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Botanical Emergency!!

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Hi Everyone, I know I have been a little scarce lately, but I'm sure you all know how easy it is to become so involved in the garden that you tend to neglect EVERYTHING else. Well that has been me. I planted a veggie garden this year and have been busy harvesting and preserving. Today, we have rain and I thought this would be a perfect time to catch up. I also have a catastrophic event going on in my garden, Whiteflies!! I have tried about everything I know. I have sprayed daily with strong jets of water, I have used insecticidal soap and oil sprays but all to no avail !! I just don't know what else to do. All of my plants are turning black from the honeydew that is secreted by the whiteflies. I am thinking that the Hackberry tree that's in my backyard is the culprit. My husband says that I have become obsessed, and i guess I have. I hate to do it but I may have to resort to a chemical pesticide. I was also wondering, how long are these things gonna be around? I was h...
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Saturday To Do List

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I think if I post what I need to get done, just maybe I will actually do it. So here it goes: Move Nandinas (5) Move Rose Move CoraBell Plant Boxwoods (5) Plant Spirea Plant Weigela (2) Plant Pussy Willow Plant Japanese Maple- Bloodgood Plant Japanese Maple- Coral Bark Plant Yellow Twig Dogwood Plant Sedum Plant Mother of Thyme (2) Plant Wooley Thyme (4) Dig out path for walkway sow Grass seed find good quality top soil, sold by the truck load WOW! I have got a lot to do, and it ain't gettin done sittin here. See y'all later. ;)
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Waiting on Daybreak

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Not too often do I actually get to enjoy the morning, usually I am driving into work 40 miles away. I may get to catch a quick glimpse of the sunrise if i happen to get a break in traffic, then I usually call my honey and share it for a second because he is also driving to work. However this morning I was up before the sun, and as I ventured out into the foggy crisp morning I could hear the birds singing happily, from somewhere in the darkness. I knew then it was gonna be a beautiful day. It's still a bit chilly but at least the sun is gonna shine!! Hope you all have a sunshiny day.
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Transplanting Tomatoes

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The time has come, I can not put it off any longer. The tomato seedlings have developed "true leaves". I must transplant immediately. I made a trip to Lowe's to purchase a bigger light. The grow lights are ok for starting seeds but I felt I needed stronger light for my transplants. This was a nightmare in itself, I bought a cheap shop light and two bulbs, I was so anxious to get home and put them up. I headed out to the ToadShed and hung up my NEW light and inserted the NEW bulbs, flicker, flicker nothing, hmm I thought, maybe it takes a few minutes to heat up, and so I waited and waited and nothing! I switched out the bulbs and still nothing. I would have to make another trip to Lowe's , but not tonight. I stopped on my way home from work, ran in and bought another light. I planned to bring the dud back later. I hurried home and unpacked the new light, and it worked immediately. i was pleased. Next day- I went out to the shed to check on my seedling...
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Seeds of Hope

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My seeds are up! Now is the scary part, I hope I don't kill them. The first trays are tomatoes, Brandywine and Rutger. the brandywine is an heirloom variety. I started the seeds on the 15th and they just came up the 27th.I guess bottom heat is what they needed, because after putting heat underneath they sprouted right on up! We used the decorative rope lights and mounted them to the shelf below the tray. They were very inexpensive compared to heat strips. Thanks to Jan over at http://thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/ I was able to find the complete grow kit with a heat mat at Lowe's. I also have sweet banana pepper and broccoli in the last seed tray.The pepper has sprouted (I hope it is the pepper, the marker fell off!) I guess when the first true leaves appear I am suppose to begin feeding them?? OK, you seed experts out there will have to walk me through this project. lol
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March Roars

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in like a lion , yes we finally got snow! Not much but its better than nothing. I took the opportunity to go out and snap a few pictures, and while I was out I noticed that the bird feeders were low so I proceeded to fill them. The birds must have really been cold and hungry they only flew out of the way for me to take the feeders down and were waiting for me to put them back up. I gave them some treats of peanuts and grapes, which the bluejays and mockingbirds loved. The beautiful dark eyed junco is always an expected visitor on really cold or snowy days. The sun has come out and the snow is almost gone, I really enjoyed it while it lasted. I guess the birds are happy.
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My Seeds!

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View Full Album Recently I underwent oral surgery and while I was under the influence of some powerful medication, my wonderful hubby managed to sneak out into the garage to build this seed starting shelf that I had hinted about. It has four shelves to hold seed trays, I have only started two trays because I need two more lights. I purchased two grow lights, although I have read that the cheap shop lights work just as well. I made reflectors out of cardboard and covered them in foil. I think I should apply some bottom heat to help speed along the germination process. I have never gone this deep into starting seeds before. Usually I start them in a sunny location and end up with skinny seedlings, but I long to have the husky seedlings that I see in the nurseries. If anyone has any advice or tips I would love to hear them!
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