u/Ocicat_momma

My dahlias are just starting to bloom!

I built this cedar raised bed garden (my own design) and shed a few years ago, but city critters kept eating my vegetables. So bad that I could have bought huge quantities of organic vegetables, put them on silver platters and it would have been cheaper than growing vegetables. Bunnies, groundhogs, deers, and whoever they invited to dinner.

Now I grow dahlias, but I’ll have to expand next year as I split the tubers.

I am making 2 temperature quilts. One for 2026 and one for the year I was born (pre1960).

Due to bad planning, for each I will be doing Jan-Jun on one side and Jul - Dec on the other.

Inset circles for first half of the year. Outside is low temp, inside is high. End of months is a rectangle in a square representing the month average. Bottom right long rectangle is avg lo for Jan-Jun.

I did these two years to see if there was a visible difference in temps. (Spoiler: there is!)

Randomized (w a spreadsheet script) Drunkard’s Path for second half.

Pictures:

1st: 2026 Jan-Jul. Avg lo/hi 39/57°F

2nd: pre60 Jan-Jul. Avg lo/hi 32/47°F

That’s a BIG difference in averages!

3rd: Jul ‘26 through 7/17

4th: Jul pre60 through 7/17

These pots are 100% props. I only started with succulents about 4 years ago, then learned to just throw the bits on the dirt and they would grow. Boy have they! I have more, but haven’t taken pics yet.

The one crawling along the rock was my friend’s mother’s.