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Unfit Gardener: I'm Having A "Name That Company" Contest

Unfit Gardener: I'm Having A "Name That Company" Contest

Snow Tires Are Off And It's Snowing

Okay. I admit it. It's my fault we are having a snowstorm. We took the snow tires off my little Subaru yesterday. Sorry.
What a week it has been. Lots of trips to the doctor for follow-ups to my surgery. I am having trouble keeping solid foods down and they say I am not getting enough calories so I am in starvation mode and that is why I'm not losing the weight. Might have to go back onto a liquid diet. Going in next week for a scope to make sure there isn't a stricture keeping food from passing thru to the stomach.  Also dehydration still an ongoing battle.
Lots of blood work to check  everything and then to another doctor for the pain in my shin I'm having. More blood-work and ex-rays there. Bottom line; I'm old and falling apart!
So let's talk about Spring! The renewal. Shrubs are budding up nicely and more spring bulbs are sending up green thru the soil. And look at the moss garden on my old Subaru!

The chickens are still busy in the garden area searching out bugs and weeds and fertilizing as they move about. My newest boy is a beauty; even though he was purchased as a hen. He has quickly formed his little harem and guides them around the yard, ever alert for dangers or a tasty morsel. Peepers, our blind little girl usually stays indoors but has sometimes ventured outside.

  And you won't believe this egg I collected the other day. It is huge! Too big to put into even the jumbo egg carton.

Lots of work still going on in the greenhouse. Still planting tomatoes and other vegetables, but now also transplanting has begun. Where is everything going to fit? Luckily we have room for all the hanging baskets to go above our heads. Besides the usual big flower baskets I grow, we are planting up lots of baskets of tomatoes. They have specialty ones just for that purpose. Tumbling Tom, Micro Tom, and cherry varieties just to name a few. So it was a good idea of Dan to install conduit pipes along the roof for just that reason. I'm glad he's the one that gets to figure out how to water them!

My living wreathes I planted last week are doing good. Also started some more succulents for my hypertufa troughs I will plant up later. Boy is sphagnum moss expensive. As is the metal wreath frames I use. Nothing is cheap anymore.

The squirrel is active again. I hadn't seen him for awhile but he's back. He loves to tease the dogs.

My first show is about 2 weeks. Betsy and I are frantically getting our projects completed. It seems every time we get started on one, I come up with a new one I want to do. So lots of chaos and mess all over the house and in the garage. Betsy has become a very skilled quilter and wreath-maker among other things. I don't know how she manages to juggle work, housework, kids, car work and all the crafts she's doing! I'm glad to have such a creative partner in this business!
Here are some pictures of items I have found at various junk shops and dollar stores that we are using for projects, plus some completed projects.

 And of course, some things to decorate the house for Easter!

Well, time flies when I'm writing this,but sadly I must go to work. See you next week. Please visit my blog and leave me comments. Still want to hear your ideas for my jam business name and logo.
Patti

Spring Has Sprung!

 
Good morning readers. We have finally come out from under winter's oppression and into...
Woke to a dusting of snow but now clear skies and sun. Cold and windy but ever hopeful.
As I walk around the yard signs of life are starting to show themselves. Snowdrops are the first to emerge and bloom. The daffodils are pushing their way up through frozen ground and inches of leaf mulch that have protected them all winter.

Flamingos are shaking off their mantle of frosty white and showing their pink plumage. Pussy willows are fat and fuzzy and giving the earliest mason bees their much-needed sustenance of energizing pollen nectar. Buds are appearing on lilacs, cotoneaster, magnolias and  fruit trees. Roses are starting to show some green along their branches.
I love this renewal of life and its ever hopeful push upwards and forward.

Lots of work to do this time of year. Outside yesterday we pruned, raked and explored.  I lost several climbing roses this winter that have grown here for years. They grew alongside the pond and now the obelisks Dan made me for them stand empty. So, ruthlessly I pruned them out and their canes were carted away. But even in death the roses reached out. Neither my granddaughter Jessica or I escaped the experience unscathed.

We raked  around the pond and down the long shrub bed, pruning back yellow and red twig dogwoods.
Last years hop vines were cleared. Some reached high overhead in the tops of the crabapple and sour cherry tree. Yews were trimmed up  and irises were groomed. Grape vines were gathered up and rewound in the arbor. The wisteria which has for several years threatened to take down the overhang roof of the 'Love Shack' overlooking the pond was brought back under control (as much as anyone has control over a wisteria).

This is the time to prune and shape the fruit trees. Give them a good haircut and they will reward you with fruit. You should prune to allow for good light to reach the inner branches and aid air circulation which is important to minimize disease. Prune out any dead, diseased or broken branches and any branches that are crossing or bumping against one another. This is easier said than done and sadly my efforts often produce hilarious results!

March is also the time to spray dormant oil on fruit trees such as apples, plums, peaches and cherries.It is a practice even the organic orchards use.The spray is made from a highly refined oil that smothers any  insects and eggs that may have overwintered. You can find it at local garden stores. Spray on a calm day when temperatures are above 40 degrees F, and make sure you hit all around on the branches. Be sure to follow the label instructions.

Also be sure to rake up any mulch or debris around the base of your trees.This will help deter insects, disease and the occasional mouse from wreaking havoc.
Now is also the time to start your cold frames. Lettuces, radishes, and spinach can be planted in them. Peas can be started in the ground, but be careful not to disturb the soil too much while it is wet. It will turn to cement and will take alot of work to fix.
Some of the evergreen shrubs in the back sustained damage from the weight of snow on their branches. We tied them up and together with twine.
Rake any leaves and twigs off your lawn to prevent damage, and scratch in lawn seed where there are bare patches. Trim off the old growth of ornamental grasses and check your perennial beds for any frost-heave damage.Add compost and bagged garden soil to cover any plants that are on the surface. I like to start removing some of the mulch in the beds but not all as night temps still dip low. Just enough to allow the tender new shoots a chance to poke thru.
This is the time of year I clean out the chicken coop. Manure, feed, and bedding from the floor and roosting areas has been continually turned by the chickens scratching about and has been composting all winter. This is raked out by the wheelbarrow-full and spread on the garden and flowerbeds. New bedding is replaced and the process starts over.
When those early Spring storms chase you indoors, there is still plenty to do. I inspect the houseplants for bugs. A good spray from the shower helps keep them under control or I use a insecticidal soap. Start feeding the plants with fertilizer at half strength. Repot any that have outgrown their containers. I also get ready to take cuttings or start new plants from seed. One can never have too many houseplants! Also visit your friends to see which plants they have that you can beg some starts from! (Thank you Karen)!

Get all your seed-starting equipment ready. We have already begun but that is because we want plants at the selling stage for early garden sales. Yours can wait a bit so the plants don't become too leggy. Make sure if you are reusing pots and flats that you wash or wipe them down with a diluted bleach solution. This helps your seedlings from developing damping off.
Budget in and start purchasing supplies for those garden ideas you dreamed up over the long winter days. The garden shops are gearing up and filling up the aisles with plants and hardgoods. Read the gardening magazines for new plants and outdoor decor.Keep trash out of the landfill by creating something new and unique for your yard.

Above all, get excited. The days are getting longer and hopefully warmer. Fill the world around you with beauty and color. Make your yard, deck or patio your oasis.

The Greenhouse Is Awakening!

Well, the greenhouse has been cleaned and is ready for planting! Betsy and her 2 young'uns helped Dan and I organize  the pots and flats and do a general clean-up on Saturday. Even the chickens got involved. The back door of the greenhouse was opened and they 'flocked' in to search out and destroy any weed or bug we unearthed. Cheyenne being the smallest, got elected to go under the benches to bring out the occasional pot found lurking there and to alert the chickens of another tasty morsel of spider or roly poly.
We stacked flats and got out the starter pots that we will fill with soil and seeds.Anything used last year was cleaned for the next usage. The benches were cleaned up both on top and underneath. The fluorescent light fixtures were hung back up and tested. Bins for my special soil mixes were brought out. Bales of soil, and amendments stand ready.

So bare now but see it in a month.

 The compost tea machine was filled up with water and  worm castings, special nutrients, and organic molasses and plugged in.  Please do research on the value of adding a compost tea to your plants and soil. It really does work. We use it both as a soil drench and foliar spray as soon as the seedlings appear to prevent "damping off" and as an inocculant to the soil to make it super healthy. We also use it during the growing season on the plants and also straight on the soil in early spring after the ground warms. People often make the mistake of just feeding the plant and not the soil. Then why are we even using soil? Make it strong and vibrant and in turn it will give you healthy and happy plants. And you will need less fertilizer and will have less problems with pests and disease.

And of course the oxygen in the compost tea.
Most beneficial organisms, which help plant-life grow and become resistant  to disease and stress are there because of the existence of oxygen. They cannot exist without it so  it is vital to the tea. I have used it for years and I wish I could sell it at Farmers market but because of the oxygen in it, it has a very short shelf life.
We also put out beneficial nematodes in the greenhouse. They are microscopic 'good' bugs that are added to water in a sprayer and applied to plants and soil. They will help keep insect infestations under control naturally. Also a praying mantis cocoon was placed and the grand-kids are eagerly awaiting the hatching.

There are between 100 to 400 baby in this case. They are very tiny when they hatch and hard to see. We have them in a paper bag so we can watch them. They will take a couple of weeks to hatch and then will be released to go in search of food. I am told they can be quite docile and tame and may be hand-fed small bugs. They will not bite, supposedly, if you do not pick them up by their forelegs.

The mantis is able to turn its head to look over its shoulder.

On a more human note, I had my Market meeting Saturday morning. Dues were paid and committees were formed. We are adding several new ideas to this years market. For one, our hours have gone from 8am-1pm to 9am to 1:30 pm. Alot of vendors felt it was too cold and dark to set up at 7am.
We will also have activities for the children each week, plus more hands-on projects for the adults. and we will have a group credit card/debit machine. This will enable patrons to use plastic at all the booths.
If you haven't had the opportunity to visit, you should. It is in Couer d' Alene, Idaho on the corner of Highway 95 and Prairie Road. We open Mothers Day weekend and go thru October. We also have a one day sale in December at the fairgrounds.There is also a Wednesday market in downtown Couer d' Alene.
They are getting a new website at www.kootenaifarmersmarkets.com
Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to keep you up to date on all the events and foods available.
Hope to see you there. Here's to a great season! May it be a bountiful one so we may help those in need around us.


Speaking of that, what a dreadful time they are having in Japan. I can't even imagine surviving that devastation and then the aftermath of all their fields destroyed so they can't raise food to feed themselves. And how long before they can fish again? What are that many people to do? We must count our blessings that we have what we do.

The fields before, looking so fertile and green. And after, with all the debris and sludge left with nowhere to go.


www.pattisgardenshop.com