Notes for March 29, 2009

The weather fore-casted for this weekend said that nothing outside was going to get accomplished. But instead, life interrupted and I got done very little. On Saturday it was damp, dreary, dismal and drizzly. But at least I did get some seed starting soil mix in hopes to get some seeds started today (Sunday). I would have got more done but I spent most of the day getting a car exhaust repaired.

Sunday morning I did a bunch of things before church so maximize my time at the seed starting bench but life interrupted again and instead, all I got done was some household weekly chores. I will try again each night this week to get my tomatoes and peppers started. And to top it off, the afternoon was beautiful. The sun is out, its in the 60's and muggy. Thunderstorms are expected this evening. So in preparation, I did set out my rain gauge and so my blog will keep track of it.

My onions haven't sprouted yet, but we did get some light rain this week. the daffodils in the yard are in full bloom and there is a nice line along the back fence.

Notes for March 4, 2009

Well I haven't made my seed order yet and I am feeling guilty. It doesn't help when you get 10" of snow either. I was hoping to clear the leaves off the daffodils soon.

Notes for February 24, 2009

I haven't made my seed orders yet but I think I am close to finalizing what I am going to order.

We haven't had a warm day since my last entry and I have been itching to get out in the yard. Especially since I noticed some daffodils near the house breaking ground. So that reminded me that I have daffodils in the backyard that I transplanted two years ago all along my back fence. Well all those daffs are buried under leaves that have blown in so I would really like to get those leaves mulched and into my compost piles (not to mention all my other perennial flower beds along the fences are buried too).

I broke down and bought some squirrel baffles. I have two suet feeders that the squirrels have been at this year. They haven't bothered them in years past but this year I think there were more squireels wintering around my yard. I have been averaging six when in years past I have seen mostly three. I bought the kind of baffle that hangs above the feeder and so far so good.

I have been looking around the stores recently looking for onion sets. I plant them as soon as I can in March. Every place either doesn't carry them or the doesn't have them in yet. I will also probably get a 30 pound bag of bone meal as well to add it to the soil when I turn it under in the onion patch and the rest of the veggie garden.

I think I might prepare my veggie garden a little different this year. In years past I have run the mower over the leaves that have fallen in the garden over the winter. I am still going to do that but this year I think I will bag them and place them back. I think last year I noticed that alot of what I mowed/mulched just blew out of the garden and into the grass. So I think I will bag it then dump it in the grass and mow it over again to get it finer and then dump/spread it in the veggie garden along with some additional leaves from the compost pile and then till it under mixing in some bone meal and wood ashes (from a relatives wood burning stove).

Notes for May 8, 2008

It's raining this morning and that's good. We never really got the "April Showers" so we are a bit dryer than we should be at this time of year. Hopefully we'll get the one to two inches forecasted for tomorrow.

My Iris are starting to bloom as well as some of the columbine I planted this year. I got a clump of Joe Pye Weed from some one and split it up into four pieces. Two of those pieces have sprouted. I bought two Yarrow plants and they have started to grow.

My tomato and pepper plants that I started indoors under the lights are looking great and I am going to move them outside soon and hopefully have them planted before Memorial Day. I figured out the secret quite by accident last year. The grow light must be as close as possible to the seedlings or they grow long and spindly and its ok for the light to touch the plants.

The daffodils I transplanted along my fence lines last year did look great this spring when the were in bloom. The stalks are still there, I haven't mowed them down yet. When they start to die off I will cut them down. I planted this years Easter flower bulbs each with a couple of teaspoons of bulb tone and hopefully they will respond by lasting longer. I have been giving my holly trees some Holly Tone in the spring and fall and the smallest looks most appreciative.

The grass seed I put down in February looks nice but looks like its needs some rain to survive. The grass seed I put down at the end of March is struggling (lack of "April showers").

Notes for March 25, 2008

Yesterday I did notice some of the grass seed I put down in February is starting to sprout. But not nearly as much as I hoped.

The male goldfinches are starting to get their summer (bright) plumage. The bluebirds are a daily visitor at the moment.

I started some seeds indoors over the weekend: tomatoes, peppers and several perennials.

The daffodils are in full bloom and the forsythia are starting to bloom.

Notes for March 12, 2008

It's getting closer! My daffodils alongside my house have started to bloom. The ones out in the yard are up but have not bloomed yet.

I've sent out my seed and plant orders this week and I should start my indoor seeds next week.

I am hoping for a relatively warm day this weekend and I will get my onion bed ready. Unfortunately it looks to be another wet weekend and then colder.

Notes for February 27, 2008

Yes its been over a month... so here goes...

We've had thunderstorms THREE times this winter which is unusual. I think I have only seen about one every other winter.

Earlier this month I stopped by my local garden center to get my supply of vegetable seeds (radish, spinach and green beans). They get them in in February and that's the time to go, otherwise the selection is gone when you want to plant. I also bought two bags of onion sets and hope to get them in the ground next month. To go with them I bought four 40 pound bags of composted cow manure. I have planted onions with the bags of composted manure and had fairly good results. This year will be second year I have this onion bed, so it still needs lots of organic matter and manure. I still have several five gallon buckets of horse manure and I may mix one of them in the onion bed and save the rest for the flower beds I never finished last year. I also bought a 25 pound bag of bone meal to add to my larger veggie garden. I will add the bone meal right before I make the second pass with the tiller when I till the garden. I have also asked my aunt and uncle to save the ashes from their wood burning stove for me to also add to my veggie garden.

I plan to purchase and plant the following perennials this year: Bee Balm, Sedum, Yarrow, Butterfly Weed, Daylillies, Iris, Hardy Geraniums, Columbine, Spiderwort (Trinity plant?), Joe Pye Weed, Lobelia, painted Daisies and Hosta.

The Daffodils are coming up already as they do every year. They are up about two inches. I transplanted numerous daffodils last year and they are going to look nice. I lined my back fence. I planted in three rows in a diamond pattern. I will try to get a picture when they bloom.

A week ago Monday it was Presidents day and I had off. By the afternoon it was 60 degrees F. Unheard of for February. So I did some work outside. I mulched up all the leaves that had piled up in the spots where the winds collects them. I ran over them a few times with the mower and then bagged them with the mower, making a nice fine mulch. Then I spread some grass seed in some bare spots (after raking the spots to loosen the soil). I bought about 25 pounds total of several different blends. I think I have a three pound bag left. Since I put down the seed, we've had precipitation about every three days, which is great for grass seed in the winter. The first dousing was just as I was finished spreading the seed and thinking of gathering up the branches in the yard that the winter winds had blown down. So the branches are still out there.

On Friday the kids were home from school due to snow and forecasted changing over to freezing rain. I also stayed home from work just to stay out of the mess. On Friday and Saturday we were visited on the suet feeders by Bluebirds. There was nothing special about the suet blocks. They were just the cheap ones that you can buy anywhere which I put up to attract the woodpeckers and nuthatches.

I am still going to order a bunch of other vegetable seeds and start them under the grow lights next month. I hope to have the order out next week. Mainly the varieties of Tomatoes and Peppers I want and want to try.

Can't wait to get out there again!