The completed hose reel

Today I had a little time to do some more work on the hose reel.  I had finished painting the vertical support over the weekend so I measured and cut curves into the front face.  It's more attractive now and should allow for smoother wrapping of the hose than if I hadn't cut it down.  Lastly, I sanded down the freshly-cut pieces.  It's all about the aesthetics.

All I need now are a few warm days so the ground can thaw enough that I can sink the reel into the garden.  Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that'll be immediately forthcoming judging by the weather forecasts.

Tomatoes, Basil, Petunias, Bell Peppers are up

It's been two weeks since I started my tomato, pepper, basil, and petunia seeds.  The tomatoes are thriving (borderline needing transplanting), basil is doing very well, petunias are slowly growing, and the peppers finally seem to be awakening from seed-slumber. 

The peppers that have sprouted are of the Carolina Wonder (bell) variety.  I did a little careful poking around in the started Cayenne areas and have found that a few have started sprouting, barely.  I expected the pepper germination to be slower than the basil and tomatoes based on my experience last year, but didn't expect one variety of pepper to get started slower than its brethren.  Something to monitor.

Peppers

Basil

Tomatoes

Petunias

Continuing work on the hose reel

The hose reel progresses.  It's an easy project.  I finished the bulk of the construction of the reel today.  I also started paint application to the vertical support.

I may cut curves on the outside edges, but for now it's squared off.  I also plan to apply a water sealant to the entire thing once the weather stays warm enough for that.

Beginnings of the hose reel

Construction of the hose reel began today.  As far as projects go, it's a pretty simple one and shouldn't take long at all.  It would be a little simpler if I went and bought the hanging portion, but since I'm trying to salvage materials and enjoy working with wood I'm building everything from scratch.  The difference in cost between 28" worth of 2"x2" stock and a 1"x10" board vs a plain hose reel isn't much.  My way of doing it is slightly cheaper, but it's essentially a wash either way.  My way is more fun, though!

Today, I cut the vertical support, sanded it down, and marked it for painting.  I also cut, sanded, and mounted the backstop to the support.  I also cut the four crosspieces which will support the hose.

I'll mount those and the front piece to the rest of the assembly and paint the bottom the next time I get the time to do some more work.  Other than sinking it into the ground, it'll be finished.

Learning about plants - Petunias

Petunias are flowers.  That's the extent of my pre-research knowledge.  I've just never paid much attention to flowers.  I'm generally more interest in practical things.  I'm coming to realize that, thanks to companion planting, the pretty can also be quite practical.

As a Companion Plant
After doing a fair amount of reading, I'm coming to learn how handy petunias are.  They repel leafhoppers, the asparagus beetle, tomato worms, cabbage worms, Mexican bean beetles, and some varieties of aphids.  It's that note about being a deterrent to Mexican bean beetles that has piqued my interest.  After the scorched earth campaign they waged against my beans last year, I have my hopes up.  Multiple articles make mention of using petunia leaves in homemade a bug spray, as well.

In addition to the anti-insect benefits to planting petunias in the garden, some plants gain other benefits when petunias are in residence.  Tomatoes, beans, basil, corn, peppers, brassicas, and grapes all are said to thrive.

Aaaaaaand there's more (wow, I feel like I'm selling for an infomercial): petunias also attract a number of beneficial insects to your garden.  The scent from petunias attracts bees, butterflies, and moths. 

Growing Petunias
It's recommended to start petunias from seed indoors (or purchase transplants from a store).  Due to the incredibly small size of their seed, they get lightly dusted on top of damp seed-starting medium.  Cover them with a clear plastic top in a warm (70+ degrees) room and allow them to get some indirect sunlight.  Once they germinate allow them to grow a little, then remove the top.  Transplant as you would other plants.  Grow under a fluorescent fish tank/plant light setup until you're ready to take outdoors for hardening and eventual transplant outdoors.

It's recommended that petunias be planted at least 1' apart.  Once they grow beyond 4" tall and wide, they're prime candidates for deadheading.  As dead flowers are removed, new growth is encouraged and your petunias will thrive as a result (provided adequate sunlight, watering, etc).

Another source for inexpensive materials

My wife was reading a local newspaper and saw an advertisement that a new Habitat for Humanity Restore is coming to Columbia, MD.  Given that's where our garden plot is, that'll be convenient to find more reasonably-priced reclaimed building materials.  While I love The Forklift, there are a few downsides to it:

• It's closed on Mondays.
• Hardware (screws, nuts, bolts, etc) often comes in undesirable sizes or is rusty.
• Going to The Forklift requires a bit more planning for travel times.  It's a lot farther away from the house than the plot.

I'll still frequent The Forklift, but it'll be nice to have an alternative source when I'm starting from home.

Baby steps in project progress

I made some progress on a few projects today.  Nothing incredibly tangible, but a fair amount of prep work.

I made a trip to The Forklift during my lunch break today to buy some supplies.  I picked up some conduit and a few brackets for the watermelon trellis as well as some wood for an elevated hose reel I'll be constructing.  I plan to sink the reel next to the bench inside the gate.

After work, I painted the bottoms of the two tall vertical pieces for the trellis and touched up the paint on the short ones.