[FaithK]

About to post a video about my sweet potato harvest. I also did “nothing” to them, I think they got watered about 3x through our severe drought this summer. The weeds – almost all regrowing pasture-style grass – were super thick. I may run a stirrup hoe around them next year to let the vines move around a little and establish more roots without as much weed pressure, but once they’ve set a few new roots down, I’ll be back to “do nothing” again. I feel like the extra weeds around kept the surrounding soil moister and cooler.

[FaithK]

Looks great, Will!

[FaithK]

This may be too late to help, but… Movers are crazy expensive. They generally charge per pound. So that 20 lb box of canned goods is going to cost you $10-$15 to move, based on average costs with reputable companies. So you see why people tell you to sell stuff and rebuy when you get there. If you have a 50 lb dresser, especially one that’s not sentimental or valuable, it makes as much sense to sell it for $75 before you leave and just buy a new/used one at your destination, depending on distance.

What I’d do (we ended up not moving, but researched it super hard in the last couple of years) is pack it all up myself, and yes, get rid of stuff that will take up a ton of space and won’t be super expensive to replace. Sell that dresser because of the room it takes up, and find a thrift one with the money you saved, both on a smaller truck (or only 1 instead of two, that’s what I was working with) and less gas money. I wouldn’t get rid of preps, just like I refuse to give up our books – we have about 3500 between house and husband’s office. Anyway, what I ultimately decided on was to pack it all myself, declutter a LOT, sell what wasn’t sentimental or required (like, we have a ton of furniture that we’ve kept from the kids that they didn’t want (and my son passed away), but that we’ve kept for guest rooms, or just because there’s no need to get rid of it right now. Sell it, but don’t expect to get your money out of it. Some extended family have tons of garage sales, but charge out the butt for common items… and then stuff they could sell on ebay with a little effort they let go for hardly anything Ugh. That’s a different rant LOL

Damn, I can ramble. Anyway, yeah, our decision was to declutter, sell, package thriftfully (liquor store boxes here we come) and hire some folks locally to load the UHaul(s). If you get the kid of someone you know, they generally work hard and will take less money than a questionable business in many areas (not saying cheat them, I’m saying cut out the middle man, taxes they’d have to pay, etc.). Do the same for unloading. LABEL EVERYTHING WITH COLORS! This way the folks unpacking you know which room to move stuff, rather than leaving you a pile of boxes to sort through aimlessly. Also pack cheaply but effectively. Check craigslist or something else local for things you could use for the move – get some of those college kids to save their air packs from amazon purchases, cheap ziplocks filled with air, balloons, shredded paper from a local business, etc etc.

In the end, we would have paid about 20% doing this over a moving company, 10% of the cost or even less if they were to pack as well as load.

[FaithK]

I’m with you. Next year will be better! That indigo rose is lovely! Right now would also be a good time for taking suckers from your tomato plants and rooting them for a late season harvest on new, fresh plants. If your temps are 90+, that’ll decrease tomato flower production. Replanting the suckers will start new plants that will be ready to bloom as that horrible heat is breaking. Mine haven’t really grown because of drought, so while I still have hope that these will recover, I’m going to replant suckers from the strongest ones. For some fall ideas, if you look up your zip code at almanac.com, it will give you planting dates for things. It starts with spring planting, but there’s a second half for planting for late summer or fall harvests. In my area of zone 6B, it’s given me a lot more hope of things I hadn’t expected. And don’t forget to count backwards from your first spring frost date. Honestly I could plant watermelons right now and if we don’t get an early frost, I should get a late harvest of them. I’m also planting a lot of beans, which I don’t really eat, for nitrogen fixing in the soil.

Basically, don’t get too down about it! You are definitely not alone, and I’m starting to call it my garden depression – it’s too much, it’s not only not good enough, but not really worth a crap right now, and it makes me just want to throw my hands up. But every step, even if it’s little, is a step better for fall or next year.

[FaithK]

Don’t pumpkins have tendrils opposite the fruit? What a lovely mystery natural hybrid popping up! It looks so much like an 8-ball zucchini, but that vine though! Take one that seems like it’s zuke-ripe, and then let some go to winter-stage, and see what happens.

[FaithK]

Thanks for the heads up, because unless I found that in my research, I’d have totally looked for the non-flush.

[FaithK]

I really do need to get back into making bone broth. Making enough to drink daily is definitely a chore, and not cheap. But I don’t trust commercial brands and I live in very conventional farming community area. I need to suck it up and pick and option and get to it though! Thank you!

[FaithK]

Thank you so much for that reply! I’ll check them out, but I totally had never heard of the niacin thing before. I’ll definitely check them out and do some research!

[FaithK]

You don’t think it’s too late for that kind of stripping and burying? Arrgh, just need to suck it up and do it. This is my problem. Analysis paralysis. Thanks dude.

[FaithK]

Egg shells are great, but they need to break down, so they are best to add at the start of the season, or even better, the fall before. I do add coffee grounds to my beds in general. I can get about 20-30 pounds at a time from the Starbucks in town. Sometimes someone beats me to them that day (and I don’t go to town often) but I think other’s use of it is slowing down, while I’m still over here amending my soil, trying to make it workable .

[FaithK]

Yep, sprinkled and watered in about 1/4 cup of dried milk per plant this week.

[FaithK]

I added dry milk powder this weekend. Sadly I have no source of raw milk (oh man I miss it, soooo good). If I had a source again, I’d be all about making cheese and butter and cream for my coffee… then the rest could go in the garden.

[FaithK]

Thanks! I saved one today – though I picked and tossed a lot more with blossom end rot. It needs another day or two before hubby enjoys it, but I think it’s another black plum.

[FaithK]

Me too! That’s pretty much all that’s out there. But there a couple of teeny blossom end rots going orangeish red, one that rotted on the ground (oh I was so mad, it was the first one that fruited), and now this! YAY! I’m all those “teeny greenies” lol get with the program!

[FaithK]

Yeah I’m working on remediating right now. I didn’t label (oops) and it seems like some varieties are more susceptible than others. So it’s a patchwork of “is it or isn’t it”. It’s not like I have a handle on fixing it. lol