Notes for May 10, 2008

I emptied 1.2 inches from the rain gauge this morning. Not a bad start, especially for my sandy soil.

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 May 6, 2008

Sorry that I have not written as often as I did in the past. I recently lost my job and found another and so life has been an adjustment.

I have onions, radish, spinach and green beans planted.

I have started another perennial flower bed.

I have had seven trees cut down in my back yard (all were dead from the gypsy moth damage).

I bought a red rhododendron (now I have to figure out where I am going to plant it.

I have transplanted a dogwood tree (3 ft high) and found two other small ones to possibly transplant.

About half of the perennials I bought last year lived through the winter. The Bee Balm has taken over its spot.

The grass seed I put down in late March is still waiting for the April showers (April was dryer than normal and so far so has May).

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 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 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!