Posted on 04/01/2016 12:05:34 PM PDT by greeneyes
Our usual April Fool’s Day blizzard was a day late, and was mild enough I’m expecting an encore. But right now it’s sunny and warm again. I have the windows open.
Most of my seed orders have arrived. I’m waiting on the surveyor to finish marking out my boundaries, and then it’s time to test my tractor!!!
This year I’m hoping to grow enough flour corn to last us a few years. Then next year (or possibly even later this year) I’ll start expanding my supply of flint corn seed. I’d like to have 3 kinds of corn on a rotation. Flint, flour, and popping. We eat so little sweet corn that it’s not worth planting a patch just for that, although I’ve been known to snitch an ear now and then.
Money’s a little tight right now with the cost of the survey, so I’m glad I had my seed money set aside already. I may end up waiting on the strawberry patch. We’ll see.
Dad seems to have caught the gardening bug, he’s talking about tilling up most of the back yard and planting it full of veggies. On the one hand it would be great to have the tomatoes and cukes close enough to pick every day. On the other hand, I don’t trust this. He likes to wait until things are established and then dig them up or tear them apart. Then he wonders why his perennials don’t do well . . .
Oh well, there will be lots of tomatoes on my land this year. I may not be able to pick every day, but when I do, there should be bushels :)
Milkweed is one of those plants that takes care of itself pretty well. I’d say just plant them directly.
Given the way they spread, they probably prefer shallow planting.
I went all nostalgic and started them the way my grandmother used to start her seeds on the window sill, in egg shells.
[Photo for demo purposes only]
The herbs and strawberries wintered over nicely, I covered the jardinieres with black plastic last fall, and buried them against the shed under a blanket of pine needles.
I put them in the sun on Friday and wouldn't ya know the snow this morning! I wish I had covered them last night ...it'll be wait-n-see.
Nice!! Thanks for the pictures.
I did not know you had a green thumb - you are just full of surprises!
Hey, are you still teaching, or did you finally retire?
private reply coming your way
Mowed the grass, cleaned up the last bale butt from the horse pasture, planted another apple tree and a couple forsythia bushes for Mrs. Augie. I mulched those and added some more to a couple of the others that didn't get quite enough the first time. I hauled in three loader buckets of dirt to fix some low spots in the yard. Brought two loader buckets of gravel up from the pile and smoothed out a few rough spots in the driveway.
I noticed yesterday that my first planting of snap peas are starting to come up. The asparagus is just poking through the mulch that I threw on the bed last weekend. Most of the basils that I seeded are out of the potting soil in their starter cells. Still no sign of taters coming but it will be soon. The ones I saved back from last year were all sprouting, some of them already had close to two foot of vine.
I resisted the urge to beat the woods looking for mushrooms. I'm going to check my creek after work today, hit the Missouri River bottoms on Tuesday, and one of my good early spots in Callaway County on Wednesday. Weather guessers saying maybe some rain on Tuesday, which would be a good thing.
This little guy ran out from under the potting shed and hid in the garden fence while I was mowing, so I caught him and took him inside to say hi to Mrs. Augie. I set him loose back where he came from and noticed a little later that he'd been joined by one of his litter mates. I expect they got a good scolding from momma bunny for leaving the nest in broad daylight.
I clean out the hen house once a year whether it needs it or not. This is the best fertilizer ever. It goes straight to the garden.
This is the onion patch at Dad's place. We were busy replacing some torn up wiring on his big gooseneck trailer Saturday morning and I forgot to ask him if they make bulbs on top. Tider - I will attempt to get some of these dug up and headed your way this week.
Your garlic patch is rocking!
Had to water yesterday; a pain, as it meant taking jugs to the garden, then filling a watering can. 25 gallons later, it was easier to see the first pea & turnip sprouts barely poking through.
Mostly I use gallon milk jugs, or fruit juice bottles with the carry-handle, but I also have brought home several 5 gallon fryer-oil jugs from work. One sudsing, and several rinses later, they fit for water duty. Gets easier later, as once I’m certain the pump & valves won’t freeze, I can recombobulate & fill the 1,200 gallon irritation tank, then use hoses to water.
Also yesterday, the apricot buds were opening, and all three trees were alive with wild honey bees, and some bumblebees. Haven’t seen so many wild bees in several years. Also swatted the first yellowjacket of the year.
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