More than ready.
There’s 9-10”m of snow on tap for Wed and Thurs.
Hopefully, the lettuce can go in once that melts.
I started some celery and more lavender today. The lavender I started last month, only two came up.
More than ready.
There’s 9-10”m of snow on tap for Wed and Thurs.
Hopefully, the lettuce can go in once that melts.
I started some celery and more lavender today. The lavender I started last month, only two came up.
Happy April, everybody from here in southern New Hampshire!
I have three of the four raised half-barrel planters for our greenhouse completed and in place. I will be finishing the fourth this morning. They will give the Boss (Barb) some nice planting space and add some thermal mass storage at the same time. I have to drill the drainage holes in them, yet. I have lengths of plastic gutter under each barrel, slanting to the rear, where I will have long gutters to catch the water and flow it to a catch basin. I got the idea from several Youtube videos.
Thursday will be my 77th birthday and Mom Nature has a special gift for me…10-15” of snow! Glad I haven’t disconnected the snow thrower from my John Deere 318!
We've had heavy rain here for the past few days, which is great - because our dry season will kick in soon and we won't have rain again until probably November.
I have my own super bloom of California poppies in my backyard now:
And, I wanted to cut back this out-of-control geranium - but it is covered in bees and I don't want to disturb them:
I also have seven stalks of orchids blooming - for the first time in a decade (since I learned how to take care of them properly).
My helpers are glad Spring has arrived:
CLICK ON EITHER PICTURE!
) 
) I’m thinking about getting a small greenhouse. Never used one before. Do these need a heater inside to keep the plants warm in this weather? Live in SE Wisconsin and I would still expect a few frosts between now and June. It can get down in the teens sometimes. Any thoughts?
Ever wondered how long you can save your seeds and have them still be viable? We've created this chart to help you determine the longevity of your seeds. Proper seed storage conditions are cool and dark. The moisture content within the seed greatly affects germination rates. Seeds should be stored in their original packaging in a cool (below 50 degrees Fahrenheit), dark place where their moisture content will stay relatively stable. Here at High Mowing we keep our seed cooler at around 45 degrees Fahrenheit with less than 40% humidity.
| Seed Type | Longevity Under Proper Seed Storage Conditions |
| Artichokes | 5 years |
| Arugula | 3 years |
| Beans | 3 years |
| Beets | 4 years |
| Broccoli | 3 years |
| Brussels Sprouts | 4 years |
| Cabbage | 4 years |
| Carrots | 3 years |
| Cauliflower | 4 years |
| Celery/Celeriac | 5 years |
| Chard | 4 years |
| Collards | 5 years |
| Corn | 2 years |
| Cress | 5 years |
| Cucumbers | 5 years |
| Eggplant | 4 years |
| Endive/Escarole | 5 years |
| Fennel | 4 years |
| Kale | 4 years |
| Kohlrabi | 4 years |
| Leeks | 1 year |
| Lettuce | 5 years |
| Melons | 5 years |
| Mustard | 4 years |
| Okra | 2 years |
| Onions | 1 year |
| Peas | 3 years |
| Peppers | 2 years |
| Pumpkins | 4 years |
| Radish | 5 years |
| Rutabagas | 4 years |
| Spinach | 2-3 years |
| Summer Squash | 4 years |
| Tomatoes | 4 years |
| Turnips | 5 years |
| Watermelon | 4 years |
| Winter Squash | 4 years |
bkmk
The grass has been mowed and several more dead trees have been chopped down, cut up into smaller pieces, and shoved off into the sippy hole. This one was a whopper and I'm happy to be rid of it.
Main tasks for this week are to put down on paper how I'm going to lay out the beds in the new garden and to set the posts that will support the new hoop house. I hooked the post hole digger up to Mr. Clarence yesterday but with all of the chainsaw time I decided to give my bones a couple days to recover before I start setting fence posts.
That and it's time to get serious about looking for morels.
Ping
Good morning. I would love to be pinged to this list . Thank you.
Finding my garden at 83 the quiet place....
and my 33yr old adopted daughter has taken a liking for it also..
We’re in east TN and know nothing about gardening. Looking at sweet daphne (daphne odor) as something to plant here and there around the house.
Will it be good in our area?
I read that it is poisonous to people and animals, so worry about all the deer we have in the area. Maybe deer aren’t attracted to this plant ...? Does anybody know?
Big things going on at The Crab Shack (a/k/a my place) in the past 2 weeks.
1. My blueberry bushes, which I’ve had in their containers since buying them 3 years ago and which have never done anything but put forth a couple of leaves, now have blossoms! Quite a few of them, too.
2. Several of the blossoms have dropped off already, revealing what looks for all the world like a tiny, tiny little blueberry, smaller than a BB right now.
My Sis is the green thumb in the family, and has always told me that blueberries and hydrangeas need to have something called an “acidifier” added every once in a while. Glad I listened to her for a change, and bought a bag. :-)
Don’t forget everyone Monday is a new moon and an optimal day for planting - especially with the eclipse.
I recently read that Roundup’s effectiveness is much decreased if it is mixed with “hard” well water.
My own usage tends to support the idea. My Mom was on fairly “soft” municipal water and when I’d spray Roundup on her brick sidewalks and patio, out back around the large trees in her “pine row”, etc., I found it very effective, even when stored after mixing for months.
At my place we are on rather hard (but still good tasting) well water. Here, it seems like the Roundup concentration needs to be doubled for results similar to at Mom’s, and mixed Roundup seems to lose it’s punch sooner.
Does anyone here have experience with this?
Am I better off mixing with distilled water, municipal water, or perhaps rain water? (I can collect plenty of rain water easily.)
On another note, due to a death in the family and last fall getting whacked by what may have been RSV or Covid, I didn’t get most of my garden area well mulched last fall, and now it has lots of weeds and wild strawberry coming up. The wild mustard are really going to town too. I’ve never used Roundup IN the garden. Spray, collect seed heads as weeds die (esp. the wild mustard, but dandelions are few), and wait a week after spraying B4 turning soil and then planting?
Anyone know if yew cuttings are especially hard to get to develop roots? I have some that are still green, but are beginning to die. Most died months ago. I’ve tried 2 different rooting hormones. No dice at all, after over 6 months... Online info has been no help. :-(