June 14, 2012

We've had a couple of hail storms so our tomatoes are coming on slowly. I must have planted the lettuce in a high wind because the only seed that came up was in the sidewalk.  I am assuming the swiss chard and turnips are growing, but they won't be much good because it has been so hot.  I haven't been seeing much of this summer, but June is acting like full summer already with humidity and high winds.  It is comfortable indoors.  We are eating snap peas now.  I like them fresh and cooked.  Gardening is not going to be a high priority this year with my cancer diagnosis. My flower gardens were all weeded before I went to surgery, so they are going to need some care, hopefully they won't get clear out of hand with no one to work in them.

Today is Flag Day.  My grandparents were married this day.

May 12, 2012

It was chilly and cloudy today. The high temperature was in the low 60's, but in spite of that, Jim tilled the whole garden, weeding the potatoes and peas, and finished planting the garden except the winter squash, which we will wait on for a bit, to reduce the bug damage.
So, we now have beans, three more rows of sweet corn, for a total of 8, okra, cucumbers (the ones we started from seed and transplanted didn't make it), summer squash, and a yellow tomato added to the earlier planting.
I think if we try the cucumbers from seed again, we need to cover the seedlings when we put them in the garden.
A few days ago we had frost.  Not a killing frost, but enough to burn my coffee trees in my mini garden.  They aren't supposed to see 40 degrees.  That was disappointing, it spoils the looks of the garden, and it was so nice before.  I'll wait awhile to see how they grow before I attempt any pruning.

Swimming Pool

The best time to set up the swimming pool is when it is still cool.  Algae can grow in an hour in hot weather, before the shock treatment starts to work.  Jim cleans it out with the pressure washer and the vacuum excavator.
Pool day this year was May 5th, 2012
I bought enough shock treatment for the season from Menards at 3.98 a gallon, buy one, get one free.

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.

April 20, 2012

I forgot to write about these photos last night and this morning, the computer was still trying to load a photo!!  What a waste of energy.

Lilies of the Valley are some of my favorite flowers.  The are so delicate and beautiful and have a lovely scent.  (Which I can't smell right now because I have a sinus problem.)  

I remember one time when I was a grade-school girl, I took lilies of the valley to my teacher on May Day.  I don't remember it ever happening again.  

It isn't going to happen this year either, they will be long gone. 

These lilies come from my mom's house, from the same plants I loved as a child.  I've tried for several years to get some established, and I think I finally have.  

You do have to be a bit careful or they will take over as long as they are in shade. 

Strawberry Jam

I bought strawberries Saturday for 98 cents a pint.  You don't get a deal like that every day!  I bought 8 pints, and we ate them for dessert on Sunday, I made two batches of jam and a strawberry pie.  

I used the cute little flat 8 oz. jars.

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.