• They/Them

A real "we've got a nephew" of graphic design and illustration, mental illness held at bay by a very nice vegetable garden and cats.

Lapsed printmaker, you should ask me about it and I'll be very weird


Portfolio:
glitchprismatic.com
BlueSky
sanguinarynovel.bsky.social
Ko-Fi
ko-fi.com/sanguinarynovel

posts from @SanguinaryNovel tagged #gardening

also:

Went through the garden this weekend and picked almost all of the remaining produce, including: a boatload of sage (there are six other bundles you don't see), all of the tomatoes from the season, a variety of peppers, the rest of the lima beans, zucchini, and some sunflower heads for seeds. The only thing left is another bush of pablano? that I'm hoping turn red, and the scorpion peppers. Oh, and my carrots - I learned my lesson last year @sedge

Plants that did well this year: Cucumbers, peppers, green beans, sweet peas, luffa, and basil.

Plants that did poorly: Tomatoes, peppers, lima beans, cantaloupe, and potatoes. And my brussel sprouts (fuck you Chumbo Jr)

Lessons Learned:

  • Find a better process for hardening off seedlings. They struggled mightily, and many died.
  • Damn trellises are the way to go. This year my trellises were mostly 2x2" boards, eyehooks, string, and a prayer, but they still worked so well. Even with all of the rain, I didn't start seeing hints of mildew until the very end. The cucumbers did so well! Next year they need to be more sturdy, as the wood bowed under pressure and the elements. Especially with the green beans, they'll take all the surface they can get.
  • Luffa plants are grabby little jail breakers. I have to send my neighbor a note because I didn't notice they grew on a branch into their yard.
  • Potato bags sorta work, but I think the lack of worms or other life to break up the soil make it hard for the plant to develop bigger or more potatoes. Maybe a rich mix of coco noir? Or maybe they just have to be kicked and watered far more?
  • A fence doesn't mean you're totally safe. They'll still eat your zucchini, all of your brussel sprouts, AND MY PRIZE CANTALOUPE YOU JERKS.
  • Tomatoes need support and they are NOT fucking around. I was dealing with other shit and just kept putting it off, which I really think stunted their growth. They produced tomatoes, but none of them ripened.
  • You have to treat that horrible plant fungus fast, or it'll fuck up everything in the yard. It started with the cherry tree and killed the whole crop, then hit the lilacs. I don't know if it got to my cucumbers or age did them in.
  • When your roommates say they'll help they actually won't. You can get them to help with big projects, but the daily care is up to you
  • It can't be every other day, it has to be every day. Not for long, but it has to be every day.
  • Sunflowers need some support or like a net or something to keep them up. They look great though, and the pollinators LOVE them. A fall snack for bumblers.
  • And finally, even if you can't give your garden all that it needs, it'll still give back to you. Especially if you get very lucky with rainfall.

I'll be planting again next year for sure, if I'm still here :3