Do try to make it all the way to the end (there's a little marching band number for you if you do) ... seriously!
A little sassy glass art amidst some greenery in Buckminster Fuller's geodesic greenhouse dome at the
MoBot (Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis) quite impressive as it's the oldest continuous operating garden in the Country!
Attending the Biennial Foundation Conferences in Art Theory & Education causes some disruption to my gardening since it takes priority for a few weeks every two years for well over a decade now. I did though manage to get a little garden outing in on Saturday which was an unseasonably beautiful sunny weekend right at the end of all the lectures. We left Sunday and it was 90F (not that Saturday was quite that hot).
The view we had reserved overlooking the Arch from our room at the Ballpark Hilton (yes we made it just on time for the St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day Ceremonies and quickly I found out those were not red chickens that had descended on the City but I digress ... forget the red chickens ... forget the cardinals ... notice the hazy image of the crane reflected in the windows of the building across from us - pneumonic drills preparing the new rooftop bar scheduled to open this Summer woke us up at 8 am on the dot the first two mornings ... imagine what that's going to be like around 8 pm in the evenings come Summer ... when we complained ... our view changed). If you look really close you can see my flash bulb going off on the 14th floor in the reflection of the building on the building across from us - yes - that's my story & I'm sticking to it.
FATE, March and April seeding and seedling care has now become so integrated into my life that I almost forget to blog. In late February, I planted early tomatoes, peppers and eggplants that are now thriving under 16 hours of florescent spectrum lights in the South-facing window. I have my fingers crossed that they can wait it out just one more week while I finish grading these last vestiges of final students drawings blocking my drawing tables at the studio. Some have two in a pot that’s really too small now for just one. Won’t they be thrilled to be up to their necks in their own pots and more mushroom compost!
Here are a few with their little noses just up above the soil line.
... and again a few days later
Here's a list of what's in the inventory for this Summer
1 one big one small Black Beauty 1 BLACK BEAUTY 1GAw
2 one big two small Lipstick Sweet 1 LIPSTICK SWEET 2GAw
3 one big one small Lipstick Sweet 1 LIPSTICK SWEET 1GAw
4 one big Micro Tom 1 MICRO TOM
5 two med Mini Chocolate 2 Mini Chocolates
6 three med Slim Jim 3 Slim Jims
7 four med Slim Jim 3 Slim Jims 1GAw
8 two med Tiny Tims 2 Tiny Tims
9 two med Chinese 5 Colour 2 Chinese 5-Colour
10 two med Buran Sweet 2 Buran
11 three med Poivron Gourmet 3 Poivron Gourmet
12 one big Sweet Chocolate 1 SWEET CHOCOLATE
13 three med Rosa Bianca 3 Rosa Biancas
14 three med Black Beauty 3 Black Beautys
15 one med Early Jalapeno 1 Early Jalapeno
16 two med Poivron Gourmet 2GAw
17 three med Rosa Bianca 3 Rosa Biancas
18 one Buran Sweet 1 Buran Sweet
19 two med one small whipper snapper 2 Whippersnappers 1GAw
20 two med Mini Chocolate 2 Mini Chocolates
21 one med Sweet Chocolate 1 SWEET CHOCOLATE
22 one Early Jalapeno 1 EARLY JALAPENO
INDEX (Roof Top) 2011
5 BIG PEPPERS 13 Med Peppers
1 BIG DET. TOM 4 Med Det. Toms
1 BIG EGGPLANT 15 Med Eggplant
8 Give Aways
Hmmm - I don’t have as many early determinate tomato miniatures as I thought I would have (they got lost in the middle of the tray during all the shuffles) … though if the Whippersnappers are anything like last year, I will have enough with just the two plants. I normally like to give these away but it doesn’t look like it this year (unless I can get the little guy to do something amazing during the next few weeks. I’ll give these three my full attention from hereonin and not wait until next week)! Priorities. Good thing I took time to do this check up.
WOAH – I just located 3 big Whippers in one pot. I’ll have to pot these up ASAP!
TOMATOES (under lights)
2 Nepal (1 sprout)
2 Black from Tula
3 Hill Billys
2 Super Marminders
2 Sweet Peas (1 sprout)
2 Principe Borghese (1 sprout)
--
2 Canestrino #1’s
3 Red Robins
--
2 Quadlinburgers
2 Tims Black Ruffle
--
2 Black Cherry
3 San Marzano
2 Blanche du Quebec
2 Sweet Peas
1 Bloody Butcher
--
1 Chianti Rose
1 Bibor
1 Rose Quartz Multiflora
½” Ivory Cherries
1 yellow ruffled
--
2 Giant Yellow Tomatilloes
3 San Marzanoes
1 Savignac
2 Principe Borghese
2 Sophies Choice
1 Black Krim?
-- 48 Tomatoes
PLUS
16 small tomatoes (See 16
1
SanMarzano SanMarzano SanMarzano
GreenPurpleTomatillo GreenPurpleTomatillo GreenPurpleTomatillo
And
2
Mini Blanchem Blue P20 Cream Sausage
Bali Sweet Orange Black SeaMan
PLUS
13 tiny seedlings just up 16 April 13
77 TOTAL Toms (17 April 2011)
HIT IT!AND
5 more popped up 18 April
and
another two on 19 April
... there's a lot more just breaking soil today that should be up and out by tomorrow keeping me on my toes before heading out with folios & folios of drawings for the 2nd last day of school Wednesday ... and here I was thinking I had NOTHING for this year's garden when there are over 77 toms up and doing relatively alright by the middle of April!
The basils are just breaking the surface today too. As are the cauliflours, broccolini's, kales and onions ... I am a little behind this year but we'll see how the Season goes. Next year will be another story. I'll just be returning from Spring in Paris in June and having to fly by the seat of my pants to find plants to start plopping in the plot the very second my feet touch the ground. [This is not me compaining].
