Notes For Sunday July 26, 2009

Yesterday the family schedule allowed me to work in the yard and I was able to take advantage of it and still catch up to the family. And at bedtime I was feeling it.

First, I picked two gallons of green beans. I probably should have picked last week because I realized I really need to spread the planting from three weeks apart to four weeks apart. The row of Lima Beans I planted last week is sprouting now. Then I tied and trimmed the tomato plants. I found two cherry tomatoes that were ripe. Actually they were more like a grape tomato. This year I am trying Juliet (an elongated grape tomato) because I was tired of losing so many cherry tomatoes because they have a tendency to split. And of course they never made it out of the garden and I ate them right there. They aren't as sweet or as juicy as a cherry tomato but they were surprisingly very meaty and very good. I also picked 6 cukes.

Then I finally finished mulching my flower beds and transplanted a few marigolds and cosmos left. I still would like to mulch the front of the house and will probably will do that next.

After mulching, I cut the grass. With the dry weather we've had, I grass didn't need cutting. While cutting the grass I avoided running over a toad. This must have father or mother toad. He was a good size one.

Notes for June 11, 2009

I got a little bit of time last night after dinner and knocked out a few chores and parts of others.

First I transplanted a yellow marigold that was freelancing on the outside of the veggie garden and transplanted it to inside the fence. Then I planted three of the cosmos that I started back on May 13Th. Only three of them were big enough. It was then that I noticed that almost all of the mixed cosmos I started back on May 30Th had been dug up and the roots eaten by some critter. So I replanted some cosmos seeds in seed starting six packs. I guess I'm really going to try to plant my annuals earlier so that they are of a good size by now and maybe not interesting enough for food for whatever critter. I also noticed that the two remaining sunflowers had also been eaten. Hopefully whatever critter will leave them alone after the seeds I planted this past weekend germinate. But if they get eaten, there will be no sunflowers this year.

Next I did some mulching in the veggie garden. The one (smaller) compost pile is nearly gone but I still have one and a half left. I still have a bunch to mulch but I would say that the veggie garden is more than half mulched. I am waiting for some of my marigolds get bigger to transplant so I can plant them in between my tomatoes and peppers and then I will mulch those tomatoes and peppers. In any case I did mulch all of my cukes and one double row of tomatoes (I planted marigolds among them from the freelancing marigolds I transplanted). The second row of green beans will be ready to mulch soon.

Then I cleaned out the dead stems and leaves from my five large pots of chives. I have two kinds of chives, regular and garlic. The regular chives are rounded and the garlic chives are more flat or oval. Now there is a small pile of leaves and stems that will get mulched by the mower (probably on Sunday).

As I reclined on the patio after working in the yard, I did notice that my yellow Stella D'Oro daylilly is in bloom. The rest of my common orange daylillys are are about to explode in the next few weeks.

I also noticed that all the leaves on my beautiful Columbine (see pictures June 4, 2009) have been eaten. They are nothing now but stems and dead flowers. this is so disheartening. I started these Columbine from seed last year and was so glad how they survived the winter and how beautifully they exploded in bloom this year. I was so proud and thought I got to start more from seed next year. Now I'm not so sure.

I have been in this home since the fall of 2000 and its hard finding what works and what doesn't. What will survive the winter and what isn't food for my local wildlife. So far I can really only say Iris and Tiger Lillies. the tiger Lillies I am told they are a favorite of deer. Thank goodness I don't have a problem with them. Last fall I was wondering where I was going to plant any new perennials, every flowere bed was full. this Spring I noticed I had lost a bunch of stuff either to the cold (we had negative temperatures one weekend) or to be being buried in leaves that i couldn't get to until mid Spring. I lost a whole bed of dianthus and gloriosa daisies and several spots of Iris and Daylillies. I lost a Bleeding heart and several hardy Geraniums. My Spiderworts and Yarrow are severely diminished. Several but not all of my large Sedums are down to one stem which were a nice bunch. I wish I had started some new perennial from seed this year but I still have to experiment for what will survive winter and critters.

Notes from May 28, 2009

This Hosta was saved from a friend's house where their Hostas were deer food. Of all the ones they gave me, this one is doing the best. To the right is Agastache.

I bought a white Rhododendron two years ago and this year it bloomed.

This is a painted Daisy (in the chrysanthemum family). It doesn't look impressive because its become rabbit food. Five other nearby have also been eaten. Not surpised because the leaves are similar to carrot leaves.

Can't remember the name of this perennial. I started it from seed a couple of years ago and its been steadily growing in size. I think it was called Centaurea?

Here is a painted Daisy that the rabbit didn't get to. And for a bonus there is some sort of bug on the flower.

Stayed home from work today but didn't get to work in the yard until the afternoon.

Today I planted the remaining cukes, replacing several cukes that had died and picked a handful of radishes.

I fertilized the cukes, tomatoes and peppers with a drink of fish emulsion.

I planted tithonia along the fence of the veggie garden along with 6 of the transplanted marigolds that I dug up last week.

I trimmed several trees of lower branches (two holly trees, a dogwood and several oak trees).

I watered what I didn't fertilize (radishes, beans, onions and two patches of young grass in the lawn).

Then I started mulching the paths of the veggie garden. I didn't mulch around the plants yet, I'd like them to get a little bigger.

Some of the sunflowers have started to sprout and all of the annuals I started two weeks ago appear to have sprouted.

I am planning on planting another row of green beans on Saturday. I hope to start a row every three weeks.

Notes for April 27, 2009

Busy weekend with beautiful weather. Its been in the 80s and near 90 since Friday and will be again today and tomorrow. And yes we broke down last night and turned on the AC (IN APRIL!).

Friday night I cut the grass to get a head start on Saturday. Saturday, after the usual running around (dropping off and picking up my daughter and picking up hoagies from the local church hoagie sale), I finally did get to work in the yard. First thing I did was to plant the flower bulbs we got for Easter (hyacinths and tulips). I planted them with a handful of ground up leaves and a tablespoon of bone meal.

Then I mulched up the six bags of leaves that my neighbor gave me. I dumped them out of the bags and ran them over with the mower.

Next I played with a toy I got for Christmas and finally took out the new weed wacker out of the box and started that learning process.

Then I put some block edging in a circle around my mailbox post where the Joe Pye Weed is. I put the rest of the edging around some tiger lillies in the back yard but I didn't dig them in yet. Next I straightened out the pile of remaining edging and old bricks (to be placed in the trash a few at a time; just after the used mortar pieces are gone).

I water the radish and spinach (which are starting to sprout) and the onions. I then mulched the onions.

I then sifted the bag and a half of potting mix (using a dollar store wastebasket). There were just too many large pieces in the mix. I put the large pieces in the flower bed as mulch.

Notes for November 18, 2008

I never did get to the leaves on Sunday. I forgot to mention that when I woke up on Sunday, it was hard to keep my eyes open let alone try to get vertical. I felt as if my body was saying get some rest. Well, when I got home from church, my neighbor had already mulched his leaves and he had a new coating of leaves courtesy of the high winds. so I stayed inside and did other things. Sunday night as I lay on the couch watching football (the wife wasn't home), I felt my body shut down. I took about a half hour nap around 8PM and I woke up with a sore throat. I felt better Monday but still run down. I am hoping to get to the leaves this weekend.

Notes for November 16, 2008

I am hoping to get to the leaves today but we will have to see what the winds are doing when I get home from church.

I emptied 1.2 inches from the rain gauge this morning and then put the rain gauge away until spring. This morning its in the upper 30s and it supposed try to get into the 50s this afternoon and then drop into the 40s. It was nice not having to run the heater.

I noticed another flower blooming. In the flower pot by the front door an Ageratum was blooming alongside the geranium.

Notes for November 3, 2008

Saturday I mulched and bagged all the leaves in my yard and this week it only took me two hours (last week it was three). There weren't as many leaves as there was last week and I even debated doing them but I did them anyway. Afterwards I picked a half dozen or so radishes and then watered the remaining radishes and the carrots. I had thought of cleaning up the rest of the garden (pulling out the stakes and throwing the plants in the compost and maybe even tilling) but I decided there was a higher priority of inside housework to do. The temperatures are forecasted to be in the 60's all week and so the leaves will be slow to fall.

Notes for October 26, 2008

Hey we finally got some rain too! I emptied about an inch from the rain gauge. I should probably put the rain gauge away soon. Last Monday morning it was 28 degrees and Friday morning it was 26 degrees. It was Friday morning that burnt my tomatoes and peppers. Today I picked the last bunch of tomatoes and a few small peppers. All of the tomatoes were green or starting to turn orange. In any case the tomatoes will sit on the windowsill to ripen.

Yesterday the wind blew pretty good and I had a few branches to clean up in the yard. It only sprinkled or showered all day and it wasn't until the evening that we finally got some heavier stuff. Which was exceptionally nice since there were forest fires not too far away and the fire fighters needed the rain. Friday morning the fog get the smoke next to the ground and it was kind of spooky.

Today I finally was able to mulch the leaves in my yard and start piling up the mulched leaves in my compost pile for next years mulch. I use a leaf blower to get the leaves out of the driveway and into the grass and then mow them over with my mulching mower with the bag on. It took me about three hours to finish. The leaves were a little heavier since yesterday's rain. There was also some grass clippings in with the leaves which was a bonus. The next mulching I will lower the deck of the mower to its lowest setting (now that the crabgrass has been frosted).

I also picked a handful of radishes.

Notes for October 6,2008

Saturday afternoon I was able to work in the yard. I first used the leaf blower and cleared the leaves out of the driveway into the grass and then cut the grass throughout the yard (mulching the leaves along with it). There weren't that many leaves yet, not enough to bag really for mulch. I had a scare with the lawn mower. I ran over something (a stick I think) that bent the inner mulching housing. I was able to fix it by using a hammer and bending the housing back away from the blade which was hitting it. I had to do this one more time after I bumped into a stump. So I kept the hammer close by for the rest of the day.

I picked tomatoes and cherry tomatoes and peppers. I pulled the Lima beans and the string beans. The Lima Beans weren't really worth it (what I picked wasn't enough for a serving). So I may have learned that I need to plant them earlier. I then thinned the radishes and carrots and weeded the carrots as well. Then I watered the carrots and radishes.

Notes for July 18, 2008

Last night I picked green beans from the second row. I almost hated to pick them, they were kind of limp. Everything needed water. I really should pick beans the day after I water. But unfortunately, we all have to deal with the cards we're dealt with and last night was the first chance I had this week to tend to the garden since the weekend.

After picking beans, I watered. I watered everything. When I say everything I mean everything in the veggie garden (tomatoes, cukes, peppers, cosmos, marigolds, beans, sunflowers, beans and onions) and then I water all the flower beds in the backyard (watering mainly the perennials I planted this year and not so much the iris or tiger lillies that are already established).

My lima beans have sprouted and looks like I got good germination. The yellow beans I planted two weeks ago are ready to be finished mulching. The cosmos are looking healthy (nice thick stem). Most of my tomato plants are averaging 6 feet tall (remember they only get about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight, so its like they are looking for sun, which gives me later season tomatoes but I am usually picking until frost in November), my sunflowers are over 6 feet tall. I will be picking some of the onions this weekend (about 97 percent of the stems have fallen over and some of them have turned brown, and that's when I know that they are ready to be picked). I plan on leaving them on the picnic table for at least a few days and then putting them in the shed for a couple of weeks. Anyone else do onions?

Surprisingly I did not find any hornworms on my tomatoes last night. I have two cherry tomatoes getting ripe so it won't be long. I'm pretty sure that both of those tomatoes probably won't make it out of the garden. I love to eat a few when I am outside. When I am picking, I usually eat about a half a dozen (at least, yum).

Notes for July 9, 2008

This past Saturday I was able to get caught up in the yard.

I had a pair of yellow daisies growing in my veggie patch (the seeds must have been in the mulch) and so I transplanted them first.

I planted the double bloom orange tiger lillies after I split them into nice handful sized plantings. I planted eight bunches overall.

I turned the next area for planting beans using the spade (I didn't want to get the tiller out of the shed).

I had previously trimmed the tomato suckers on Thursday but I still trimmed and tied the tomato plants.

Then I planted a row of wax beans in the area I just turned.

Then I mulched. I mulched the row of cosmos I have planted along the inside fence of my veggie garden and then mulched the row of wax bean seeds (just stopping short of the row, which I will mulch just after the beans are about six inches tall). I then continued and finished mulching the remainder of my flower beds.

On Sunday, all I did was water everything and pull renegade weeds.

On Monday night I picked green beans. I picked about two large Ziploc bags full. I let them dry out on the kitchen counter before I put them in the fridge since we had rain earlier in the day. The wife made green bean casserole with the first picking, and it was good. I will get one more picking from that first row of beans (I will do that by pulling out the plants and picking off the beans). Then I will probably plant a row of Lima Beans in its location.

Notes for June 16, 2008

This picture is of a 4 foot tall evergreen by our front door. Now we know why the male Robin has been going psycho on our cars in the driveway!

Over the weekend we got about only 0.1" inches of rain. It seemed like Moses was living in south Jersey. The rain went to the north of us to near Trenton and to the south of us like Delaware. So I had to water this weekend. That makes about 0.2" in the past two weeks. Thunderstorms are forecasted this evening, maybe we'll be the target.

Yesterday (yes on fathers day) I worked in the yard for a couple of hours. I had too, since I had to work on Saturday and then went directly to our church to help out with our annual chicken barbecue. I left the house at 6:30 and didn't get home until Saturday night around 8:30. So on Sunday afternoon I planted 26 cucumber seedlings and then mulched my sunflowers and my second row of green beans. In between I watered everything. The ironic thing was that we had a five minute shower while I was planting the cucumbers. It was heavy enough for me to stop and open up a folding chair in the shed and sit for a few minutes. All it really did was successfully make me look as if I was wading in the creek, my pants were wet from the knees down from kneeling.

Notes for June 9, 2008

I was able to cut the grass Thursday night albeit later than when I wanted to start. But if I was going to get any other yard work done this past weekend, I had to cut the grass Thursday night and with the current heat wave (we've been in the 90's the past two day and is forecasted today and tomorrow) it was better sooner than later. I wanted to bag the clippings but since I got started late I didn't (one of my compost piles is completely empty and I wanted to start filling it again in order to bury kitchen scraps this summer).

Saturday in the heat I did work outside but I took a gallon of water with me and drank it all during frequent breaks. I got all of my tomatoes and peppers staked (but not tied). I will need more stakes next spring due to the amount that broke during installation (I start with 8 ft 1x2's for my tomatoes and as they break I use them for the peppers and other posts). I planted the remaining perennials I started from seed (Cupid's Dart, Dames Rocket, Yarrow, Pyrethrum and some Columbine). Then I continued mulching. I mulched one and a half flower beds. Wanted to do more but I was starting to get a headache (which is my body signal to stop working in the heat) and the flower beds I was going to do next, I had just planted the perennial seedlings, so I wanted to wait for them to establish themselves a little bit.

I did notice on Sunday the cucumber and cosmos seedlings were starting to come up in the six packs I started them in last week. However, the germination is still not that great, about 10 have not sprouted yet. I think next year and every year after, I am going to start them in six packs and not in the ground and start them in early May.

Before I mulched, I used up my fish emulsion fertilizer and gave all of my tomatoes and peppers a drink and I noticed the bottle starting to leak and so I used it up and gave a bunch of my new perennials a drink as well.

Notes for June 4, 2008

Was able to work outside last night after dinner. It was such a wonderful evening, not hot and there was a breeze most of the time. I didn't water much since rain was forecasted (and it did rain throughout the night and was still raining this morning and more is forecasted today). I watered the newest perennials and the seedlings still in pots.

I am not happy with the germination of my cucumbers. I had 5 sprout out of about 50. The same goes for the row of cosmos I planted along the edge of the veggie garden. I counted two. So the first thing I did last night was to start some more cucumbers and cosmos, but this time I started them in the six packs and will transplant. I really don't understand what happened to the cukes. The past years I have had no problem with germination in place. Maybe next year I will start them in the six packs and transplant them.

My sunflowers are about 5 inches tall and I thinned them some but will have to thin them some more.

Then I started to mulch some more. The first area I mulched was my row of yellow marigolds in the veggie garden. I thinned them fist and transplanted the ones I thought worth saving (I now have about 8 in pots to transplant later) and then weeded the area before I mulched. Then I mulched two of my flower beds.

My mulch is probably really considered leaf mold. It is in three compost piles and is a combination of ground up leaves, grass clippings, pulled weeds, shrubbery trimmings and sometimes kitchen scraps.

Notes for June 2, 2008

We had thunderstorms on Saturday that gave me 0.35" of rain.

Took off from work on Friday for other reasons and was able to spend the day working outside. I was happy with the work I got done but I was not happy on Saturday. I am 45 years old and I can't do as much as I once did and not pay for it the next day. It made me concerned but I was better on Sunday (still sore but better).

Friday I was able to plant another row of green beans after I finished picking my spinach. I planted about 12 volunteer tomato plants (probably all cherry tomatoes, yum). Each tomato plant was planted in the same way ( a 2 gallon hole filled with manure and sprinkled with wood ashes mixed thoroughly with the excavated soil and the remaining soil used to make a bowled wall around the plant to channel all watering). On Thursday on my way home from work, I bought a Coreopsis (tickseed), a purple/blue Salvia, a Pincushion flower and a green Hosta. I planted all these on Friday. I found several more volunteer marigolds in my veggie patch and transplanted them back in to my veggie patch between the tomato plants. I have more coming as seedlings that I will plant in with the cucumbers and peppers.

Then I mulched. I had ambitions of mulching my veggie garden and all my flower beds but of course, I didn't get that far. I ended up only mulching all the tomato and pepper plants and their walking rows and the row of green beans that is about 8" tall. I will mulch the rest as the plants mature. I used up one compost pile completely, but I still have the big one and another of the same size I used up. To use up the remainder of the wood ashes I had, I sprinkled it heavily in the walking rows before I mulched it over. That way it will get into the soil. While digging out the compost pile I saw plenty of earthworms.

Some of the cucumbers are starting to sprout and it looks like all of the sunflowers have sprouted (so I will have to thin them).

Friday afternoon I called a friend up and asked him if he wanted some tomato plants. he came over and I gave him about 12 volunteer tomato plants and the remainder of my radishes.

The Mountain Laurels are in full bloom in my area and there are many in the woods all around. I wouldn't mind finding one in the woods to transplant into my yard. I had one at my home but it died. I still have a Mountain Pink and it is beautiful.

Notes for May 26, 2008

What a beautiful weekend!

Saturday...

I went and got some manure, didn't have use of any family owned trucks, so I ended up using my car and five gallon buckets. Cleaned out my trunk (been wanting to do that for three years) and fit seven buckets in the truck and 8 inside my car. I made two trips.

Picked some radishes and spinach. Had cooked spinach with dinner, delicious!

Dug a trench under the cucumber fences and filled it with manure and placed soil back over top and planted cucumber seeds.

Transplanted marigolds. I started mixed marigold seeds in my veggie garden to transplant throughout the yard and transplanted about six. I have a fair amount of freelancing marigolds coming up in my veggie garden and since I have planted only yellow in my veggie garden, I suspect they are yellow.

Planted two rows of tomato plants (about 14 total plants). For each tomato plant, I dug a hole and filled it with the aged manure along with a pinch of Epsom salts and a sprinkle of wood ashes and then added in half of the excavated soil and mixed it all by hand. The rest of the soil I used to build a bowl around the plant to channel water to the plant when I water (since my soil is sand).

This morning (Monday, Memorial Day) I was awakened by a Robin attacking our front window and my wife's car at 7 AM this morning and so I got up. I continued planting my tomato plants and then my pepper plants. I have room to plant about a dozen more tomato plants and the are more than enough freelancing volunteers to transplant. I hope to transplant them during the week or by the weekend. Then I cut the grass and after a shower it was off to the family picnic.

During this weekend, I noticed that my tiger lillies are starting to bud, the rhododendrons are in full bloom, my yard has chipmunks and today I saw a toad in my yard.

Next week I hope to plant some more green beans (the next wave) and mulch, mulch, mulch.

Notes for March 19, 2008

Last Friday I took the day off and by the afternoon it was around 60 degrees and nice enough to work outside. I emptied two five gallon buckets of horse manure (which I had saved from last fall) into my onion bed (second year). Then I turned it under by hand (shovel). Then I emptied four 40 pound bags of composted cow manure into the onion bed (2.5' x 15') and turned it under. I leveled it off and then planted about 100 onions (four rows), leaving room on the end to plant some parsley.

Saturday was again nice in the afternoon and I worked on the big veggie garden. I raked the leaves piled along the fence away from the fence into the middle of the garden and then mulched them with the lawn mower. I then spread a 30 pound bag of bone meal over the whole garden (using a trowel and not remembering that I had a lawn spreader in the shed that some one had given me that I have yet to use). I then spread a thin layer of finely mulched leaves over the whole garden (the mulched leaves were from my compost piles of ground up leaves gathered by the mower from the rest of the yard last fall) and turned it under using my tiller. My veggie garden is approximately 20' x 36'. I tilled in one direction and then I tilled it a second time at 90 degrees.

I spread some grass seed on President's Day back in February but it hasn't sprouted yet. Maybe I put it down too soon and its been too cold for germination. But I know we've had good moisture since and some warm days but I guess it hasn't been warm enough in a long enough string of days for germination. So it seems to be a lesson learned, don't put spring grass seed down until late March or until April (at least in my zone)

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!

Notes for January 2, 2008

Hope everyone had safe and wonderful holidays.

Not much going on in the garden at this time but I do have a few nuggets of info.

The winds blew again in the last few weeks and I had to repair the bird feeder wire for a second time. We saw a Red Tailed hawk in our yard on Christmas eve. It was scanning the back yard from our fence.

I did get to do some more leaf collecting for the compost pile the week before Christmas. The same wind that blew the branches down on the bird feeder wire also piled leaves up in my yard which I was able get cleaned up before the holidays. I did find something interesting. Instead of bagging right away, I mulched them with the mower first (like I was going to leave them in place) and then bagged them. This made the bag heavier and I was able to fill the wheelbarrow with more (since the leaves weren't as big) and now the compost pile has leaves that are much smaller and will be quicker to decompose or work as better as mulch in the spring.

I did get a couple of gardening books for Christmas that I had asked for. One was for shade perennials and another was for perennials requiring less water. I haven't looked through them yet but I will soon.

I do have some shade grass seed leftover from last spring and if I get a warm day I will scratch the ground and spread some seed. It worked well last year. I spread some seed back in April and most of the areas are looking much better.

Notes for December 3, 2007

Woke up to a dusting Sunday morning but turned to all rain by the afternoon. However it was enough to send me to my knees on the front step as I was coming back into the house after starting my car before going to church. Luckily I didn't rip a hole in my pants but I got a nice strawberry on my knee.

Saturday I did run the mower over the leaves in the yard. I didn't do the whole yard, just the front yard and part of the back. I didn't bag them either, I left them in place.

I started getting seed catalogs. I got one from Totally Tomatoes. I was surprised that they had more than just tomatoes. They had peppers and cukes too.