It’s a beautiful day today with lots of sun. I mentioned to Will that our front yard flower beds were getting shaded out by the trees next to them. As we’re already clearing out to enlarge our front yard, he decided he’d go ahead and cut down those trees, especially the big double poplar that was partially dead. After all, it could fall and smash our lilac bushes and even hit the house if a big wind came up. (Not to mention smashing the fence if it fell that way!) Unfortunately, the tree was leaning right toward the house and lilac bushes. He got a ladder, climbed up to the top and fastened a rope around the trunk. Then he hooked the other end to our trusty ATV and went back to cut on the tree. After cutting mostly through it, he went back and pulled hard with the ATV. Slowly at first, the tree started to lean toward the lawn. Then, as he pulled more, it crashed to the ground. Exactly where Will wanted it. Cool! Now, he’s out there, cutting up the trunks for firewood for next year and cutting the branches into movable pieces. Yea Will!
Meanwhile, I’ve been fertilizing my flower beds with 10-10-10 to help them get growing nicely. I don’t use manure on them as it sometimes contains weed seeds, even though composted fairly well. I see the tulips are coming up, so we really need to get the fence up to keep those darned deer out. They love tulips and my hostas too. Bad deer! I’ve been transplanting peppers daily and those in the greenhouse are really shooting up. I can’t believe the tomatoes! They really love the sun and warmth.
This morning, Will tilled most of the Sand Garden for the first time. I’m excited that the frost has gone so we can really get going in the gardens. We’ve got lots of stakes, tomato cages, and trellises to pull out before we can do much more tilling. — Jackie
Weeded the garlic and strawberries today. Not too bad for either bed. AND the taters are coming up.
And we’re seeing cicada holes where we weed/move things. Plenty of birds (including wild turkeys) and my squirrel population is ready is to crunch them down!
Yep, the birds and critters will sure feast on cicadas!
Strawberries are starting to bloom – about a week or two early but as my Dad says, we don’t have the strawberry season we used to have.
Better half and I have found one morel each. Still a bit early, it hasn’t been consistently warm yet.
Modern terra cotta pots have a cement base rather than pure terra cotta like of old. Does this affect drainage or plant growth? I do not have them crack but the coating just pulls away from the cement base. Opinion?
It won’t affect them as long as the drain hole stays open. Older ones are sure better though!
Lettuce, beets, turnips and spinach up and the spuds and onions are just in. Getting plenty of moisture just not wanting any of that hard(hail) water.
Oh Hail!! Hail No!! In New Mexico, one time, we had the garden all in and we got a hail storm that left three foot tall hail drifts beside the house. Needless to say, the garden plants were pounded into the ground. Nothing to do but plant the whole thing again.
Way to go Will! Another job completed. We are getting rain this weekend and I am so thankful. Hopefully the ponds and lakes will get filled and we will be out of the drought at the end of this. We have been finding morel mushrooms and they are delicious! I really enjoy mushroom season. Sounds like its full steam ahead for you two as it warms up and you can work outside more. Hope all goes well for you. Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Thanks Marilyn. I totally love morels, but we just don’t have any around here. Occasionally, I’ll find one or two, which I leave alone, hoping they’ll spread. We’re getting rain too, and I’m so very glad. I spread wildflower seeds around the newly disturbed site in the new front yard extension yesterday and today it’s raining softly.
We had to remove all the poplar trees around our home. They seem to be a lighting rod during storms. We finally got our potatoes, cabbage and onions planted. Waiting until after 1st of May to get rest of the garden out.
We can’t put anything in the garden before about the first week in June. We usually get hard freezes before that, and they will damage even frost-hardy plants like cabbages. But we always get a good harvest. It is hard to be patient though!!
“Double” trees an be a pain in the posterior. At our previous house, what we *thought* was three trees was really a single box elder (pox). Upside is we removed the tree from the “structure” it hit and put the insurance money towards a much more useful structure.
We’re pretty hard core when it comes to trees that could damage structures in a storm. Most the better half can take down but he knows his limits. We’ve had good “tree guys” over the years. Worst one was when the power company had to drop the line so we could have the American Elm that avoided Dutch Elm disease for five decades taken down. Dropping the line turned out to be a blessing as it was time for an on-us repair. Much better than the fire it could have caused.
Looking like a couple of inches of rain this weekend AND warmth. Sure, never ending weeding but morel watch will start. I’ll let you know when the cicadas (and their nemesis killer wasps) come out.
Garlic came though the chillier weather with no signs of distress.
Yep, garlic is a tough plant!! We’re lucky as Will was a logger in his previous life. So, he understands trees and has to trouble putting them down where they need to go. I always try to hang around in case one does the unexpected, as they sometimes do.
Now those trees are firewood for another year and the branches are all gone. Yea!!
Jackie, Will’s a treasure for sure and you are just the person to appreciate everything he does.
Glad you are back to normal enough to get it all done. Those tomatoes look great!
Stay healthy and safe.
Thanks Sherrie. I do appreciate all the hard work Will does. Such a huge help to partner with someone who enjoys the life we lead.
I’m so happy to be able to get out and actually do some yard work again. The knees still hurt. But they are getting slowly better.
It’s a really busy time of the year. My onions, peas, and potatoes are planted. I’ve planted 24 -5yr old maples and put tree tubes on them. We’ve had numerous trees fall due to the wind. One fell on a section of fence now it’s needing to be fixed. At times I think I just turn around and there is more to do. Calving season too and field work. Phew – I do love it. Will was smart. Felling trees is dangerous. How do you harden your transplants? Do you use your greenhouse? I hope your knees are doing well.
It’s always great to hear from homesteaders farther south of us. We won’t be planting for another month!!
Calving season is approaching us soon and Will has started in tilling some of the various gardens.
We harden our plants by opening up both ends of the greenhouse and letting the wind blow through (unless it’s a gale!). That seems to work great. When we set them out, it’s on a cloudy day, later in the afternoon, so they get a chance to adapt before being exposed to intense sun or wind.
The knees still hurt but are getting better so I can do outside work, a little at a time.