Friday, May 22, 2009

Mama's New Victims

As the weather (finally! What took so long???) gets warmer, I have been dreaming of the flowers or vegetables I will plant this year.

In other words, who will be my newest victims?

I manage to kill off most everything.

I chose 2 tomato plants:



This is one of them. Pay no mind to the hoardes of weeds nearby. I have a plan for that crap, I just need time to implement it.

I also bought a bell pepper plant. I've never done one of these before, so it's planted and we're just hoping for the best (or not).



We'll have to wait -n- see on that one.

I'm not into these plants to try to shield us from the freaking Rapture or whatnot, I'm just curious.

I had ONE tomato plant last season and it did OK. The tomatoes were not as big as I would have liked, but they were passable and edible.

Last year, I used spikes. This year, I plan on caging them. The pepper plant? No clue. That's this summer's experiment.

He may have to give his life for my knowledge.

So sad!

I also bought a hanging potted plant that I just found interesting. No clue what it is, but it seems to be holding up to my cruel standards:



It's interesting, to say the least.

Side note: I found the tag that it came with. It says it's a "Hoya carnosa compacta" or just "Hoya" plant. Also known as a Hindu rope plant!

I also have a couple of pansies in the same area, but further towards the sunny spots.

I hope they make it, too!

It might help if I get out to water them on occasion. So far, it's been the Evil Twin and Sissy doing the watering after dinner.

Well, if the family will enjoy the bounty, it's only fair that the family shares the burden, right?? ;-)

38 comments:

  1. This is on my "To Do" list this weekend too - now that I am convinced there won't be one last frost!

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  2. I've never tried to really grow anything. I am horrible at keeping plants! I have one tiny little rose plant that my sister gave me for mother's day, and it's thriving on the Fireman's windowsill, so maybe it'll make it.

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  3. Aw, good on you, mama! Sounds like heapsa fun. :D

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  4. Good luck with that. Gardening is not my deal - I kill stuff without even trying!

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  5. Yep..sounds fair to me....rarely works out that way though :(

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  6. I wish I could grow plants....but I think I over water.

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  7. We planted all our flowers last night. They look a little sparse right now, but I'm trusting The Husband that he knows what he's doing and he tells me they'll fill in. Eventually. I'm clueless when it comes to plants. I have a purple thumb. You've seen it! LOL!!

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  8. Peppers tend to be easy and pretty much take care of themselves.
    If you find a good solution to the weeds, pass that along. I have a bumper crop of those too.

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  9. Good luck with your plants :) My son and I planted a little veggie garden this year and things are sprouting. I do hope we get SOMETHING out of it. He is so excited and it is nice to have your own homegrown veggies. :) I think you will like the tomato cages!

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  10. I don't do veggies, just flowers. At the moment I've got a lot to do in my garden. Your hanging plant looks nice! I think I will grab a few of those this weekend for the porch.

    Good luck with the vegetable plants.

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  11. Dana - I know! I bought these, then we had a freeze warning that night!

    Ginger - all we can do is water and hope they make it!

    Natalie - it'll be fun if they survive! LOL.

    Gigi - this is only the 2nd year I've been brave enough to try...

    Michelle - Eventually, the whole workload becomes my responsibility. After the "novelty" wears off. LOL.

    JA - They can be tricky...

    Crazy Mo - Yep, I have seen your thumb, but it wasn't *completely* black... :-)

    Debbie - I'm afraid the weeds will be strictly a "hands on" project. Bummer.

    Lisha - I hope y'all get something too! It's exciting to think of the possibilities!

    Vinomom - In addition to the hanging plants, I put some pansies in the little "garden" patch area. I've got a bunch of trusting souls counting on me this season!

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  12. That's a lovely pot of poison ivy you have hanging there...

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  13. Oh fun! Good luck. I don't have a place to grow stuff or I'd try.

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  14. I find the pepper plants don't appreciate roasting in the sun, I've always planted them next to corn, for a little shade, they seem to like that, but not dense shade, that they seem to hate.


    PS. Lisha, I've always found that a garden grow best when planted by little kids hands.

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  15. My tomatoes are doing well, and I have already been getting peppers (banana peppers and jalapenos)... if I can do it you can!

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  16. I have the same plant shown in your hanging basket. My mom started it, and it grew to about 8 feet in length. Mine came from hers. When you neglect watering them, they go into panic mode and produce the weirdest "flowers". They're pink and very fleshy. They're very forgiving, and can go a long time between waterings. Bring it it in the Fall, and it will last forever. Mine is at least 25 years old. It sits on the kitchen window sill. Sorry, I don't know its name.

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  17. I am also horticulturally challenged. But dammitt, that doesn't stop me from trying. I was so excited to see a red strawberry on my plant but, unfortunately, the dog got to it before I could. Apparently it didn't taste as good as it looked though, since he only took one bite.
    P

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  18. I also put in some veggies, and hope the slugs don't overcome them!

    Water.. yes probley a good idea, maybe even some of that veggie miracle grow stuff!

    Good luck~

    Jan :)

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  19. Wow, ETW is going for the green thumb! Good luck, I had grand plans but it looks like I apparently will be buying my veggies at the fruit stand again this year.

    Weeds--YUCK!

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  20. Good luck!
    yummy peppers.

    I forget about plants so I am starting on a mini sunflower pot, i planted it 5-15 and it has sprouted 8 plants already! Yay this is my first plant from scrath lol.

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  21. Warren - It is NOT! LOL. It's a Hoya plant (Hoya carnosa compacta). I found the little tag that came with it.


    Court - I'll keep y'all updated on the progress (or not).

    powdergirl - as luck would have it, this one is kind of tucked behind a tree, but still gets a middlin' amount of sun! Maybe it will make it after all?

    Alex - I'm jealous, but you were able to plant earlier than me. I hope to catch up soon.

    Greg - Thanks for the pointers. According to the tag I found, it's a Hoya plant.

    Paige - Don't be mad at me, but I laughed about the dog eating the strawberry. I had plenty of half eaten tomatoes last season from squirrels or rabbits myself. Maddening!

    Jan - I think I've heard if you put a shallow dish of beer in your area, the slugs are drawn to it and will drown. Drunk drowning...probably the easiest death...

    Tamis - I may be at the plant stand too, depending on how this works out.

    Loni - a mini sunflower pot sounds GREAT! You'll have to take some pictures!

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  22. If we had to survive on our garden, we'd be dead. I have the blackest thumb in 17 counties....I even managed to kill squash.....I pulled the "dead heads" off not knowing they were the squashes to be.

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  23. You might want to get another pepper plant. THey probably want to cross-polinate when they get flowerrs.

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  24. Interesting! Maybe I should try growing something.... What plant does bacon come from???

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  25. I love the rope plant. I have two. I am a flower freak (among other things).......
    Don't worry they are succulents and are pretty much murder proof. They can take a little abuse and they don't charge extra for it like most men do :)

    Steady On
    Reggie Girl

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  26. I just read in the newspaper today that you can pull hair out of your hairbrush and place it around the base, where the stem comes out of the ground, to keep away the cutworms, aphids, and rabbits (because of the human scent). Have you ever tried this before? An interesting/green alternative to pesticides and insecticides!

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  27. LOL Oh I had that haircut too! Waiting for another flashback friday haha

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  28. I love those Hindu rope plants! I knew a woman who had one (at least it looked like one) and it bloomed these clusters that felt like velvet.

    Happy gardening! Your off to a better start than me, that's for sure.

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  29. oh dear- not much i can bury that wont be dug up by a baby poodle !!

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  30. So far, where we live, the skies have been doing their job with admirable regularity.

    We're growing lettuce, tomato, carrots and radish. But now you mention it a bell pepper would be nice as well.

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  31. Very cool! I would love to have a huge garden. I once had an orange tree, and it grew a few oranges. Like your tomatoes, not as big as I would have liked, but edible.
    Please keep posting pix of your plants!

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  32. LOL, to Rosemary.
    You dead headed your squash blossoms?
    Too funny.

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  33. Almost every year I plant a few things. Things go swimmingly for the first few weeks. Then I get distracted, forget to water them, and they die. I figured i would save myself the money and the ridicule this year! ;)

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  34. Hope you get some good ones!! we are just starting to get little green ones growing on our two plants and I dont even like tomatoes but its still exciting!!

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  35. Good luck with your plants. I've grown peppers and they are easy, but mine all fell over after a day of rain. I think the fruit was too heavy. So this year I put one big cage (chickenwire I found in the garage--I hope the Woodsman wasn't saving it for something) around all four plants. I'm hoping the fence keeps the dogs out of it too.

    You may be interested to know that there is a website that will deliver your email post-rapture in the event that you have things to say to your loved ones after you have ascended. http://www.raptureletters.com/

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  36. I love the idea of going out and picking your very own vegatables... oh and not paying for them! We are hoping to plant some tomato plants this year... fingers crossed!

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  37. ETW, to help you in your goal of keeping your victims alive long enough to make your own salsa, here are a few suggestions:

    1. Tomatoes LOVE sunshine. All day, everyday, or as much as possible.

    2. Do your watering in the morning. That way the sun will dry any moisture that hits them before dark, which will decrease the chances of mildew/fungus/other icky things.

    3. Miracle grow is your friend. Or, if you are more au naturale inclined, add some coffee grounds to the dirt around your plants...they be liking the acid.

    4. Your plant is gorgeous! Most people overwater plants...rule of thumb...if you touch the soil and feel moisture, its ok. Wait until the top layer is dry to the touch, then drench it real good like until it runs out. About once a week is normal for most plants, adjusting to how warm it is, of course.

    5. Peppers are acidic too, treat 'em like the tomaters and you should do fine. When they put the fruits on, if you leave them on the plants after they are green, they should change to orange or yellow or red.

    Good luck!!

    (yes, I am a nerd, and I have two green thumbs, and I rescue half dead plants from big box 'home and garden' departments as a hobby :0)

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  38. Have you seen that commercial for the tomato plant thingy where you hang it from the porch and the tomatoes grow in upside-down? My mom is always going on about wanting one.

    I always assumed you grew weed, but I should have known you'd buy yours...wholesale.

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