April 21, 2009 - Update

Sunday was such a pretty day, I couldn't resist a trip to Barton Springs Nursery. While there, I just couldn't say no to several plants. They simply had to come home with me.

For the pepper bed:
Habaneros - 2
Jalapenos - 6
Mulato Pepper - 1. Not a very PC name, but the flavor description is intriguing
Cucumbers "Straight Eight" - 6.

I'm so glad I had to go grab the cucumber tag, those guys were looking pretty thirsty. Yes, I broke the you-buy-it-you-plant-it rule because Chuk asked me to buy everything above, except for the mulato pepper, which I thought sounded interesting. So I figure that stuff doesn't count because they're technically under Chuk's care. That's fair, right?

For the cinder block bed:
Swiss chard - 3, one of each color - red, yellow and cream colored ribs
Fennel
A purple ruffle basil, which is so pretty. I hope it can handle the heat.
Cilantro seeds - a big packet. for sowing in the extra pots you get when you put cinder blocks on their sides. I'll do that in 3 week intervals as recommended. I love cilantro, it's one of my most favorite smells and flavors. But I've grown it before, and it really can get overly pungent as it gets older and kind of gross. It would be neat to see if I can get coriander seeds though.

Ornamentals:
Mexican Hibiscus
Artemisia absinthium
orangey-red impatiens

Gifted to me:
Two pads from a GIANT prickly pear in a friend's yard, which I foolishly handled while a little tipsy, and couldn't for the life of me figure out where the tiny splinter in my finger came from later. I stuck them in pots of dirt until I can figure out what to do with them permanently.

Seeds:
Zinnias:
Cactus Flower - Giant Fantasy
Peppermint Stick

Sunflowers:
Flash Blend
Mammoth Russian

One of this weekend's projects is to uncover the bed we did two years ago that I never planted and shamefully let get overgrown with pernicious weeds. My Mom and a dear friend helped me get that corner somewhat under control. We weeded one bed and cardboarded and mulched it to staunch the horrible Johnson Grass. It's worked great so far, and the weeds that are coming up are having to work really hard which makes them easy pickings. The other bed that I let go fallow has been covered for over a month so I'm thinking with minimal work I can get the old grass out of there and the zinnia and sunflower seeds in.

But now that I look at those Mammoth Russian sunflowers, I might want to clear another place by the fence out to put those monsters! They'll get 6 to 10 feet tall! That would be so cool.