Notes for April 28, 2010

I emptied 1.5" from the rain gauge yesterday.   Last night I did the annual tune up of the lawn mower (if you could call it a tune up).  I changed the blade, the air filter and the spark plug.   Then I thinned the spinach and thinned the radishes a second time.   Then I started digging up the free lancing marigolds and cosmos in my veggie garden for later trans planting.    I plan on cutting the grass tonight.   Satuday I am planning to start some annual seeds, plant a row of beans and start sunflowers and cukes in peat pots.

Notes for April 12, 2010

Friday I emptied 0.5" from the rain gauge.   Saturday morning I made a trip to a local garden center and purchased two small bags of bulb tone and a small bag of holly tone. When I got home, the first thing I did was to pick up the piles of branches that I reaked up earlier this week.  Then I mulched the onions since the stems were on average about 5" long.  Then I planted the Easter tulips and hyacinths and the two azaleas, mixing in the fertilizers and a healthy handful of ground up leaves.  After planting, I actually had to cut the grass in the back yard or as I like to say, I lowered the weeds.   My radishes have germinated nicely and will have to be thinned one night this week.  The spinach has also started to sprout.  Indoors the tomatoes have started to sprout.

Noted for April 8, 2010

Well, on a night that felt more like August than April with the sound of peepers instead of crickets, I raked my back yard last night of the branches/sticks that fell throughout the winter.  Now I have about 15 to 20 little piles of debris all over the yard to pick up the next time I get to the yard (probably Saturday).  I needed to get them raked because my backyard will probably need mowing by Saturday.   The plan on Saturday will be to pick up the piles of debris, and plant the Easter flowers we picked up (tulips and hyacinths) and the two azaleas I bought to decorate the church.  Then depending on the time and how much energy I have left I am thinking of mowing the back yard.  After the yards first mowing I usually change the mower blade and air filter and spark plug to be set for cutting grass for the rest of the summer.  The first mowing always mulches up any debris left in the yard which I think is better with an old blade.

Notes for April 7, 2010

Last night I watered my veggies.  My onions are now 4" to 5" tall and the radishes I planted on Saturday have started to sprout.  Its been warm the last few days and is expected to be in the 80's again today and tomorrow.   After I finished watering I came in the house and started some more seeds on the windowsill (under my grow lights).  Now alongside the tomatoes and peppers are some perennials.  I started Johnny Jump Ups, Yarrow, Painted Daisies, James Kelway daisy and some Butterfly Plants.  They are all in peat pots in aluminum baking trays.  The peppers are also sitting on a heating mat.

Notes for April 6, 2010

Yes I am delinquent in writing...   Friday, Good Friday I took off from work.  I picked up some wood ashes from an aunt and uncles house (ok it was three five gallon buckets).  And I stopped at the gas station and refilled the gas can from the shed.  When I got home I ran the mower over the leaves that had fallen in the veggie garden until it was a fine mulch.  Then I put down a fine layer of bone meal, covered it with a healthy layer of wood ashes and then covered that with a layer of finely mulched leaves (from the finely mulched leaf pile from behind the shed).  Then I rototilled the garden in one direction then the other.   On Saturday, another beautiful day, I first planted radish and spinach and I am trying a row of lettuce too.  After planting I finally got the ladder out and took down the outdoor Christmas lights that had been waiting for a warm sunny day to be taken down.  Next I cleaned out the fallen leaves from the flower beds in the front yard, used the leaf blower to blow them into the grass and then mulched all the leaves remaining in the front yard, picking them up with the bagging mower.   On Sunday, yes Easter Sunday, when I probably should have been taking a nap, I started my tomato and pepper seeds indoors (about two weeks late this year).  This year I am using peat pots to reduce plant damage during transplant.  I also bought the cheap aluminum baking pans to put the peat pots in to keep them from falling over and to keep any excess moisture contained.