What have you done today in the Garden?

Jane... thats too cold to take the chance of putting them in the garden... especially if you have started them from seed yourself and they are specifically what you want for the garden. You may not be able to find just that if you have to replace them. I say don't take the chance. sit back relax and drink your tea and wait a day or two for planting them out. Or cover them.

 

Ha, ha, ha...Jane--What are you like!

I agree with Carolyn on this.

Today it was time to plant the spinach out and sow the Swiss Chard in the lottie.
I have also begun replacing and planting new extra blueberry bushes. Another new one went in the ground today.

 

Well, it wasn't just yesterday... it was a couple day project that has been years in the making...My dear MIL bought "those trees" from the county annual tree sale( we have had these up here as long as I can remember and some of the offerings are TRASH trees. these were scotch pines and I think I should sue them for selling this junk, but I will refrain *sigh* with much sarcasm inserted here, okay? nor do I have time/money/patience to do it) and promptly planted them about 40 years ago on the property line where we now live. as they grow they die from the bottom up creating an UGLY row of trees that are messy. Constantly dropping dead branches with every gust of wind. I just mow over them unless they are really big branches ( i figure I can replace the blades eventually...they get sharpened every year or so) but the neighbor complains constantly that they have all these branches to pick up before they can mow... ( I just want to say... sorry. tell your landlord to come do it or just mow over them like I do) but I just don't say much. I can't pick up every time the wind blows. So we finally got a tree service to bring a crane truck and cut them as they lifted them out and sat them down, cleaned them up and laid the logs in a pile. I raked and raked and raked. picking up all the debris and throwing it in a dumpster... we filled at least 4 of them with the trash that was removed. I am not sure how many trees were cut down maybe 20 and there were 4 that fell down and we had cut into pieces and piled up. My shoulders and hands are tired. when they were done with the last tree I asked if there was still room in the dumpster for the stuff we had already cut up?... yep. one of them helped me heave the last huge pieces into the container and now they are all gone. gone. gone. gone. yipee, no more dead trees... yet.
I planted hemlocks in between those trees about 20 years ago so I still have a "screen" of sorts and it is beautiful now.

 

Well done you! Chapeau.
What a story and what an accomplishment. Blimey!
Those remaining trees that we see on picture #3--those are not Scotch Pine, I do not believe...but the sort of tree isn't the issue though is it. If they were bought as Scotch Pine I would be irritated though.

I saw that dainty little foot in the first piccy and immediately thought of Cinderella. Ha,ha,ha,ha,....
Quick now Carolyn---into the carriage, Midnight is approaching.

 

Not here it isn't approaching... it is getting onto high noon. so I am outta luck. really I put my dainty size 8 1/2 there to show how large the trees were that were dead... did you notice the bug holes? I counted the rings and best I could tell there were roughly 40 growth rings... so I was close when I guesstimated.

The rest of the trees remaining are the hemlocks. and one cherry that still needs cut down, but it is small and I can do it myself.

 

Oh, I see. Those were sorta old then. I have heard that rings are no longer thought to give the true age of trees. Have you see that? They say that some years there are more than one set of rings and so forth. I hadn't realized it...although I try and keep up with botanical and archaeological changes and discoveries. Oh well.

The use of the dainty body part truly did give perspective.

Are the remaining hemlocks and cherry tree going to be removed eventually? Well, if you need help... I guess that you could text George Washington, since you have that remaining cherry tree.

 

The hemlocks stay. George had his chance... this ones mine.

 

Carolyn, I restrained myself and the tomatoes are still in their little grow cells in the barn. Darn, this waiting is hard!
Since the high winds have abated, I'm planting roses today. I really, really need to get into the dirt and do something!

 

good thinking. Dirt always makes us feel better. get at it, Jane... double step it. enjoy those roses. I had to chop a floribunda wild rose out of one of those hemlocks... whoo whee! they are wicked. I hope none of yours have thorns like these things do.

well, as far as I know they are fairly accurate. there is a dark part and a light part of each ring. I count all that as one ring. the light would have been the inner bark and the darker the outer portion of the trunk....just my inaccurate thinking maybe? but since I knew they were at least over 35 and under 50 I was just guessing... then I went and counted the rings when I went back out to get a picture of it. we have lived here almost 25 years. Kevin was born here and grew up on the property. his mom and dad have been here 50 years now.

 

What did I do in my garden today. NOTHING except wishing the snow would melt faster. Next week we may plant some early peas in front of the barn as it stays a lot warmer there.
Carolyn your tree line does look good. Something I just learned the other day is that Cedar trees are water hogs. They suck more moisture out of the ground than any other tree. No wonder my flower beds along the driveway are always in need of water. The previous owners planted Cedar trees about 8 ft from the flower beds. We were thinking of planting some Red Cedar on different parts or our land. But after hearing that--we will rethink that one.

 

The first thing was to plant the onion sets. Made a couple of furrows and sprinkeled some calcium beads in ...hustled it and then thumbed the onions in so that nothing was proud of the soil surface, then covered them up. No water given.
Here you can see more rolled-back mulch and the planted beds thus far.


Next thing was to plant the peas and capucijners. These were planted in lengths of plastic guttering. These were heavily watered-in and placed in the greenhouse. Hopefully the mice will not break in.


But the big task of the day was picking up the gratis aged horse manure. We had an agreement that we would meet on the parking lot of the lottie and she would bring a trailer full...between 08.00 and 09.00 hours.

You could guess--she did not show. We waited with the three of us until after 20.00 then headed off to our lotties. We agreed to periodically check if the farmer would show up.

Our neighbour lady looked a couple of times and ...no show. In the afternoon, I biked up to the parking lot, and yes! There was the trailer standing there in all its glory.

I raced back to tell them that it had arrived. I parked the bike and got a bolder car whilst my partner brought a sand shovel and the big plastic bags that the compost had come in. Remember those from last week?

Well folks, between the three of us, we all but emptied that trailer. there was one wheelbarrow load left. We offered it to a fellow gardener.

Oddly enough, I still get a bit stiff from this sort of heavy lifting and pulling work. Never mind that though--We have the supply put up in the lottie. Because it is four years old, I may give a layer to the corn and spud patches. This is REALLY exciting. Gratis, cher bon Dieu!

Then lastly---planting at home.
Two types of toms were planted and a new (for us) sort of cue.
Toms--'Ferline' and 'Pozzano'
Cue--'Antepin en Iyisi'

 

Today we planted the broad beans out and removed a lot of the mulch blanket that was protecting our soil in the beds.


I also held the spring check of my bees. It was quite a task as all three hives had 2 brood boxes each and so they all had to be removed and replaced with clean ones...and new bottoms replaced as well.

It was a good day, but hard work.

 

S, drink some apple cider vinegar in a cup of water... maybe 5 - 10 ml in a glass. That might help displace the lactic acid that makes you hurt.

 

The toms on the window sill ,came up a few days ago as well as a cue and a pomodori. those toms are already getting leggy--but that is exactly what I want.
There have been birds or mice scratching-around in the planted Swiss Chard row. Drattit!

An elderly gentleman in a neighbouring village is looking to get rid of a hive with an F0 queen. I am going to have a look and if I like what I see, shall take it. He is down-sizing and if I buy it...then I have to take hive and all its parts. I don't really need all that, but the price is very good and he is an old friend...we shall see. That man is 86 or 87 and cannot manage his usual 12-12 hives anymore. I can understand that.

If I can manage, we will work on the potato bed. I will spread a bit of the old horse manure and make the the bed ready to take the chitted spudlets.

BTW Carolyn. thanks for the tip. I do not know the apple cider stuff that you are speaking of. It may not be available in this country. I am curious how that sort of acid will displace the lactic acid though. I shall have to do some reading about this process that you are suggesting. Who knows, if there is physiological evidence to support this idea of yours-- it may represent a bit of relief for my achy mus-kuls.. hahaha. My fingers are very crossed on this one. Interesting, Carolyn--thank you very much. My partner will also be appreciative if I can stop moaning and groaning with every movement. ...chortle.

 

apple cider vinegar... umm it is apple cider that is allowed to change from a sweet beverage to hard cider which is the alcohol stage and then it is finished by completing the process by turning into an acid which is a stable product and will sit in this state until you use it. I use it mostly for cooking and drinking (if you like pickles it is what you use to make the pickles... water, vinegar, and sugar), especially when I don't feel good or other people in the house are sick. I drink a glass of water with vinegar and honey stirred in to make a slightly acidic drink (warm if you have a sore throat). it also is helpful to dissolve/remove the lactic acid? in your muscles to make them feel less painful after strenuous exercise/work. There is "white" vinegar, too. It is the clear one that I use to clean with, other people use it for making pickles, too.

The other thing to try is a mineral supplement of magnesium. It also helps with cramps, it relaxes the blood vessels. I use it to help with headaches. I have had migraines for years and just read about how most of us are deficient in magnesium and it causes headaches and migraines.. so I have been taking it for a month or so now and can count on one hand how many headaches I have had.