Jessamine Gardens: Work and the Garden

I like to think that I have a pretty good work/life balance. Well, most days I have a pretty good balance. And then there are the weeks where work completely takes over, where I leave before the sun comes up and return after it goes down and keel over into bed. Some of those days, I even get to see my son for a few minutes. And many praises to my husband for picking up the slack...even if it does mean that the two of them eat PB&Js and chicken nuggets for dinner several nights in a row. The last couple of weeks have been like that. Most of what I have been able to do in the garden involves checking to make sure that nothing has caused any major damage and putting off minor stuff until I had time to deal with it. And then there's potty training to go along with it. Enough excuses. I'm writing now. But other than a case of chlorosis in the Three Sisters bed, and ants in one of my potato containers, things seem to be going pretty well.

Chlorosis is a yellowing of the plant caused by a nitrogen deficiency. An application of balanced fertilizer seems to be taking care of that and the plants are greening up again.

See? We just needed more nitrogen!

I also have been starting sweet potato slips. Easiest science project ever. Buy an organic sweet potato, stick some toothpicks in it. Stick that in a jar filled with water. Place in a sunny, warm location. And tahdah! Sweet potato slips. Then go plant those in an 18" deep container and wait.