My Garden's In...But I'm Heading Out

Travel Plans Necessitate Automation...


I'm pleased to report that I managed to sneak out into the garden between rain showers and get the balance of my vegetable/herb seedlings into the dirt yesterday afternoon.

It wasn't pretty, but when it was all said and done I had Mint, Cilantro, Dill, Basil, Fennel, Parsley, and Sage in the Herb Garden area and Sweet Texas Onions, Radish, Okra, Pole Beans, two kinds of Cucumbers, Watermelon and Squash in the main garden along with Colored Bell, Banana and Cayenne Peppers.

All that in addition to three kinds of Tomatoes and Tomatillos in two other separate beds against the back of the house...surrounded with carrot seeds which are now sprouting around the base of the bigger plants to keep the weeds down in theory.

With any luck I'm planting a few other herbs from seeds and I have some GIANT Pumpkin seeds (bartered for in exchange for a cow while climbing a beanstalk I think)to toss out in a few perimeter areas and some other miscellaneous stuff I may sprinkle around and let it fend for itself over the season.

Besides getting most of the chicken anti-rabbit wire stapled up into place around the perimeter, the most important improvement was the installation of a digital timer supplying an area sprinkler and two sections of soaker hose which will allow us to hopefully complete the extensive travel schedule we have planned over the next six weeks...the upcoming long weekend in South Carolina, a week in Alabama around Mother's Day, Florida possibly thrown in for good measure, and a half a week in Kansas City celebrating Pat's Granddaughter's High School Graduation in late May...without everything drying up and turning to dust in the heat.

I don't mind asking the neighbors to pick up the mail and newspaper and occasionally sprinkle a little water on the house plants, but handling watering the garden is a chore best left to family and life long friends, thus the need for the automation.

As usual I'm sure the water system will continue to grow and evolve over the next few weeks and seasons, but the current experimental evolution will just have to do for now.

Time will tell I guess.