Progress

So, I managed to finish almost all of the garden today!! All that is left is to plant the hibiscus seeds that Paul--from Hwy 92 coc--gave me on Sunday a.m. and three other plants. I have the seed packets somewhere in my room; however, everything I own is stacked and piled in there and I haven't had time to unpack it. I have NO CLUE where my seed packets are. When I find them--hopefully no later than bedtime Saturday--I will endeavor to plant them ASAP.
What I DID do today was this:
-re-potted the new mint, sage, and Rosemary that I bought Saturday.
-de-legged (dunno what else to call it) the Polka Dot plant I bought Saturday. Basically, what that means is that I cut the five long stems of the polka dot plant at roughly the same low point on their stems. The purpose of this action is to allow the plant to become more bushy. So, I cut the original Polka Dot plant at about 6 inches from the dirt. When new branches start growing from those cut spots, they'll grow more sideways--kinda--allowing the plant to grow more sideways; thus allowing it to be more bushy (like a bush) than leggy (think that model Twiggy--tall and think with no shape or curves or anything).
When I finished that particular part of the task, I got two larger pots, filled them with dirt and began a process which could be considered monotonous. I took each of the cut stems. At each section where new leaves were growing, I cut the plant at the seam. I stripped the leaves from the bottom of the old seam and stuck them in the dirt of one of the aforementioned pots. Basically, I did this same thing--over and over again--until each of the originally cut, leggy stems was "planted" into the bigger pots. After some regular watering, those cut "parts" of the Polka Dot plant will grow up and become big Polka Dot Plants. I will then have to do the same process over and over again until each little plant is sufficiently bushy. Y'all, I wouldn't be surprised if Polka Dot Plants were something you should expect as a gift from me--sometime in your future. I have this terrible feeling that those green leaves with Fuchsia dots which grabbed my attention at Betty's Blooms in Silsbee may become pervasive, omnipresent, ubiquitous--EVERYWHERE in my garden sometime soon.
After all the re-potting was done, Pop went to get his wheelbarrow and we hauled all the plants I've bought and grown in the last two months to the garden area. They'll stay contained plants, but I wanted them to get sun on a regular basis. They've been on the carport since their "births" and probably aren't as fabulous as they could be because of it. Who knows what I'll have in a week? They'll be getting direct morning sun, dappled afternoon sun, and direct evening sun. Should be okay, I hope. I did notice that the two transplanted fuschia bloomed today--LOVELY blooms--but they were a bit wilty looking. Hmmmmmmmm. I wonder if the dappled afternoon sun doesn't provide them enough direct sunlight. Those things sure do like their sun I'm told. In Jamaica, they climb all the walls and fences along the highway and are always large and beautiful and right, directly in the Jamaican sun. I'll wait, I suppose to transplant them again. I don't want to subject them to another shock of transplantation so soon after the original one.
I know that I said this next statement in an indirect and subtle way earlier, but I'll restate boldly: I DROVE A WHEELBARROW TODAY. YAY! I know it may seem very dorky of me to be excited about that fact. However, I will make two more statements of importance:
A) Yes, I am a dork; however, I like myself, so it is all good. Bring on the dorkiness, and
B) I really think the key to staying young and alive and healthy is finding joy and fulfillment and happiness in the little things, like--say--driving a wheelbarrow full of plants which YOU helped make, yeah? I say "GO DRIVE THAT WHEELBARROW, Y'ALL!!!" ;-)

Okay, I also planted the tomato seedlings in the hanging basket. Originally, I planted all of them in the hanging basket. As I re-read the directions (have no clue why I did that) I noticed that each section of the hanging basket (top and bottom) was really only supposed to have three or four seedlings. so, I took all of them out, laid them carefully on the dirt and then proceeded to pack up that hanging basket properly with only a few seedlings in each section. Aftewards, I planted all the remaining tomato seedlings in my actual garden. Ya know, the part I dug grass out of with a post hole digger? They were the VERY FIRST plants I planted in my real-in-the-ground-garden. YAY! I'm still driving a wheelbarrow! I also transplanted my green onions and seeded my cucumbers and summer squash. I know it may be too late for everything, but I look at this endeavor as practice or experience or whatever. At the very least, it is FUN!

So, now, excepting the seed packets hidden in my room, my garden is DONE! Yay! Now all I need to do is show it a little TLC and we'll see what happens.

As I get pictures processed (or eventually get a phone with a camera) I'll post pictures I've taken of this process. I hope y'all are enjoying it as much as I am.

Love,
Loralee Fabulous ;-P

P.S. I went to the Ace Hardware right here in beautiful downtown Buna to see if they had something for me to mark the rows. The nice lady in the garden department gave me 12 paint stir sticks just for marking the rows. How cool is she? So, now my vegetable rows are marked--with permanent black marker--by partly submerged paint stirrers sticks!