We’re very glad to have been getting rain, as we’d been in drought all winter. I’m hoping this means our drought is done with, so we’ll have a “normal” summer. While we’ve sure dealt with droughts in the past, it’s a lot easier for everyone if we don’t get another one.
As the deer have been busily walking into the front yard and eating the daylilies as fast as they come up, we’re in the get-that-fence-up mode, big time. Today, Will hauled a very heavy 100-foot roll of 6-foot welded wire fence up and unrolled it down the path, toward the barn. He had all of the 8-foot T-posts pounded in, even where there had been some frost, still in the ground. So, this afternoon, we stood the wire up, temporarily fastening it to the tops of a few posts. Then he began the slow process of stretching the wire snug and fastening it to the posts with zip ties. (I’ll go back later and wire the fence on, but when it’s “in progress” it’s a whole lot easier to use zip ties, which can easily be snipped off when necessary.
Just before the rain began, I scattered a bunch of frost-hardy wildflower seeds around among the trees. Then I got an order from Roots & Rhizomes, including several Siberian irises and a Lenten Rose. These, I planted here and there in the new front yard, figuring we’d have the deer fence up before the plants came up. They don’t usually eat any species of iris anyway. Usually.
This weekend, I’ll be starting to plant my cabbage family seeds in the house as well as some melon, squash, and pumpkin seeds. They only want to be about 5-6 weeks of age when planted outside and the end of the first week in June is roaring up on us, faster than we’d like to think. Everything in the greenhouse is fantastic, but the greenhouse is nearly full. Gee, and I was going to plant less this year. Ha, ha, ha! — Jackie
Nice fencing job! zip ties, the baling wire of this century :) got snow on the mt ridges this week, frost,, at least me, has been avoided. Not so the higher elevations of the Columbia gorge. peas and most of the leaf crops up. Onions are slow and i was even slower getting in my potatoes! green house is over flowing! as stuffed as yours possibly. the few plants i m hardening off, still need nightly cover so reluctant to add to more coverings in the evening. what a gorgeous morning here after a also very needed rain, more is coming they say. Yippee. enjoy the spring day Jackie! dont over due the knees!
I’m so happy with the new fence! Now my old flower beds have more sun as Will cut down several trees that really needed to come down. Plus now I’ve got tons more room to plant more stuff!
We haven’t been able to plant anything out in the gardens yet but Will is busy taking down tomato stakes, cages and bean trellises, getting ready for the first tilling. And, the manure spreader is all greased, ready to go!
Your yard is going to be gorgeous Jackie, can’t wait to see it finished and everything blooming. Here in NW Oregon near Mt Hood everything is blooming in spite of all the rain we are getting. That’s normal for our spring equinox weather lol. I have a question, do you perhaps know or have an orange marmalade recipe that uses pectin? I looked in your canning book and only saw the old fashioned cooked way, so I thought I would ask. Glad your knees are getting better. Sending blessings from Oregon 💕
Gee, I don’t. Maybe Google it? I’ve always used the old fashioned way, myself.
Thanks Jackie, unfortunately there isn’t much out there, which is why I thought I would ask you. It was worth a try 😊
YAY! The fence is great!! The rain has been a blessing hasn’t it? Things are a wee bit less crunchy and the streams and bogs are filling up. After our last two snowy winters I don’t mind being a little ahead of the garden this year. No shoveling the snow off of my garden beds to “kill winter” like I did last year. LOL
We love the rain! Our beaver ponds are finally filling up. We’re concerned about a mother goose that has a nest out on a small island. That island is getting smaller and smaller. Luckily, she’s on a high spot.
Great fence! Hope it stops the deer. May first brings the ideas of flowers blooming, spring time’s gentle warmth and gardening. Except here. We got snow and 20 mile per hour winds with stronger gusts. The mountains around us had their snow renewed some and it was 26 degrees at 4 pm. Supposed to be cold for a week at least. Oh well, I can get gardening chores some what cought up.
I guarantee it will keep the deer out. We have a fence like that around all of our gardens and have not had a deer jump in in over 15 years. A few got in through open gates and crashed down the top of the fence, trying to jump OUT, but in, no. We’re not out of snow danger yet, nor freezing weather. But yesterday it was 65 degrees F and we were so happy as the sun was out too!!
The squalls are so pretty. I wonder if they would make it in northern Oklahoma.
I mean squills
Sure they will. We had them in northern New Mexico. I love the blue!!
We joke that everything around here is held together by zip ties, but it’s not really a joke. Of all the things that make farm work easier, I’d put zip ties near the top of the list, so I keep buckets of them on hand in all sorts of lengths.
Just put the pea seeds in, a little later than I intended, but they’re in all the same. I’ve replanted the Brussels sprout plants I overwintered so they can go to seed and my potato onions and garlic are starting to poke out of the ground. Spring has finally arrived!
To late in TX to plant peas. Brussels sprouts can overwinter here outside. Tomatoes are being transplanted! I LOVE this type of learning about other areas………
You dog, you!! Transplanting tomatoes? Holy cow, that’s neat. Mine will be in the greenhouse for another month. Isn’t it fun, hearing about what everyone else is doing. That’s why I love it when folks put where they’re living in their posts.
I’m harvesting tomato daily.
Isn’t it great? I keep walking around, looking at the rhubarb, daylilies, daffodils and delphiniums poking up and even some of my peonies. It won’t be long before we start planting onions and peas. Yep, spring is here!!
We are zip tie fans too! Their uses are so varied and they’re quick to use, long lasting (If you get the anti-photodegrade ones) and quick to snip to get rid of too. Oh, and CHEAP!!
Best laid plans of mice and men.. it is far too easy to over plant. I told a co-worker planting is the easy part, it is the weeding/watering that is work.
My squills are already gone. I do need to weed the area of any garlic mustard. Crossing fingers our friend knows two or three folks we’ll hire to assist in pulling it.
Zip ties are quite handy I must admit.
We use zip ties for lots of things, even on the tractors to keep hydraulic hoses in place and to tie up bean trellises in the gardens. Lucky you to find someone to help weed. With six gardens and 5 acres, we are sometimes overwhelmed. (No, we don’t use plastic mulch. There’s too much plastic around without adding ours.)
UGH plastic mulch. Bad enough some around here plant over their leach field, even worse they lay plastic and cut out spots to plant. Ick, ick, ick – especially root crops!