We’ve had warm (70’s) temps on/off for the last two weeks. It’s too early to start the garden, but the weeds are springing to life. I called yesterday to see if the mad dash to get mowers to the shop for their annual service had started yet & it looks like I’m going to get the very speedy zero-turn mower in just in time. It also just happens that I called right at the end of a “special” - free pickup & delivery with an annual service. The mower has a problem with the engine surging (probably a dirty carburetor/plugged valve) so it had to go to the shop anyway. In the meanwhile, I have “Little Buddy”, the riding mower (tractor style) - slow, but it will get the job done until I get the speedy one back.
This week, I received the book I ordered: “Straw Bale Gardening Complete” by Joel Karsten. It’s been fascinating reading & I plan on trying some of this type of gardening this year. My niece was visiting earlier today & I mentioned this to her - she was excited because a friend of hers does straw bale gardening with great success & was thinking about it for her own garden. She’s has no raised beds & would have to build/fill them before she could plant anything, but could start right away (after conditioning) with the straw bales. She could also put them anywhere she wanted to in the yard & unlike beds, the location can be changed next year if this year’s doesn’t work out.
This week, baby chicks come in to the farm supply/gardening store. My SIL will be getting some - her 3 hens (out of 6 originally) are getting old (4-5 years) and laying an egg only now and again. She’s asked me to go with her so that should be fun - baby chicks (and ducks) are always so cute.
Potential for severe weather later this afternoon with high winds probably being the worst of it - temps are dropping from this morning & the wind is picking up. All should be gone by 8 p.m. Next week should be seasonable - good time to start digging weeds out of the garden & hauling shavings for a new project I’ve got planned (walkways between the beds that can’t grass up). I also noticed lots of winter branch debris that needs to be picked up in the fields before I start mowing in earnest. It feels good to get out in the fresh air & sunshine again after winter has mostly passed us by.
Speaking of the chicks brings back memories. When I was a girl, we always got a couple of baby chicks for Easter. Raised them for a while, and then my grand parents would come and get them.
Then in the summer, I would go to the hen house on the grand parents farm and feed the chickens and collect eggs. They certainly were cute.