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Mar 11, 2014 8:18 PM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
Ouch! Good luck with your surgery, and do remember that every time you DON'T stand up, you probably bring your healing one day sooner.

That said, maybe there are some things that can be done from a chair ... IF you have really good access to some of your beds. Hoeing weeds or cultivating between rows, for example. Some tilling can be done with a long-handled shovel, but it is awkward and inefficient.

If you have a sharpshooter spade (trenching spade, ideally with a longish handle), you can scrape a planting trench within a few feet of the edge of a bed, preferably parallel to the edge. Then place a seedling on the blade of the spade, and slide it into the trench, leaning against one wall. Place a few more seedlings. Then skoosh the soil back into the trench so as to make the seedlings stand upright, then level things off and firm the soil down. Then move the chair.

But you have to be able to reach the tray of seedlings.

I think the biggest problem is that wheelchairs and gravel, mulch or soft soil do NOT combine well. I'm sure you're going to put your EBs on a flat hard surface that you can get your chair to.

IF you can firm up the approaches to one or two beds, that might bring them within reach. For one season it won't be worthwhile to lay down a sidewalk, but maybe someone could lay down two rows of concrete paving stones (18" x 9" x 3/4") as wide apart as your wheels. (Hopefully your yard is very flat!)

Next year those paving stones could become the walls for new raised beds.

Maybe if the soil is very hard, the grass could be mowed very short, and you could roll right over the grass. If not, it is often easier to drag a wheelchair backwards over a bad surface, than it is to push it or roll it. If one person pulls and steers, while you push the wheels (backwards), you might get over a rough or soft surface and even up a bit of slope.

Once you get there, you'll be really motivated to stay there until you've used up all your upper-body strength, making the return trip harder, unless the return is downhill. But it might cure some of the garden-deprivation-withdrawal.

Good luck with the surgery, but they probably do it every day and know how to do it perfectly.

Good luck dealing with cabin fever! That's more problematic, but it is within your control. Tell yourself "it's only a few months" until you're tired of hearing that and "a few months" sound like "20 years". THEN take it one day at a time. You can almost hold your breath for one day!

Maybe start a lot of very difficult perennial seedlings in trays, indoors.
Maybe spend a lot of time reading seed catalogs or on ATP.
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Apr 6, 2014 12:28 PM CST
Name: Susan
Georgia
Charter ATP Member
So glad I found this thread! It's great to see Tplant here as well! I have my EB's started and will get pics when I can.
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Apr 6, 2014 4:12 PM CST
Name: Linda
Carmel, IN (Zone 5b)
Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: Indiana Dog Lover Container Gardener
Seed Starter Herbs Vegetable Grower Cut Flowers Butterflies Birds
Hi, Susan:

Glad to see some familiar faces from DG here, and reviving our chats on EBs. Thanks to the OP for starting this thread.
(also just wanted to say how beautiful your dog is.....I remember reading about when you first got him).

What are you planting in your EBs?

Linda
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Apr 6, 2014 4:40 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: David Reaves
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
Canning and food preservation Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Level 1
I hope to post photos of the tomatoes this week. Lots of growth since they were planted almost a month ago. Most are about 24" tall (except the Husky Red dwarf). Had a mishap with one of the Earthboxes, and dumped the Isis Candy off the driveway. One survived, but I had to replace the other with something else. There are blooms on everything, but no fruit set. I'll be planting peppers in some more EBs soon. Seems remarkable, but the recommendation is six pepper plants per box. I'm going to be conservative and plant only four peppers per box.

I'm still having trouble with my knees, but making progress. The second surgery was successful, but recovery will be slow. I hope to be out of the wheelchair by fall. I had another surgery a week ago. Hopefully that will address the root cause of the bone and tendon weakness.
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Apr 6, 2014 6:25 PM CST
Name: Glen Ingram
Macleay Is, Qld, Australia (Zone 12a)
(Lee Reinke X Rose F Kennedy) X Unk
Amaryllis Hybridizer Canning and food preservation Lilies Native Plants and Wildflowers Orchids
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Pollen collector Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Plays in the sandbox Sedums Seed Starter
Good luck with the knees David. All the pain is worth it in the end.
The problem is that when you are young your life it is ruined by your parents. When you are older it is ruined by your children.
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Apr 6, 2014 7:09 PM CST
Name: Linda
Carmel, IN (Zone 5b)
Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: Indiana Dog Lover Container Gardener
Seed Starter Herbs Vegetable Grower Cut Flowers Butterflies Birds
David--can't wait to see photos of your tomatoes. Mine have just gotten their first true set of leaves. Time to be taking them out of their cell packs now.

Wishing you a speedy recovery with your knees.
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Apr 7, 2014 9:03 AM CST
Name: Susan
Georgia
Charter ATP Member
Hi Linda,
Thanks for the welcome!
So far, I have 2 of the following tomatoes.
Kellogg’s Breakfast, Georgia Streak, Hillbilly, Box Car Willie, Black From Tula and 1 Umberto
No Name is a volunteer that came up in my garden that's a cross between a black and a Box Car we think. . I save the seeds each year. Of course, I don't bag the blossons, so It's a wild child! It's very rich like a black, though. We're still in the process of getting everyone planted.

David, hope you have a speedy recovery.

I've found that 4 peppers do better in an EB, also. I did 6 the first year, but they were too crowded. I have some romaine lettuce still kicking out there right now. That's it for me. We usually do cucumbers, but I need to get started. Our weather has been crazy this year.
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Apr 8, 2014 9:42 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: David Reaves
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
Canning and food preservation Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Level 1
Tomatoes are growing well in the Earthboxes. We've had a few warm days, and the sun has really encouraged growth. The first photo is from about 10 days ago. You can see that there has been a lot of progress in the second photo, from this morning. I have staked everything against our springtime wind, but as you can tell I haven't pinched or pruned any of the plants. The Husky Red dwarfs really are husky. They have started to bloom, too, so everything is firmly on the way.

David


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Apr 8, 2014 4:07 PM CST
Name: Linda
Carmel, IN (Zone 5b)
Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: Indiana Dog Lover Container Gardener
Seed Starter Herbs Vegetable Grower Cut Flowers Butterflies Birds
Nice......I have tomato envy *Blush*

I have lots of seedlings about 3" tall that will not be going out any time too soon. We are still waiting for spring to arrive in our zone.....it's taking it's sweet time this year showing up.
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Apr 8, 2014 8:25 PM CST
Name: Jack
Australia
The tomato's look very nice and healthy, mine have died in Australia. I wish you a speedy recovery,

Jack
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Apr 8, 2014 8:27 PM CST
Name: Glen Ingram
Macleay Is, Qld, Australia (Zone 12a)
(Lee Reinke X Rose F Kennedy) X Unk
Amaryllis Hybridizer Canning and food preservation Lilies Native Plants and Wildflowers Orchids
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Pollen collector Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Plays in the sandbox Sedums Seed Starter
Welcome Jack to ATP. Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
The problem is that when you are young your life it is ruined by your parents. When you are older it is ruined by your children.
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Apr 9, 2014 4:59 PM CST
Name: Linda
Carmel, IN (Zone 5b)
Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: Indiana Dog Lover Container Gardener
Seed Starter Herbs Vegetable Grower Cut Flowers Butterflies Birds
Welcome, Jack Welcome!

Can't wait to hear about your gardening adventures in a very different zone than most of us are in. What types of things do you grow in your garden?
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Apr 23, 2014 6:16 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: David Reaves
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
Canning and food preservation Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Level 1
It's been a while since I posted an update. Plants are all doing really well. Fruit is forming on almost everything. The Momotaro has fruit about the size of a quarter. That is the first photo. The Isis Candy also has several clusters of fruit forming. That's photo number two. I will try to remember to actually take a picture of the plants tomorrow or Friday. They are all at least 3 feet tall!

David R

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Apr 23, 2014 6:31 PM CST
Name: Linda
Carmel, IN (Zone 5b)
Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: Indiana Dog Lover Container Gardener
Seed Starter Herbs Vegetable Grower Cut Flowers Butterflies Birds
Serious tomato envy here, David. My seedlings are now mostly outdoors (although getting covered on the nights it goes down to the low 30s). We are a LONG way from tomatoes on our plants. I was so craving tomatoes, I paid $4.99/lb for some heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store last weekend.. It was worth it--at least they tasted like real tomatoes!

I told my husband when we retire I want to live in zone 8 LOL . What a way to pick your retirement home--where you want to garden Hilarious!
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Apr 23, 2014 7:13 PM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
>> when we retire I want to live in zone 8 LOL

Just be sure that is a Zone 8 with a warm summer!

PNW Zone 8 has cool nights and tepid days that barely support cherry tomatoes.

Texas Zone 8, I hear, has summers so hot that you have to squeeze 'maters into a very short spring season or very short fall season. Plenty of heat: TOO MUCH heat.
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Apr 23, 2014 7:23 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: David Reaves
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
Canning and food preservation Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Level 1
Rick is right! Pick a zone 7 location that gets warm, but still has cool summer nights. : )
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Apr 26, 2014 7:04 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: David Reaves
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
Canning and food preservation Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Level 1
Here's a photo of the current size of the plants. I'd guess the indeterminate plants are 3.5 feet high. The determinate plants are just a little over 24". Turns out I had misidentied the Gold Nugget and the Isis Candy when they were small. The Gold Nugget was the one that broke in the wind!

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May 11, 2014 1:00 PM CST
Name: Susan
Southeast NE (Zone 5b)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Heucheras Irises
Lilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies
Great looking tomatoes David. I have some earthboxes, but didn't do as well as I would have liked the first year. My squash and zucchini both were lost to squash borers and the peppers had blossom end rot or something like that. This year, I redoing the area where I had the earthboxes before and will wait until next year to try again. I am using one in my driveway to grow zinnias, but didn't add the chemicals or do the mounding thing. Figured zinnias would grow OK without them.
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May 12, 2014 5:34 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: David Reaves
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
Canning and food preservation Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Level 1
Discovered that even dwarf, bushy tomatoes need strong bracing. The wind broke the dowel rod I had supporting the Husky Red and the plant soon followed. It had about 40 small tomatoes already set. Very disappointed!

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May 12, 2014 6:40 PM CST
Name: Linda
Carmel, IN (Zone 5b)
Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: Indiana Dog Lover Container Gardener
Seed Starter Herbs Vegetable Grower Cut Flowers Butterflies Birds
Sorry to see that, David. We had a huge storm blow through last night with strong rain, winds, and hail. I have about 200 tomato plants and 400 veggie/herb plants for our Master Gardener plant sale on Saturday. I was out staking all of the tomatoes tonight so nothing gets damaged during transport on Thursday. Fortunately, everything weathered well. We did have to empty every single tray that was filled with water (we got about 2" of rain last night). Thankfully everything looks OK.

Will be getting my EBs planted next week. Can't wait to get started. Will have 12 EBs and a couple of other self-watering containers. I'm so waiting for a really ripe tomato. I paid $4.99/lb for some heirloom tomatoes this weekend, and they were still pretty bland. Can't beat a homegrown tomato.

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