May 1, 2024

 Gardening season has started, albeit a little late on our end. Jim has been sick with a very tiring and coughing virus and finally has enough energy to get some planting done. He planted potatoes two days ago, onions, beets, peas, lettuce, carrots and swiss chard yesterday. We don't have spinach seed. We got almost 2.5" of rain last week, which was nice, but also hindered the planting. I have been slowly weeding and getting trash out of the flower gardens. It's been windy the last few days and it hasn't been a fun job. Today was cloudy as well as windy, so I didn't go out at all. I planted a couple of perennials. One I don't remember just now and the other was and ice flower plant. Our mix of shade, sun and clay soil limits what and how things grow. 

I have what I think is a spaghetti squash plant growing in a pot in my dining room. The last spaghetti squash we opened to cook had two sprouting seeds and I planted them. One came up and is blooming. Since it grew among all our other squash it could be cross pollinated and who knows what we will get. 

April 21, 2022

It's windy out here, and dry.  This will be a common theme among residents of this area and this blog.  It's hard to get outside and remove garden trash in the high winds we are having.  Yesterday was a quiet day in the wind department so I cleaned out the second iris patch.  I was out earlier this morning and as it was nice I was determined to do another iris patch clean out.  That was a job!  When the wind was not gusty, I could put dry iris leaves in my garden cart, but when it was, I would watch my efforts blow across the lawn. Eventually, I put my jacket over the trash to keep the dry vegetation inside my cart, and then the jacket blew off.  Thankfully, not much blew out before I put the jacket back in place and moved the trash to the compost pile.  I'm hoping for the best that that loose pile of dry stuff won't blow from here to kingdom come after all. 

Here is further proof of our windy weather.  The wire holding this birdfeeder up has given out, or worked itself off.  Jim found it blown onto it's side, and it is now residing in the shop waiting for this windy season to be over.

Here's our first mess of asparagus. I had a little white chicken gravy we had on biscuits so I cooked this up, put it in the gravy and we had it for breakfast on toast.

Jim has planted more potatoes.  There are two full rows out there.  He also planted spinach, lettuce and swiss chard.  The soil is dry as a bone so we are letting them just hang out there until we have time to attend to constant watering. 

 

April 2, 2022

 Some days it acts like spring.  My scilla's are ready to bloom, the daffodils are starting to bloom and my white hyacinth next to the front stoop has three blooming stalks.  Today was a perfect day to work outside and I dumped two cartloads of garden trash.  Jim planted onions.  We are using only white onions this year.  We have onion fungus running rampant in our garden.  I looked up information, and it stays in the ground for years and the yellow onions are infected more so than the white ones.  He planted potatoes last Saturday.

We are in desperate for some moisture around here and many other places in the state as well. We had a little snow a few days ago.  Nothing much, again. It looked white out, but didn't cover all the grass.

Jim fixed the sprinkler system that broke because it didn't get drained and turned off in the fall  That caused a flood in the basement that included one bedroom, the laundry room, under the stairs and a little water leaked into the furnace room closet. We had been gone all day and Jim went out to hunt deer at the farm after we got home. Later, a neighbor told us water was shooting from the side of the house.  Thankfully, I know where the water shutoff is.  I didn't know what to do.  The big shop vac was at our business.  I couldn't get a hold of Jim, no cell service. Fortunately, we have good neighbors with a big shop vac. I called Jim several times so he would know there was a problem at home and our neighbors started slurping up the water with the vac and I started hauling things off the floor.  When Jim got home (without any deer) he took over.  After getting up all the standing water everywhere except the carpet, and some towel mopping, we dragged the carpet outside to get it dry.  That was quite the experience, since water soaked carpet is HEAVY.  Jim rolled it and then it was 1, 2, 3, HEAVE, stopping to breather, rest and regroup and heave again. Adding insult to injury, it rained so when I tripped over the carpet and fell into the rain wet grass, getting more of me wet than the bottom few inches. The next day, Jim hung it over the chicken fence, and after it dried, rented a carpet stretcher and reinstalled it. 

So, now it's all fixed and watering the lawn. Jim has to fix a few sprinkler heads every year. 

March 24, 2020

Every year I know I need to get out and start cleaning my flower beds early in March, because we generally have some nice days then.  

But, I don't do it.  

This year March came in like a lamb with sunny days and temperatures in the 50s-70s.  

(We also had some really nice days in February, but I refuse to work outside in February.)

This winter wasn't as cold or snowy as the last two years.  We had our biggest snow in last December,

almost 11 inches.

Dec 29

This is still the same snow. 

January 25

Windy days and bag kites

March 5

March 9

March 13 

March 19  --- Hail

I got out March 21st and cleaned out flower beds to the tune of two garden cart loads and two more loads today.  

Jim is outside planting rhubarb, which we have never had any luck with since it needs acidic soil and we don't have any, and asparagus to add to our current patch.  

After that, he's building rafters for our new chicken house/garden shed.

This project will take awhile, because even though he got most of the wood free as leftovers from some of the Costco chicken house projects, (we put the gas in), there will be a lot of other expenses and we pay as we build. 

March 10, 2015

The outdoor season has started again at our house.  I vowed last year to start working outside as early in March as I could, when the weather is decent instead of waiting until the end and running into the wet chill of April when no one wants to work outside.  My goal is to work outside at least 15 minutes every decent day.  Yesterday was a beautiful 60ish day, and I didn't get out, but today we had 70 degrees and I started in getting rid of old foliage in one of the landscape areas by the shop.

I did start some pepper seeds but since I forgot all about them, they died.  I should try again.

May 5, 2012

Last week we had several really hot days.  Eighty-five degrees and above.  I had the air conditioner on  for those days.  I always drag my feet, dreading the electricity bill, but when we have company, special gatherings, or too much heat, I have to give in.  It did cool down nicely at night, but our brick home with few trees around it soaks up heat and it is hard to cool it down at night.  Plus, it was so humid, that once the a/c was on, we didn't want the humidity to sneak back in.  One day, we had the pea-soup fog we had to put up with last summer.  There is so little visibility it is scary.  And there are always a few people who obviously think it is unnecessary to use headlights in such weather.  I send my daughter off to school to turn onto a highway that she can't see 1/10th of a mile.  She just goes in faith, and I wait for 15 minutes to pass with no phone call so I can relax.  
Jim planted another two rows of Incredible sweet corn.  This makes six now.
The turnips, swiss chard, peas and potatoes are all up.  The onions are looking very well, and two rows of sweet corn are up.
We planted the tomatoes and cucumbers we started from seed yesterday.  The tomatoes are about six inches tall, we used milk jugs to protect them, not from frost, but from wind.  We have about 12 plants, mostly Romas. The cucumbers are about as big, we planted them three to, whatever those little fibers planter thingy are called, half picklers, half slicers. But one of the pickle plants was broken.  That isn't too surprising since the flat of plants sits in front of the deck door to get sun, and is kicked around by enterers and outerers, and little boys.  It's a wonder more weren't damaged since I'm sure our grandson fell on it once.
I spent a few hours weeding and wood chipping in the flower garden. The end is getting nearer, but it is taking me a long time, and weeds are growing where I've already been.
I sprayed the bind weed, but I see where the tops have died, new growth is coming up from underneath.  Sometimes I wonder if spraying is really the answer, but pulling it out it a full time job.

March 31, 2012

Today, we had temperatures in the upper 80s and it is supposed to be the same way tomorrow.  It is hard to not to go in and plant everything we can since we could very easily have frost yet.  I went to Steinbrinks to attend a miniature garden class and they said the May 10 is the frost date here. We have had frost up to the 15th at our place though.

So, the garden is tilled; the grapes are tilled; the place were we are going to plant baby trees is tilled.  Jim planted potates, Red Norland, Gold Rush, Kennebec, and Yukon Gold.  He also planted white and yellow onion sets.

I planted pansies north of the shop.  It doesn't get sun there.  I also put some yellow violas, and a forget-me-not.  I've wanted one of those for years, but they don't do well in sun, and I mostly have sun gardens.  I've also planted some nasturtiums there too, from seed.

The chickens have had some outside time (in their hutch).  I've continued to weed and wood chip in my flower gardens.

I have all my plants that I over winter for the deck out on the patio.  I found bugs on them.

I planted my mini garden mostly with plants I bought, and the bench and swing were pretty pricey, but I used my birthday money for them.  The trees are coffee plants, the "vine", a wire plant, I also bought some cute little hen and chicks thingys..  I have some sedum from my garden.  Most of the stuff is tropical house plants, I have a polka dot plant and I don't know what the other is.  They are so cute, but I suppose you need to buy the little ones every year or they will get too big.

March 24, 2012

I guess we are calling it spring even though it is pretty early.  I was debating taking more pictures of the same things I took last year, since my flower gardens look pretty much the same from year to year, at least at the beginning.  

Here is my celery 10 days after the picture in the previous post.  Celery seems to need lots of water so while we were gone for spring break I put it in water in this cool whip container. It sucked up about half of it, in a week. 

These were blooming when we got home, March 23rd.

The daffodils were blooming before we left, March 18. Last year these flowers were blooming mid-April.

My grape hyacinths are starting to take hold in the rocks.  These photos show where they are so I don't dig them up. 

I want to keep these here, too. 

I don't think I want these here by the table and chairs. 

We've been wanting to get some landscaping done around the shop for awhile, and I killed grass here last summer so we are ready to start.  I don't have much in here, and I'm waiting for inspiration before I plant more. I have Stella d'Oro lily, iris, a holly hock and some larkspur

(front and west of shop)

I'm just starting over here.  I planted a few things from seed.  I have a columbine, and some bush.

(front of shop)

March 14, 2012

Spring work has started so the second year of tracking my gardening has started also.  We have had a particularly warm dry winter and spring.  Today we had a high of 78 F, and no night freezing for several days. There is no wind today, which is very pleasant, but not the norm for the last week or more.

Over the last two days I've cleaned out the terrace gardens east of the house, yesterday with Zane's help, which took a LONG time to get much done.  As much today, in a half hour.  Yesterday I also swept up the patio of old leaves and corn husks and leaves, which I MUST do more often, I killed a centipede out there. (with a shovel, so he was a long way away from me, ewww.) I cleaned off the steps, too.  Now just to keep going.

I've got a hyacinth starting to bloom on the west side of the house, spring bulbs are up and going strong.

Jim bought a manure spreader at auction and the jack is broken, but he will use it as is to get compost on the garden.

October 21, 2011

This growing season is about over.  We had our first freeze, with no warning frosts on the 19th.  We had 24 degrees. Not everything froze.  The marigolds did, and the volunteer cantelope.  And of course, anything left in the garden, which wasn't much. I gave up on the tomatoes weeks ago.  There was a couple more zucchinis, so we ate one in zucchini scramble and the other one is still sitting on my counter waiting to be grated and frozen for zucchini bread. So, I still have flowers to look at, my pansies, and mums, and my petunias in the planters on the west side of the house.

I've been wanting to clean the leaves and cornshucks off the deck and patio, so I did that today.  It was gorgeous, and 70 with no wind.  I brought in all the deck flowers and cleaned up some extra things that live on the deck in the summer so it looks bare out there.  I want to bring the the deck cushions, but I'm going to wait until this very nice fall is over.  We've had some very nice weeks, 40ish nights and 60 and 70ish days. It has been a beautiful fall.

Finally, the mums are in bloom, just in time to freeze, thank goodness they do well in cold temps. 

A few pansies are still hanging in there.  

And finally the mum by the front walk.  Blooming at last.

And it very likely will be goodbye until next spring.

Oh, wait. I picked some mint and dried it to use for tea.  It took just a little bit in the dehydrator, and then I stripped the leaves.

And I planted some nasturtium seeds in my window box in the kitchen, where a basil plant has died.   

July 20.2011

I'm trying to get an hour's worth of weeding in the flower garden every dry morning.  It's been so hot and humid, I've been out at 7.  Of course, I let the weeds get about a foot tall before I started.  So much for "doing better this year.  

I'm working on the side of the shop, too.  We have a bush there that is spawning two babies.  I put a columbine next to that, weeding around them, dropped some larkspur seeds, and blazing star and penstemon,  This is the north side, and I've blocked out the space with old 2x4's for now.  The west edge has a Stella d' oro lily at the corner, going strong, with some iris.  But there is a black walnut tree in the middle, and lots of brome grass.  I've finally got some holly hocks going, and I've dumped the other seed there, too.  (west side)  I think I will have to wait until next year and spray the grass early.  

I want to get some skinny tomato cages for the holly hock, delphinium, and something else, evening primrose?

Also, those taller frames that you can put flower pots on and display work well for spreading tall flowers.

Jim is just now watering the corn.  This week is the first we've had to water anything, we've had so much rain.  I planted some peas where the other ones only produced three on a new package.  They were a casualty from the cold, I imagine. We are eating green beans now, and zucchini.  The second planting of cucumbers is not coming up either. 

April 22nd

Strawberries are on sale at Walmart for 1.38.  I bought a couple of pints to put in the freezer.  I saved some out to make shortcake.  I just love fresh strawberries with a little sugar on shortcake. They are better fresh than frozen of course, but fresh frozen strawberries are also better than those out of the grocery store freezer.

So, two more freezer bags in, with about 3 cups each.

It was sunny today after about three days of rain and cloudy weather, so I worked more in the flower garden, the Main Flower Garden.


I don't grow violets on purpose, they come up about everywhere on their own.  I try to do a little crowd control during the year, by weeding out several of them, but they still come up in the lawn and a lot of other places.  We only have three different kinds at our place.  There are some red-violet ones in the subdvision, and I've seen yellow ones...once.  We probably have some plain white ones on the place, but I didn't go looking very hard. 

These are so pretty with the purple streaks in their heart. 

These are a little bit darker purple than the ones below.

These little blue flowers are the earliest to bloom.  They are so pretty, really blue with white in the center.  However they quickly lose their appeal, when I remember I'm going to be weeding them out all summer.  They spread like wildfire, and have such thin stems it is hard to get it all.  I'm hoping to get quite a bit of it out before it goes to seed, to minimize some of the damage.

Main Flower Garden looking south. Jim built the arch, we bought the picket fence.

Viola, Johnny-Jump-ups, Baby Pansies, they have some other names, come up from seed, and I'm careful not to let these go too far also.   

Pasque Flowers



The first of the Tulips

 
I weeded the bottom half of the brick path.  At least once a year I turn over every brick to get all the weed roots out.  I think I'm going to be very sore tomorrow.

 

The Dry Garden part of the Main Flower Garden

South of the House.

The iris here does pretty well, despite my forgetting to water this spot.  I want to put more non-plant things in it, too.  There are hen and chicks, and spiderwort, than we dug up in sand near the Platte River.

April 16th

After a glimpse back at winter yesterday, it was spring all over today.  Sunshine and mild weather make it easy to want to be outside cleaning up.  Jim mowed for the first time and fertilized this evening.  It was nice to have no wind.

East of the House

This is the wide view, showing the nice terrace and steps Jim put in going down to the patio, I'm looking from the top of the north deck steps.

 This closer view shows the iris on either end,  the violets should be blooming soon.  They aren't planted, but I like the so well, I let them bloom all over the place and then pull up most of them and let a few go to seed.  There are a couple of spots in here where the ground is carpeted with some very small plants, that I think are baby violets coming up, that will bloom next year.  Our rule is, if something is coming up as thick as hair on a dog's back, it is likely a weed. I've also planted some bulbs in here that my friend Juli sent me for my birthday, I don't know what they are.

Which brings us to this plant growing in the back of this spot.  I've marked it so I'll see what happens to it.  I don't know what it is.  It very well could be a weed.   

Under the North Deck Steps

I have three or four dianthus coming. One looks rather sick from being buried under damp corn husks.  When the field just south of us is combined, we get buried in corn leaves and husks.  I should have been out earlier to clean out.

My hostas are just poking their heads out of the ground, and I let my marigolds go to seed in here, so hopefully some of them will grow back, I have plumbago and some sort of ground covering sedum growing  in the little spot closest to the sidewalk.  It has been slowly but steadily filling in the spot. 

I've forgotten what this is, it never gets any bigger and has yellow flowers in the summer. 



These are the main flowers currently blooming.

My favorite flowers are the daffodils, my birth month flower.  So, I picked a whole gob, with a few grape hyacinths, to grace my table for Sunday dinner company.

I have other jonquils than the King Alfred daffodils.  So pretty.