May #21.1: Supplemental property

Ah yes! My favorite month is here. Last year, May was an exceptional disappointment, and my hopes for this one are high! And I would love to say that the drought is gone, but after a brief episode of rain, yes, a singular event, we are back in the desert.

At least the soil test confirmed what I hoped for. The soil tested at 6.8 pH, which is perfect for peppers and cucumbers.

But skipping right to the end of the month would be… cucumbersome. Let's look at the first half of May.

the restructure

For the past few years, my shed's facade was due for renovation. You know the drill: there is always a reason you can't just do stuff like this. It's a tiny improvement, mostly for the look and feel. The shed itself isn't in great condition, and since I now live very close by, the long-term plan has shifted from fixing the shed to just maintenance mode. I eventually want to replace it with a greenhouse, which will be more functional for my purposes, with a small patio next to it for chill activities. But until then, I want it to look somewhat good. At least in the pictures with tomatoes.

In this very archival photo from last year, you can see the wooden surface totally busted by water and sun. And while its purpose is mostly decorative, because there is more stuff underneath, there is some practicality to it as well. Over the years, all the rain slowly chipped and bent the surface enough to expose some polystyrene insulation, which eventually led to the weakening of said polystyrene. But it also just looked bad. So it's time for renovation!

I bought some oak veneer and a bucket of synthetic oil lazure. I am well aware that the veneer is not the best choice, but it's cheap, covers a large area, and can be drenched in lazure. On the other hand, it's prone to warping and soaking up every drop of water you throw at it. But both can be managed, mostly by filling every hole possible with lazure. Because in the end, water is not my concern, it's UV radiation.

On the old facade, the weak spot was always the boards at the bottom. Those catch and hold all the water. I have no experience with this, but I decided to glue a drip trim over these boards to direct water away from the wall.

the potato tomato

Potatoes, tomatoes, does it matter? Oh yes, it does. Both are in the Solanaceae family, and both are already in my garden. The weather was kind enough that I could move tomatoes to the greenhouse together with my peppers. For acclimatization.

This year, I went overboard with peppers yet again. I still have the "great pepper fiasco" in my living memory, and I don't plan to repeat it this year.

The pH is optimal, I have multiple locations planned, and I have so many seedlings that even hydroponics is in play.

There is literally so much wiggle room and so many observation points that there is no way I am going to fuck up… as badly as last year. I have faith!

But I was talking about tomatoes and potatoes earlier, I just wanted to rant the pepper plan out loud because I am a totally sane person. But I promise, we are going to talk about potatoes now.

As you can see, they sprang back from the late April frost. We went actually quite quickly from "almost freezing" to "it's time for a summer storm" degrees Celsius. I had to install the hail net to protect them because they are very mature for this time of year. Heck, some of my friends with actual tractors haven't seen a sprouted potato yet this year. Not sure if that's a good sign or a bad sign. But it plays in my favor because it means more potatoes this year! For me, not for them.

the "you make your own bed"

The days of the "early greenhouse run" are almost numbered as the day of the great transplantation is coming. But until then, I have to take care of other beds. A little prematurely, I decided to put beets in the bed.

Let's say I should have waited a week or two, judging by the sad look they give. However, what really makes me feel good is the garlic bed.

And unless some stinky parasite is eating them from underneath, this might be a good harvest. But the shape of the carrots is getting funnier every day. It's like a progress bar or a comparison chart showing the different stages of the carrot.

I am a bit pessimistic about whether they will ever catch up, or whether I will have to plan my sowing pattern more carefully around this phenomenon in my bed.

the financial advice

And to finish this piece, which is already pretty late, but don't worry, I won't promise anything this time, let's look at some of my recent investments.

The cherry trees from last year, the ones with literally zero fruit this year, are at least pushing out a hefty amount of greens.

I am not sure whether I want to keep them in a column shape, because it could be fun and interesting to train some branches outwards and downwards. It's their second year in the garden, and some training and cutting is on the schedule right now, but I haven't decided yet. One of them is more vigorous than the other; maybe I will torture the bigger one for showing off.

The currant plants are a very different story. They are both doing their thing, but in what I could call "a weird way." The one that looks healthier and just greener lacks fruit. There is some, but it's abysmal compared to the other one. But the other one looks like it's about to get seriously sick. It doesn't show anything yet, but I have this feeling. Like the kind of feeling you get when you see a dog driving a car. The conditions are ideal for an aphid infestation, and aphids are known to spread some nasty diseases to perennial plants. Just ask my old currant shrubs.

But what absolutely shocked me was not only seeing flowers on my new apple trees, considering that most of my trees have decided this is a great year to produce nothing, literally, but also seeing bees actually pollinating them. We went from "I hope they won't die in ten seconds" to "wow, what a nice and productive tree this year" in no time. And yes, I say this just to roast all the other apple trees for slacking off this year.

I promise nothing, as I said, but I am already writing the other half of May right now, and there will actually be a third part as well. It won't take two weeks to publish. Again, not promising, but it's going to be packed. More construction is coming, which is partially why this is out so late, but I wanted some projects and stuff done by the end of May. I am not sorry; this is not an apology, it's more like a teaser for the rest of the month. And here is a picture of one speedy boy I am friends with. Because I have been leaving the garden very late recently, and I always meet him looking for food around 9 pm.