Weekly report from ‘Abandon All Hope’ Farm:
Got the mowing done yesterday - most GORGEOUS day we’ve had so far this spring. No reptiles or mammals were hurt in the process. :)
Speaking of mammals - our Taylor (Treeing Walker Coon hound) is expressing milk, so she should be birthin’ those pups of hers sometime this week. She is due May 8th. Mom is predicting seven; I am predicting 101 Dalmatians. I have NEVER seen a dog so pregnant - and I have midwifed a lot of pregnant females!
This week’s project is some back-ho work. Beau just left to pick it up from the machine rental place. He is digging out the north side of the barn foundation for some much-needed repairs. A new cement wall will be poured there, as he did in another part of the barn. The foundation is weak in some parts - they did a terrible job of rebuilding this barn in the 1960’s after it had burned to the ground. :( It sure is a PLEASURE having lights in there, though!
The chicks are all still with us and thriving - putting out more feathers every day. Six Barred Rock and six Buff Orpington. Beau asks them for fresh eggs every day, but so far - nothing! ;)
The greenhouse is packed! I re-potted all of the tomatoes, so they are taking up the most room. I had a few ‘failure to sprout’ on the Dahlia tubers, but I’ll still have plenty. Each will be upwards of 4 feet tall and filled with blooms. Can’t wait!
All of the fruit trees are pretty much done blooming, except for the Peach - she really exhausted herself last season, so I am not expecting much from her this season. She is leafing out nicely, and Beau did a nice job pruning her up after she broke off a few limbs last season, so heavy with fruit. The Cherries (North Star) are what I’m excited for! Both of them bloomed profusely, so fingers crossed for a good cherry crop this season.
Just general chores, today. Going on a Grocery Run and will stop at the Garden Center and see what’s up. With Mother’s Day this coming weekend, they should be fully stocked.
Have a Good Day, Everyone!
New take on oregano.
The best two options.
1) Don’t.
2) If you do, USE A CONTAINER.
I had some in my asparagus bed. Found out I had female asparagus plants, which don’t produce well but do provide lots of berries, which asparagus beetles like to over winter on. Since the point of the asparagus is to eat it, they are going.
I also had planted some oregano in that bed and I can not believe how it has spread! So I decided to dig it up. I think we need the backhoe. I have NEVER seen such a dense mass of roots in my life. I can hardly get the shovel in to get them up.
The female asparagus is not much easier to dig up. If you plant either of them, plan on them being there for a long time.
I am replacing the female plants with some new crowns that are male and supposed to be very heavy producers. They will stay.
Question(s) for you ....
We have a beautiful, large slate patio at the new house, surrounded by a rock wall which is a really good look. Mom has some very large pots, at least 4, that all match & would look nice on the patio.
My issue is that the darn pots are so heavy! I am going to get pot caddies so I can move them easily around the patio, but I am also wondering if the pots can be partially filled with ‘light’ material ... pine cones, packing peanuts, etc. I have seen this ‘tip’ in various places & I think I used pine cones (we have an endless supply) in the two huge pots on either side of our current steps (mom doesn’t remember if we did or not).
How much dirt should be in the pots if partially filled with something other than dirt - 12”? 18”? By “dirt”, I mean something like potting soil & I know they make a lighter soil for pots so they aren’t so heavy. Mom has regular dirt in the pots now (from our brush pile in back) that I need to dump - it’s heavy & compacts easily. I have used the brush pile dirt in my raised beds (but not the herb garden expansion bed) & heavily amended it with compost to lighten it up. The beds that have been there for a couple of years have great dirt now (that I want to take with me). I was thinking the raised bed dirt might be good in the pots, too.
The patio is pretty much full sun so we were thinking monarda and I have 3 lavender plants I intend to transplant/take with me. Some of the lavender will go in the raised beds.
My brother stopped by this week and wanted some herbs to take home - he picked a handful of rosemary, sage, couple of thyme sprigs & oregano out of my garden. He has quite a few raised beds & just ended up with another one after re-doing his back deck. He already has SO much (veggies) in his raised beds that I told him to plant the new one with herbs ... he won’t regret it. He’s got a green thumb - he’d end up with a gorgeous herb bed.