Greg’s Truckload volume 16

Hello truckers, It looks like we are entering roller-coaster season. That is a scientific term used by meteorologists to describe the weather when it goes from glorious to not fun to ok to horrendous and back to better than bad, all in a week’s forecast. The horrendous seems extra horrendous after having a glorious day. That’s where the saying “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute” came from. I am always willing to appreciate these brief moments of splendid weather whenever Mother Nature provides them. It’s a reminder that winter does not last forever, and spring will be here soon enough. With that being said, how are your gardens looking? Mine are a wreck. Last fall, I thought it was cute that the turnips seeded and grew everywhere by the hundreds, even in the pathways. Then they froze and thawed and froze again. Now they are mush. This will be fun to clean up. I don’t know why the deer didn’t eat them, but they didn’t. Roller coaster season does have its place on lovely days when you can get out and observe, clean a bit, and save some for another day. Then, when ugly weather comes in, you could start some cool weather seeds such as kale and spinach.

Also, browse catalogs and plan the warm-season gardens. Ponder what went well last year and what didn’t. What went well? What went wrong? Maybe bugs, maybe disease. Water management? I’ll compare these questions with the previous year’s calendar, as I marked the calendar on the first day I noticed squash bugs or potato beetles. I noted that June was relatively dry, and I did not adequately set up my irrigation. Many answers to these questions can be answered by looking into the past. The calendar has always been my go-to for documenting these events, but I am willing to bet there is a better way with all these smart gadgets, apps, and stuff. Maybe digital notes? I would love to hear your methods, especially from you “techies” out there.

How do you acquire your garden plants? Garden center? Start the seeds yourself? I usually do a little of both. Starting seeds is highly economical, but the garden center provides more control over variety. For instance, it’s hard to justify starting from seed if I want 10 tomato plants and 2 each of 5 varieties. For this reason, I want to organize a plant swap. I’ll start my seeds and have extras as usual. I expect you will do the same. I usually stick the extras in the ground here and there and everywhere. I’ll find a location that will allow us to gather and trade up those extras—it will be the Truckload’s first annual garden plant swap. The time and location will be announced soon. I will also do another plant swap in the fall. This swap will be geared towards tropicals and houseplants. Many of these grow too big and can be broken down. Does your spider plant need to be thinned out and plant the cuttings? Does the mother-in-law’s tongue need to be divided? How about cacti or plumeria? This will be an opportunity to add variety and declutter your collection. ‘Til next time, use your trucker powers and think spring. Thanks for reading, and if you think someone you know might enjoy reading the Truckload, please forward this to them.

P.S. These are the catalogs I’ve ordered from in the past and had success.

Indiana Berry Company

Stark Brothers

Baker Creek

Migardener

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