right.

3 comments:

  1. I hope your little plants survive. I am waiting patiently for pictures.

    What are you going to do when you grow this wonderful garden and you find that you really have a green thumb? Even if you do go overboard with how many different varieties you plant ;)

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  2. Unfortunately the pics are going to have to wait a bit. I'm taking a bunch in the meantime though. I just don't have a laptop at home right now to download them onto the Net.

    (Damn you Geek Squad and your overpriced shenanigans!)

    I'd take some phone pictures, but seriously, my phone camera sucks.

    Hopefully I'll have a farm of my own someday if it turns out I DO have a hidden green thumb. It's a newer dream for me, to have my own small scale agricultural operation and own my own land free and clear, but lately because of all the chaos in the rat race and my increasing disdain for "civilized" society, it's calling my name hard.

    These are just my first bumbling steps into seriously growing stuff, so it still stands to be seen whether I'm terrible at it or not. :P

    But hey, I have a whole plot of stuff that hasn't shriveled up and died yet, so we'll see!

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  3. But then you'd have to change your name. "Black Thumb Girl" would be false advertising.

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