GA: Clover sown

 Sowed some clover in 7A.  Loosed the soil (didn't amend it), sprinkled the (dry) seeds, hand "raked" to cover, watered, covered with burlap.

GA: Aphids all over the buckwheat ---- volunteers and sown!!!!! Apparently a risk of May buckwheat

Argh!!!! A day or two ago, I noticed there were lots of ladybugs at GA, especially on the buckwheat.  I didn't think much of it.  Well, today I happened to notice green aphids on some buckwheat I had pulled and dropped yesterday ---- then inspected all of the volunteer uckwheat and ALL had green aphids!!!!    Then had a look at the sown buckwheat patch -- at first I thought it was in the clear, but upon closer inspection it also had green aphids throughout!!!

A Cornell website says it can be a risk of buckwheat sown in May and it even says this is the case for both volunteers and sown.

So, today I pulled ALL buckwheat and tossed it all in the compost heap, worried that these might be aphids who might move on to other types of plants.  

SAD!!!

I'll try another round of buckwheat later in the summer and see if it happens again.

(I don't know what type of aphids they are, but they are green in colour.)

Oh! Aphids on backyard buckwheat too!! I've leave those in place anyway.

^^^

Scapes starting appearing several days ago (garlic)

Scapes starting appearing several days ago (garlic).  No full loops yet, but likely within a few more days for some.

GA: Flops (partial) so far: Includes cukes, beans, watermelons, a tomatillo, and a tomato

Here are the flops at GA so far -- at least they're just partial flops at this point:

- Cukes:  3 or 4 of the little transplants died, no idea why.  Could there be a cutworm?  I don't have pencil crayons with the cukes.

- Watermelon:  Thinking I'd be smart and start from seed onsite rather than transplants (since last year most of the transplants went kaput within a day or two of transplanting) -- well, not having great results with the pre-sprouted seeds.  Next year, plant 2 or 3 PSSs per location!

- Beans:  WTH!?!  Some of the new pops look diseased or something, kaput!

- Tomato:  One wimpy transplant went kaput, not really surprised.

- Tomatillo:  One wimpy transplant went kaput, not really surprised.

GA: Broccoli harvest FOY! (piracicaba) And kale and chard too!

2 or 3 of the piracicabas have already sent flower heads up and a few flowers started opening so I harvested them.  Not very big, just enough to snack on during the ride home, none left at home.

Also did a first small harvest of kale and chard.

GA: Most things in now (but not quite everything bec need to wait to see if compost will be delivered or not re: front beds); spread half the straw (total 4 bales)

Getting lazy in these notes here, but it is what it is.

Everything that's here is looking pretty darn good so far other than the store-bought peppers, but even those are starting to show nicer/darker growth coming in.

Went and got the Trail Road "potting soil" compost: 535 kgs (1179 lbs) for $26

Given the uncertainties around whether or not we'll get compost delivered at the allotment this year, I took the plunge and learned how to go and get it myself.  In fact, went twice today because just one load wasn't enough.

Here are the basics:

- Trail Road Landfill (just west of Farrhaven).

- They're open Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm.

- They're open select Saturdays, with shorter hours -- see https://ottawa.ca/en/garbage-and-recycling/waste-facility-landfills/trail-waste-facility-landfill.

- You drive in, onto the scale, and say you're buying potting soil.

- You drive over to the pile and fill up as much as you want.

- You drive over the scale again (on the exit side).

- You pay based on the change in weight.

- In 2026, Up to 250 kg ( 441 lbs)  = $12 including tax.

What I did was take everything out of the back of the car, lay the back seats down, place a spare rubber-backed mat to cover that area, then lay down the big tarp. Brought some shovels and buckets etc.

I left home at 6:30am to get there for the 7am start, especially since the website says first come first served.  Next time I wouldn't arrive right at opening, because there were a few big trucks waiting in line.  And when I asked the staff if they ever run out of the compost ("potting soil"), she said basically no, they can always bring more over.  And they have it through summer and fall, but obviously not in winter.

For my first load, I just used a shovel (the old broken full-metal head snow shovel) and shovelled it directly onto the tarp.  This got the job done, but I had no idea how much I was getting.  Took around 20 minutes to load.

For my first UNload at the garden, I kept track of how many buckets it was.  Turned out to be 13.5 buckets, 230 kgs (507 lbs), which cost $12 including tax.  Turned out I could have gotten more for no additional cost since I hadn't reached the minimum weight.  (Arrival weight was 1420 kgs (3131 lbs), departure was 1650 kgs (3638 lbs).)

I definitely needed more, so I went back for round 2.

For my second load, I used two buckets to load the car, rather than a shovel, and kept track of how many buckets worth  This way I could make sure I got at least as much as the first time, and more to get full use of my money.  This time, I loaded up 20 buckets worth.  Some of the buckets I dumped in from each rear passenger side; others I dumped in from the back.  These 20 buckets weighted in at 305 kgs (672 lbs), which cost $14.65 including tax.  (Arrival weight was 1410 kgs (3109 lbs), departure was 1650 kgs (3781 lbs).)  I was a bit nervous during the drive back about whether it might be too much for the car, but the car was fine, a bit sluggish but fine, and I avoided braking suddenly to avoid the compost dropping down behind my seat.

For my second UNload, it came to 19.5 buckets, but anyway, close enough.

The two batches, with a total of 33 buckets = 535 kgs (1179 lbs), was sufficient, and that's with keeping  5 buckets for the basement to use next year as a head start for sowing carrots and beets, and to mix in when plant the hardies while waiting to receive (or go and get) more compost.

It was a lot of work, but not bad, I left home at 6:30am and was finished sometime around noon, give or take.  Done for the year!

Bring:

[and go when there has been NO RAIN for at least several days to avoid paying for water]

- big tarp for bottom

- smaller tarp for top

- 2 buckets (I used these for my second load -- much better than a shovel bec I can keep track of how many buckets I've dumped into the car)

- clamp things to clamp the tarps together (I brought some but didn't bother using them)

- gloves (but of course I never bother)

- (shovel is optional as long as you have the buckets)

GA EXPERIMENT: Half the store-bought peppers transplanted today, with some 9-10 degree nights coming up

GA EXPERIMENT:  Transplanted half the store-bought peppers today, with some 9-10 degree nights coming up.  There are in bed 4A, to the west of one of the broccoli etc. beds.

The other half of the store-bought peppers, and most or potentially all of the seed-grown peppers, will go in next week after the last cool night.  (While at home, I bring them in if going below ~13 degrees at night.)

Let's see what difference there is, if any...

Oops, haven't been blogging everything re: GA & yard (oh well -- see paper notebook for notes)

GA: Planted all broccoli, cauliflower, chard, and kale

^^^

GA: Planted onion sets & buckwheat

Some of the onion sets are under cover, some aren't.

GA: Planted the rest of the potatoes

^^^

GA: Planted half the potatoes, and sowed carrots

First planting day today!  (Yesterday the staking happened but I didn't plant anything yesterday.)

The potatoes planted today are in bed 1B.  All are Superior, bought from Ritchie's, which I cut in half several days ago and left in the basement.  (Basement worked -- they look good, not all rotty like last year when I started with them upstairs in the hot big room.)  Gave each hole a sprinkle of mrp, az, alfalfa, and kelp, then placed the potato, then watered it, then filled the hole.  Then put leaves over top of all.  Then immediately covered with the good cover.

Carrots are all bolero.  First I sprinkled az, mrp, and kelp (no alfalfa).  Then I hand-dug those in while feeling for / breaking up clumps of soil.  Then watered it to find low spots.  Then spread leftover GA compost from last year.  Then watered again to find low spots.  Then sprinkled the seeds free-style.  Then spread more GA compost form last year to cover the seeds.  Then placed burlap.  Then watered over the burlap.  Here's hoping that this method will be a one and done!!!!   This bed, which is 3 feet by ~5 feet, used almost all one bucket of the last-year compost, and I really should have used it all bec the base layer wasn't thick enough as after I watered it I could see a lot of the original soil come through.

Started hardening most tenders (plunked them in shade by fence, leaving there all day bec nice and warm)

The only things not hardening yet are the basil and ground cherries, plus cukes and zukes which haven't sprouted yet.

Sliced the potatoes today

The only variety I bought this year (see previous post) is Superior, from Ritchie's.  

Also have a few fridge potatoes from last year's harvested that sprouted.

Today I cut them (Superior and fridge potatoes).  Placed them on cardboard/paper, in the basement.  Let's see if hopefully being in the basement from the get-go stops them from looking all rotty as they did last year.

I put the fridge potatoes in a separate area of the basement, and sliced them with a different knife than Superior, in case of any diseases.

Transplanted celeryx4 and parsleyx2 (yard)

One of the parsleys is probably dead but I put it in anyway just in case.

Potatoes bought: 12.3 pounds of Superior (plus will use some fridge potatoes, not sure what variety)

So yes, I bought only one type of potato this year:  Superior (from Ritchie's).  12.3 pounds worth, which cost a total of $21.39 including tax.

And I have ~10 potatoes in the fridge left over from last year that are great size and have started sprouting, so will use those too, whatever type they are (not sure which type).

Up-potted some broccoli and cauliflower, will uppot more in coming days

And this is another reason why I'll wait another 2 weeks next year for broc, to avoid the need to uppot...

Argh -- the dry beans from last fall have weevils!! (Only the GA ones I think)

Noticed today that several of the jars of beans saved from last year have weevils inside the jars!  And escape holes in some of the beans -- including weevils inside a jar that had only pods that I had carefully inspected that I didn't see any suspicious holes in.

This definitely has me inclined to NOT do dried beans from GA anymore, only from the yard where I don't seem to have had this issue (knock on wood).

Although I guess I could always leave the dried beans for a year, during which hopefully any critters would have emerged, then remove those and eat the remaining beans..... 

STEVIA ALL DYINGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!! and peppers not great either

WTF!!!! All of a sudden the stevia is dying!  I thought maybe I forgot to water for too long, but now I'm thinking no, maybe they were TOO wet, or have a disease.

This will be the first year that I will have ZERO of my own stevia seedlings.  I had SUCH a hard time getting any of the germinated seeds to take -- I thought at least I would have 5, then buy the rest.  Very disappointing.  

And, the previously-best-looking pepper plant seems to have succumbed to the same thing.  Most of the rest of the peppers are stagnant / not thriving and yellow but that seems to be a different issue.

Lettuce sowed directly outside, next to the a/c

 A scattering of romaine, ruby red, and black seeded simpson.

Still tons of fungus gnats in outside plants, see them when remove from big plastic tub; still a few indoor fungus gnats but not a ton

^^^

Started peas soaking in bowl; tomorrow will move them to paper towels

^^^

Started tomatoes, tomatillos, and ground cherries

(The tomatillos are a purple variety, my first time trying growing tomatillos.)

(The ground cherries are from the collected seeds from a plant that grew really well in patio stones.)

Basil round 2 started bec several of round 1s dried out due to not enough watering and being in vermiculite

^^^

Basil started

^^^

Hardies starting to harden off -- and they will live downstairs/outside full time

Finally the days are becoming mild enough to start hardening the hardies.

I'm not babying them much in terms of being the shade -- putting them out for as long as the day is mild enough.

Won't start them in sun until later and will definitely do the sun part gradually.

Fungus gnats are still VERY much a thing so I'm glad to have these downstairs / outside.  When they come inside at night I'm covering them to prevent the gnats from invading everywhere downstairs.

Zinnias started

 Random assortment of talls, and yellow shorts.

Fungus gnats GALORE continues

The dunks truly seem to have done NOTHING.

SOOOOO many flies in the yellow sticky traps.

Several newly emerged seedlings have gone kaput, I'm guessing some of which are related to the gnat babies.

Started round 2 of sweet peppers (low germination in round 1)

^^^

Started sweet peppers (California wonder and Hungarian Sweet)

Amidst the hoards of fungus gnats, the seed-starting must continue...

OMG THOUSANDS OF FUNGUS GNATS ARE BEING TRAPPED!!!! Have added 5 of the big yellow hanging traps

^^^

Fungus gnats round 2 -- they are back with a vengeance -- seems the mosquito dunks did zero!?!

As of a few days ago, the fungus gnats are back with a vengeance.  Put out new sticky traps and many have been caught.  I can't understand why -- obviously this is a new batch that hatched, but how did they survive the mosquito-dunk water?  (Which I'm still using -- never stopped.)

Anyway, will continue to use the dunk water and sticky traps.

Stevia: Started round 4 (looks like a total of only ~5 from previous rounds might make it)

(So my experiment with mixing in alfalfa/kelp with the vermiculite didn't seem to do the trick, as a bunch of those flopped too.)

Zero fungas gnats nowadays

Can't remember the last time I saw a fungus gnat.  The yellow sticky traps are still out, and I'm still watering with the original bucket of mosquito dunked water.

I'll finish up the bucket of the water (prob another week before that happens), then will go back to regular water and see what  happens.

Forget-me-not and coreopsis started

All from previously collected seeds.

Witch Stick peppers started

I can't figure out if these are sweet or hot... but anyway started them today.  Not doing any other hots, not even jalapenos which are just so unpredictible in their hotness.

Will start the true sweet peppers in a few weeks.

Stevia experiment... adding soaked kelp + alfalfa

The round 2 stevias that went into vermiculite on top of soil seem -- fingers crossed -- to maybe be taking (?).  But I'm still worried that their roots won't make it to the soil/nutrition in time given the depth of the vermiculite.  So, I added a few dabs on top of the vermiculite, close but not on top of the seedlinguettes, of pre-soaked mixed alfalfa and kelp.  

And, for today's round 3 stevias that have all popped, I put them likewise but with a mix of alfalfa/kelp underneath them before adding the topping of vermiculite.

We shall see...

Started celery R2, stevia R3, and kale (from 2024 saved seeds) and chard

^^^

Haven't seen fungus gnats when watering -- seems promising

^^^

Mosquito dunks arrived -- placed half of one into big blue bucket of water

I'll let it sit for 24 hours and then start using the water to water the plants, to help with the fungus gnat situation.

Seeing a lot less fungus gnats nowadays due to the sticky traps, but they're still around and who knows how many are growing in the soil.

Stevia woes, arghhhh ----- trying again

Stevia is so fricking hard to get started!!!!  Looks like only 1 of the ~9 that had germinated might actually be taking after having been moved from PT to soil -- I think all the other 8 are kaput.

So, today, the next round of seeds that popped in PT, today, instead of putting them into the soil mix, I put a layer of vermuculite on top of the soil mix, then carefully placed the popped seeds, then just a few pieces of vermiculite on top.  I'm not sure if they'll be able to grow fast enough to reach the soil/nutrients before going kaput, but, this is at least worth a try.  There's quite a bit of vermiculite underneath them to provide buffer re: fungus gnats -- might be too much distance for their roots to travel to nutrition but we'll see.

Yellow sticky traps definitely work for adult fungus gnats

Yellow sticky traps definitely work for adult fungus gnats -- quite a few flies are stuck to them, whereas the duct tape and clear tape didn't have any at all.

The apple cider liquid traps have a few but hardly any compared to the yellow sticky traps.

FUNGUS GNATS!!!!! -- Going on the attack

Oh no!!!  I've never had fungus gnats before, in all my many years of starting seeds indoors.  (Had thrips one year, that's it.)  But I'm pretty sure that's what these are.  Noticed them in the house even before the start of seedling season, so I'm pretty confident they didn't come from any of the materials (most of which are left over from last year).

I had seen the occasional fly here and there in the seedling room in recent weeks, but last night while watering I saw quite a few and decided to take my head out of the soil and do something about it.

So:

- Last night I watered the soil with a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water.

- Last night I set out two traps of apple cider vinegar with dish soap, but these haven't caught any yet.

- Today I put up yellow sticky traps (already caught two :( ).  (Last night I had put up clear packing tape and duct tape but those haven't caught any.)

- Today I ordered mosquito dunks -- they should hopefully arrive by Friday.

- As of today, all seeds that move from paper towels to soil are getting a layer of pure vermiculite on top, so that the top cm or two is just vermiculite, no soil.

Here's hoping this action plan will put an end to the gnat situation.  I'm eager to get those dunks but must wait until they arrive since neither Ritchie's nor Canadian Tire had any at this time of year.

Started broccoli (Belstar & Piracicaba), cauliflower (from clear baggie), & round 2 of stevia

 The stevia round 1 looks like some will hopefully take, but some not, so started round 2 to make sure I have enough.

Started stevia

^^^

Started Red Globe onions, and more leeks and more green onions

The New York Early onion germination was a bit spotty, didn't make efficient use of the big tray I put them in, so today I started, in paper towels, some new bulb onions which will go into the same tray to make use of the space.  I went with a new-to-me red onion (Red Globe) so that I'll be able to distinguish the varieties (since they'll all be jumbled together).

The leeks and green onions from round one also weren't as thick as I wanted, so started more of those.

Here we go! Started leeks and onions (New York Early, and random onion seeds collected in 2019 to use as green onions)

Used up all of the rest of the New York Early onion seeds.