That soil looks amazing, I don't see such rich black earth often. Thinking about those muddy feet on the "tillers" was another thing however.

BBBBRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! (What can I say...it's cold for this ol' south Alabama boy!!! )

Heaviest frost I've seen in quiet a while! After gusty winds up to 30mph the day before it was calm last night and the temperature got down to 26.5F. I looked (through the windowws) at the collards earlier this morning and they're not standing upright as they were yesterday...kinda frosty-looking.

My broccoli plants I'll have to wait and see on...I believe 26-27F is the cut-off point for them. I left one pot of peppers on the deck with the broccoli....the big pot with the NO-HEAT Jalapeno plant in it...I'm sure it's a gonner.

I had mercy on the other rag-tag bunch of peppers and brought them into the garage with the poblanos and lemon bush. The garage is open on one end and they're tucked into a back corner where the hotwater heater is (doesn't put off much heat, but anything helps) and where I have a single 250W heat lamp sitting on the cement floor with the plants gathering around it (kinda like they're huddling around a campfire ). It looks like the lowest temperature in that area got down to 35.2F.

Tonight is clear, calm, and a low around 36F...with the ground already cold and those conditions I'm thinking another good frost is coming, then tomorrow night a forecast of around 30F. The campfire girls are gonna get to spend a few more nights in the garage and then back to the deck they go!

It won't be long before there's gonna be some stuff-peppers being inhaled, they're getting a lot bigger. This last time I moved the plant I lost a few small peppers but in looking at them they looked a little "yeller'ish". I think the plant was getting ready to shed them anyhow. These were little 1" or smaller peppers.

Ed, those are going to be NO HEAT peppers for sure

I am home again today- work is ill prepared to clear snow in the best of times, and these times.. anyhoo, I just might plant some spinach and cilantro and lettuce seed and set my lights to 12 hours to give them 'short days' and see what happens. After all, even the early spring crops, that I might set out in March, that's only 8 - 10 weeks away!!

I love the visual of your plants huddling around the heat lamp, Ed! !

sallyg said:

My chickens were great compost facilitators.

Yay for chickens!!

Well, my broccoli looks fine, but the lettuce took a hit, despite being covered well. I will get out and harvest quite a bit of the lettuce tomorrow because I'm sure to lose it Thursday night if it gets done to 15 degrees as forecasted. I don't think even fleece blankets will help it then. I think the broccoli will be ok, we will see.
I forgot to cover my hydrangea and it looks horrible. Probably no blooms this year.
I wish OTC painkillers would help, but sciatic pain is nerve pain, which OTC doesn't help. I hurt so bad last night I was crying. I don't think I will be going back to the chiro any time soon. A friend suggested muscle relaxers but then I would just sit around dazed and confused, but that would be better than all this pain. At least I wouldn't care if I was hurting if taking muscle relaxers.I have googled exercises for this and am determined to start tomorrow. I can't be in any worse shape than I am right now, I don't think.

I just had an epidural shot in my neck for a bulging disc that is pinching a nerve and it was amazing, no pain at all since. I also have been going for physical therapy and it too has been a tremendous help. Muscle relaxers make me crazy and I do not do well on NSAIDs. I would suggest you see an orthopedist for some relief.

I hope you feel better Lynda.


For 2022, I'm going to grow Swiss Chard for eye health, I've been avoiding this veg. Maybe will grow more corn as well.
https://www.myfooddata.com/art...

Weedwhacker said:I love the visual of your plants huddling around the heat lamp, Ed! !

"...and the sound got closer and closer as the seedlings cowered in fear 'Snip...snip...snip...' went the sound...over and over and over. Then suddenly from the shadows appeared the sharpened blades of.......The DREADED HANDPRUNER!!!!!!!!!!!" With a hysterical laugh the evil voice said, "I'm going to snip your peppers and stuff them and EAT THEM!!!!!....HARDY HAR HAR HAR!!!!!!" And all the pepper plants squealed in horror at the tale, finally drifting off to sleep with the visions of the DREADED HANDPRUNER giving them nightmares all night long.... < The End >

Ed

Some peoplew coddle their plants: talking and singing soothingly to them, coaxing and encouraging them. . .

Then there's Ed: he scares the bejesus out of them "Grow/live or face the Dreaded Handpruners! Mmuuaawww"

Ed, thanks for the laughs! I need that today.

About to dive into the seeds and again debate how to arrange them. I think I will split them into warm and cool crops., then alphabetize in each. Do others do that?
Maybe I need to think of them as in a library, where they have their designated place, and the some will be pulled and used different times.

I just put mine into individual baggies (tomatoes and peppers in one, "brassicas" in one, carrots and beets in one, etc.) and then the baggies go into a plastic shoe box. Okay, 2 plastic shoe boxes, one for flowers, one for veggies... it's organized enough for my purposes, I've been doing it this way for quite a while.

Sally, I really like your idea. Right now I just divide mine into veggies, annual flowers, perennial flowers, and seeds I've received from members on this site. So when I want a specific veggie I have to wade through all the seeds.
I've got to get a better way to organize.

Weedwhacker said:I just put mine into individual baggies (tomatoes and peppers in one, "brassicas" in one, carrots and beets in one, etc.) and then the baggies go into a plastic shoe box. Okay, 2 plastic shoe boxes, one for flowers, one for veggies... it's organized enough for my purposes, I've been doing it this way for quite a while.

Mine is similar, sorted by types of veggies in baggies and all in a larger bag and then in the crisper drawers in the spare refrigerator. I do separate vegetable seeds from flowers from herbs in the larger bags. It makes things fairly easy to locate. The crisper drawers do limit the volume of seeds I can hoard.

I do like putting all tomatoes together for example. Envelope, or baggie, or for 4 lettuce packs, I paper clipped them together.
And for me also, flowers and vegetables have to be separate.
Going to plant some little pots today!

Lynda have you tried Moringa? I was watching a video and some people said it helped nerve pain. I'm going to try it for arthritis in my thumbs.

I do some sort of sorting like that too. I just found a brand new plastic container, actually my daughter got rid of her stuff and we have one free. I'm going to store my seeds in there and it will be under the stairs, it's dark in there.

Yesterday I ordered more flower seeds, this pandemic made everything disappears too quickly. I've been waiting for the whole year for Floret Farms to open for ordering, which was yesterday, I was out playing bridge and when I got back, all the seeds that I wanted are gone. So I did order more stock seeds from Johnny's seeds, but no vegetable seeds.