My job gave me a fifteen dollar gift card to Amazon for my birthday last month. Of course, I used it to buy plants. I ended up getting four camellia sinensis green tea plants from Fam plants. Tea plants can grow well in zone 7b. Before ordering, I looked at the product photos. They looked pretty big in the pictures, about the size of a Solo cup each. They arrived early on Friday, instead of Monday as expected. They sat in my mailbox all weekend and I got them on Monday. They were tiny, about the size of my thumb each. However, they are in good condition considering they spent a few days in a mailbox. The directions suggest waiting to plant them in the ground, but I am a rule breaker. They should be planted in spring or fall. So, I need to plant them Saturday or I will be caring for them in pots in my apartment until fall. There is so much to do at the farm on Saturday. I need to take care of the clover and lush grass first. Then, I’ll plant as many of my seedlings on the sunny hill as I can. Most of my seedlings are in good shape and ready to be planted now. We will still have a few nights in the 40s but hopefully my little plants can handle it. There was a short freeze for a few hours in central Oklahoma last Sunday. I hope that there wasn’t too much damage done to my plants. I will alternate the peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos. I will plant the onions, herbs, and flowers under and around the peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos. I still need to build trellises for the blackberries and grapes. My boyfriend will plant the pawpaw trees and the lantana near each other. The pawpaw trees are growing well on the balcony. The tea plants need acidic soil so I need to amend the clay soil before planting them. I have been very busy again this week and I am so excited to have a day off on Saturday to go to the farm. It is my favorite season to photograph. I started photography because I wanted to learn to take my own reference photos for my art. I think it has become an additional hobby as I enjoy it a lot. I think I can get a lot of nice photos on Saturday, if I can stop working long enough to take them.
Lisa Ledbetter 