Birdfeeding
Jun. 2nd, 2021 06:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithToday is mild and gray.
I fed the birds. I've seen house finches and a squirrel.
The last of my plants have arrived, now two and a half fucking months late. The ones from Spring Hill are at least packed decently and all look alive. The stuff from Exciting Gardens is mostly packed bare, some of it not even bagged separately, dried out, and probably half it already dead. Very little from either batch has much chance of survival being planted at the wrong time and condition. >_< Even trying to find places to put 10 privets, originally meant for patches gaps in hedges, will be difficult given that the area is now hip to chest deep in full-grown grass. This is why tree and shrub seedlings are supposed to be planted dormant in mid-March to mid-April, as soon as the ground becomes workable, so the shovel will actually go in and they get a head start on other things growing in the vicinity.
EDIT 6/2/21 -- I cleared 3 spaces for privets along the west edge of the savanna. For comparison, both the tall grass and the other privets are in full bloom, the latter singing with bees.
EDIT 6/2/21 -- I cleared 3 more spaces for privets.
I fed the birds. I've seen house finches and a squirrel.
The last of my plants have arrived, now two and a half fucking months late. The ones from Spring Hill are at least packed decently and all look alive. The stuff from Exciting Gardens is mostly packed bare, some of it not even bagged separately, dried out, and probably half it already dead. Very little from either batch has much chance of survival being planted at the wrong time and condition. >_< Even trying to find places to put 10 privets, originally meant for patches gaps in hedges, will be difficult given that the area is now hip to chest deep in full-grown grass. This is why tree and shrub seedlings are supposed to be planted dormant in mid-March to mid-April, as soon as the ground becomes workable, so the shovel will actually go in and they get a head start on other things growing in the vicinity.
EDIT 6/2/21 -- I cleared 3 spaces for privets along the west edge of the savanna. For comparison, both the tall grass and the other privets are in full bloom, the latter singing with bees.
EDIT 6/2/21 -- I cleared 3 more spaces for privets.
What to do?
Date: 2021-06-03 04:37 am (UTC)Re: What to do?
Date: 2021-06-03 05:04 am (UTC)Probably not. It's supposed to be possible, but usually more trouble than it's worth -- especially since most of them haven't finished dying. Some of them are in poor shape, some okay, some actually look great; but all of them will suffer from being put out at this time of year.
>> How long was shipping SUPPOSED to take? <<
Around here, time for planting dormant things (tree or shrub seedlings, some roots) is mid-March to mid-April, that is as soon as the ground can be worked in spring and before things start leafing out. At that time the soil is soft enough to dig easily, and grass is dormant or barely growing so the roots can be cut through and don't compete much. Dig a hole now, and the grass will swarm right back over it. >_< Also I've seen a shovel fucking bounce off fully active grass roots.
Planting time for some roots and live plants is mid-April to mid-May. Some things need warmer soil in order to do well.
Another serious limitation is rain and water table. We used to get reliable, heavy spring and fall rains. Now we don't. It has rained off and on, well enough to grow things well this year. But that much rain isn't going to last much longer. It tapers off in June, then July and August tend to be quite dry. That means anything planted in late May or later has a hard time coping with the dry soil and requires a lot of extra water. Which I have to carry by hand.
>> Clearly, the companies didn't do their jobs (communicating any problems with items being out of stock or delayed so that you could choose other plants or simply not throw money down a dry well.<<
None of them did a decent job this year, even ones I have previously found pleasing. I will probably still buy from Oikos Tree Crops and Spring Hill, since they carry things that nobody else does. At least Spring Hill packed theirs in pots with cardboard boxes and plastic to protect them, healthy for now. Exciting Gardens is on my shitlist. I'll look for a different generic nursery next year. But I don't think that will fix the problem. I think it's a combination of post office fuckups (of which this is not even the most egregious example) and other factors.
What they should have done was shut off orders when they realized there were serious problems. They know goddamn well when things are supposed to be shipped and planted for each area. If they can't make that, or close to it, they shouldn't be selling. Even if the plants arrive alive, it undermines the survival rate, and makes more work for the gardeners.
Next year, I'll look more at buying seeds. Those seem to be working well. Roots I can probably also buy; even if they arrive late, at least I can usually get them in the ground. Seedlings, if they're late I'm screwed. Two weeks can make the difference between "Whee!" and "Enh" while four weeks is "Oh great" and 10 weeks is "fuck me sideways." >_< So I may be less inclined to buy those next year. Which sucks, because that's stuff I can't get otherwise.
Other people's incompetence exasperates me, and it's not one thing or one place. It's pervasive. It's the norm. Anything I can't do myself, or get done by an extremely short list of competent people, is unlikely to get done right, or sometimes at all. And I can't do everyone's job for them. Not being able to order perishable things reliably through the mail is a serious problem.
Some of the stuff I already planted is growing like mad, though. The new sunchokes? The tallest of those buggers are knee-high. \o/ I think I have more coming up from last year than I actually saw blooming then -- there may have been sleepers. I'm a good way toward establishing an actual food patch toward the east end of the prairie garden.
We also have the bag of big bluestem seed to plant, which has to be planted in June, so that means picking a part of the prairie garden to mow down and sow. I still have some tallgrass wildflower seeds reserved for that. Last time it did nothing the whole first summer and we thought it was a bust. But in spring the grass grew, and looked like regular grass ... then suddenly it was knee-high and bluish, and the turkey feet opened in late summer. :D Sneaky little things. We figured it was worth planting another patch since the first one took.
Re: What to do?
Date: 2021-06-03 05:22 am (UTC)Me, I messed up my back-- horribly-- by...
sitting
on
the
floor.
Seriously, the last four or six inch drop when my balance went wonky has caused me so much pain that I can't stand straight, and this is day three of it.
Digging a hole for a SEED would be too much to ask right now, so I'm even more impressed by your accomplishments!
Re: What to do?
Date: 2021-06-03 10:40 pm (UTC)Thank you for reminding me. I get frustrated because I can only work for 10-15 minutes at a time instead of all day, and forget some folks can do far less.
>> Me, I messed up my back <<
Alas! :(
Re: What to do?
Date: 2021-06-03 07:18 pm (UTC)If they respond by trying to fix it...well, points to them I guess.
Also, re: seeds: most of them would store for a year if they were to arrive late, wouldn't they?
Re: What to do?
Date: 2021-06-03 07:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-06-03 11:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-06-03 08:03 pm (UTC)That equates to 256 hours nonstop, or roughly 32 days of 8hr walking one way.
If you assume walking back as well, that's a bit over 2 months, if nothing goes wrong.
Adding half-again of the time for detours or other problems would make it about 3 months for a round trip, so beginning of December ro end of February fits.
...of course, this doesn't factor in needed to work for food, supplies, or shelter in which case it would take longer. (Also discounting the risks of arrest or abduction.)