So, after 5 days, some of the plants are struggling. I am not certain they have taken hold for good yet, but it's still touch and go. The mini-cukes I was so excited about have definitely curled up and died. Their delicate nature did not hold up living in a bath tub for 10 days. Poor things. Also, the bean plants are brown and withered. It may take a miracle to get them to buck up. (I may have to just plant seeds, as Angie suggested from the start.)
I am also concerned with watering. My sources are mixed on when/how much to water. Don't overwater, or they won't root properly. Underwater, and they'll die. Gar. How much? How often? It's a delicate science.
Finally, something has been eating my parsley. The herbs are on the side by the sidewalk, and on Wednesday, I was walking past and went, "Hey! Something's been chowing on my parsley!" But nothing else had been nibbled. I pondered this: how would a bunny get in there? (the garden is, after all, two feet off the ground, not to mention our entire yard is fenced in); do squirrels eat parsley?; pretty sure birds don't eat parsely? I was boggled. But then, last night, while we were enjoying our dinner on the patio in the lovely weather, the culprit began eating the parsley. The culprit looks suspiciously like a German Shepherd Dog...
Indeed, Miss Phoebe was caught in the act. See, the fencing is enough to keep them from running through there, but it's also decorative, so it's spaced enough that she slides her head right in there and helps herself. Guess she wanted to have fresh breath. Remembering my sister's stories of her pooches digging carrots out of her garden to enjoy, I'm worried when other tasty things begin to grow, Phoebe will continue to help herself. So, I believe adding netting to the fencing is on my weekend to-do list.
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Phoebe is hilarious. We're lucky in that Bear avoids the garden. Last year we put up those tiny little fence pieces to keep her from running through it, but we're just winging it this year. So far so good.
ReplyDeleteI weave a soaker hose through the garden and then just turn it on for about 30 minutes on the days it isn't wet. Last year, my tomatoes got too much water, but everything else was perfect.
Ah...the hardest "pests" to control. I think more of my plants have fallen victim to the pooches than anything else!
ReplyDeleteAs for watering- with most plants, until they have taken root, the soil should be continuously moist, but not soggy. Soggy leads to root-rot. Dry leads to, well... dead. It can be tough to get it right at first, because all of them have different "likes" but once you have gotten to know your plants, you will get a sense of when they need water, food, pruning, etc.
Les