I'm unsure whether to bother with growing just a small crop of poppies this year. I'll just do a few in some big tubs, rather than have single plants in their own tubs aswell, if I do go ahead this year.
Although I have what should be seeds for the very best strains, for some reason they just did not do the business when I tried growing and consuming some of them a couple of years ago. They certainly bled a lot of raw opium though.
The neighbours that face my rear yard and sunny south facing window, must have seen me engrossed in my hobby of germinating the seedlings on that window, the last time I grew them, 2 years ago.
The daughter of the house actually came round to knock on my door. I didn't answer to find out what she wanted, she was probably just being nosy. Or maybe she was going to tell me that they knew exactly what I was doing. I'm really not sure.
And the weed smoking neighbours next door were the first ones to 100% certainly with no shadow of a doubt, know exactly what I was doing. They weren't quiet about their comments and observations.
No one called the cops, or at least I never got a visit. The weed smokers certainly would't have done, what with being weed smokers and all.
Growing poppies is not illegal anyway, but if the highly churchy puritanical neighbour that I have on the other side, or any of her many visitors ever notice and figure it out, the whole street will probably know, as she knows everyone and doesn't half gossip and rabbit on about everyone's business.
Plus my mother is visiting this summer, possibly just at the time all the poppys might be right at the podding stage.
Also I have an online source for really good and strong pods anyway, and just getting them mailed over is altogether much more discrete and low key.
I just enjoy the process of growing them though, but I get very obsessive about getting everything exactly right.
It's a huge drain on my time. Time I could spend doing other things. I dunno, I may still just try a few, but try not to fuss and faff too much, and see what comes of it.
If I start them in those humidity controlled seedling trays on my south facing sunny window sill, the seeds will germinate within a few days, and be ready for transplanting outdoors within a couple of weeks.
(I've just treated all of the soil and pots in my back yard with anti-slug nematodes, which will very effectively eliminate nearly all slugs for a few months, and stop my other non narcotic plants being devoured. The nematodes certainly work, so having already bought and applied them for other reasons, is certainly one quite big factor that adds a plus to the reasons to try again this year. Slugs love devouring young fresh poppy saplings, the bastards!)
I'm a little late, but there is still enough time for the poppys to reach maturity just around the time of the maximum sunlight of the summer solstice. If i get on it, like tomorrow. If I can be arsed.
Edit: I've just remembered that you're advised to keep the seeds in the fridge for at least 2 weeks before sowing them. Presumably because it makes them 'think' they've just come out of winter and it's now spring or something. Christ there must be a better way of wording that, but I cba right now.
Anyway, I would have to do that, or risk many of the seeds failing to germinate. And that delay will make me very late starting. I do have a fast growing strain, they seem to grow and mature twice as quick as standard poppies, but they were the ones that didn't seem to "work" when I tried them in poppy teas, a couple of years ago.
I know It's not a big deal if I do or don't, but I'm just thinking out loud really. Maybe there'll be more comments or suggestions, some people may even be interested in my inane wafflings.
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![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
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