No pictures. sorry!So over the last few weeks, I potted a bunch of healthy looking basil and parsley seedlings.1 parsley seedling and about 4 basil seedlings survived. The rosemary is still growing.Started more onion seedlings and sage I think. Fingers crossed.Also, I transplanted "old man basil" into a bigger pot. That plant is kicking ass and getting bigger daily. So nice!Outside, two pumpkin plants and 4 Bell Pepper plants survived. Carrots dead. Radishes dead. Peas dead. WTF, all of the Jalapenos died! Seriously, WTF? OK OK so the weather has been on the cold and erratic side. But still, WTF! I went to work on all of the remaining soil I didn't really work on last year. Removed probably 400 pounds of rock and concrete, turned over the soil and mixed in peat moss. Now that I went to the touble, I found out you can buy compost manure at Jewel. WTF! I had no idea it was readily available. I thought I had to have rural friends for this sort of thing. Next year I'm gonna lasagna garden the shit out of that plot in back. Till then, at least the soil is in better condition than last year!Also, I concocted the JSP Black Label All Purpose Pe(s)t Deterrant Spray. Thanks to the internet, I blended:- A small onion- A thing of garlic- A hefty TBSP of Cayenne Pepper- A heaping cup of hot peppers- 4 cups of water (i think... maybe more?)- 1 TSP of Dawn.The surviving plants have been free of holes and dogshit, so it works, I guess.Out of town this upcoming weekend. When I get back, I'm going to plant most of the seedlings into the newer, fancier soil and start more peppers and maybe start the carrots again.Also, pictures soon!

Oh, Cripes! I have waited a while before posting again.The good news is that everything I've transplanted in the last month has survived in the plot out back (we'll see about the peas, though...)Outside:-2 Cinnamon Basil.-1 Summerlong Basil.-2 MASSIVE Pumpkin vines - soon to blossom.-roughly 6 Bell Pepper plants.-roughly 6 jalapeño plants.-1 Pea plant.-1 Parsley plant.-the bucket with last year's bell pepper plant. I don't know why, but it's not really doing so good.Not bad. Rosemary and Sage just won't grow around me yet. I don't know what the deal is.INSIDE:-Old Man Basil - what a champ! He's huge.-a carrot seedling-a second basil plant (not really doing much of anything. just hanging out, really).-Parsley-Some seedling I did not label... not sure what it is.-Catnip... just starting to blossom... this could be good. Never seen it thrive, so I'm not sure yet.Will likely transplant the carrots soon. Not sure if I should start any more seedlings or just concentrate on what's out there. A little late in the season to grow much of anything else.Pictures to come. As soon as I can get them off my phone.

OK,Lotsa pictures today. For starts, I transplanted almost everything outside (less a basil and parsley plant). It's getting hard to keep track of! how nice!I am watering all of this stuff once a week with a water/Miracle Gro mixture. Seems to be helping out. Because Old Man Basil is doing bad, I am trying to keep a more watchful eye on him.BELOW: "Bucket" Bell Pepper plant... some blossoms, tiny tiny pepper growth. Hopefully they will develop in the next few weeks. BELOW: Parsley - Hell yes! I still have one indoors and it's not hardly doing anything. This one seems to really be taking off. I thought because it spends so much time in the sun it would be too much, but it's plenty healthy.BELOW: "Old Man Basil" - yeah, he is not doing well at all. We put him outside in hopes he would grow bigger and stronger. BUT, he was an indoor plant and lasted a year longer than he should have in the first place. So sorry, Old Man Basil! You probably will not survive August!BELOW: Look closely and you will see a green pepper plant hidden in the pumpkins. A little something I learned about pumpkin plants: They are total assholes, man. They take up space, they're prickley, they overshadow all of my pepper and basil plants, and they have these little feelers. The little feelers are strangling all of my other plants! So basically my job over the last several weekends is to cut off any limbs that pose a threat to all of my other plants, herbs, spices, whatever. I'm glad they're growing so well, but they need back the fuck off of my peppers.BELOW: My little Alaskan Snow Peas! They are growing pods! I thought these guys were gonners, but there's a maple next to them providing enough shade - I counted about 6 pods - which aren't lots and lots, but pretty good for a plant that was next to impossible to grow for me.... wide shot of pea plant...BELOW: I have three of these little infant pumpkins - I'm excited they're growing. The whole lot is covered by what was a mere TWO seedlings. There are probably 2 dozen blossoms at present - the male blossoms are great if you stuff them and prepare them like ravioli. These things attract bees like mad-crazy. Also there is this huge stinging insect... not sure what it is, but imagine if a hornet and a pontoon boat had a baby - it would look like this nasty blossom-hopper. The plant/vine is taking up the entire patch of dirt, which is both good and bad. Because it's prickley, it protects all of the other plants in the garden from harm to a certain extent. But it also borders being out of control, and I spend most of my time in the garden pruining it or dragging it off of the neighbor's driveway. Maybe next year I'll grow squash instead? Same idea, just smaller. Thoughts?3 PICTURES BELOW: I also spotted these little guys under some dead pumkin leaves. I don't know if the dead parts of the plants triggered the growth, or if the fungus killed part of the pumpkin vines? I'll have to keep an eye out....can anybody figure out exactly what kind of mushrooms these are? Are they toxic? Edible? Will they re-grow? Are they good for the garden? Bad? Indifferent?IN SUM, I'm happy, there's been a lot more growth this summer than last. Just a few more weeks and the peppers will blossom. Then JSP does his happy dance.

Somebody snathced my prized pumpkin from the garden last night.I am out for blood.

Dominique D'Amico wrote:also like I said, that pepper plant is perennial and will keep producing peppers for years if you move it indoors in the winter. If you transplant it into a ten gallon bucket instead of the ground you could easily move it.Interesting. Do you need to cut it back in the winter?

Jon, that sucks. people are dicks.you should put an electrified fence around it next year.maybe hire a sniper.

r0ck1r0ck2 wrote:kerble wrote:Jon, that sucks. people are dicks.you should put an electrified fence around it next year.i'm with this.that's no joke.Electrified Audio Beautification project.

kerble wrote:Jon, that sucks. people are dicks.you should put an electrified fence around it next year.i'm with this.that's no joke.

Wrapping up last season:Pumpkins are out this year. The vines are way too uncontrollable and people are just going to steal them anyway. I WILL plant squash, though. Should be a little easier to take care of them.The plants that I moved inside are either barely alive or straight dead. The stairwell I keep them in (where sun comes in but cats do not) isn't temperature-controlled, so there's a chance they got too cold this winter. We'll see in the next few weeks if they get healthier. Parsley was this year's champ... survived and flourished all winter long. so nice. Catnip has been healthy as well.And now, on to the 2010 growing year:Went supply shopping yesterday and started a spreadsheet laying out when I should plant and transplant everything. Should help for overall efficiency this year.I am planting onion, rosemary and pea seeds today in the Jiffy greenhouse. I didn't realize it, but these guys aren't as sensitive to frost, so I should be able to plant them early.

Not a whole lot new this weekend. 2 Onion seedlings and 3 Alaskan Snow Peas went outside. I also turned over some soil. Next week I'll pick out some broken glass, weeds and cigarette butts.