Our friends, Mike, Dara, and Sherri came, and we packed seeds into packets all morning. We had visitors just before noon. So, Will and I visited with them about gardening and seeds while the crew continued to pack seeds. When our company left, I quickly made lunch, then we headed out to the Wolf Garden to plant onions. All million of them (so it seemed). Dara had not worn “garden-friendly” shoes, so she volunteered to mop my kitchen and dining room floors, not that they needed it, mind you.
The planting went very well. As I had tilled the garden previously, the soil was loose. I drove the golf cart down where we were going to start, then as straight as I could all down the garden, next to the asparagus. The tires marked a straight area and Will followed, using the Duc plow. What’s a Duc plow? I found it online. It’s a hand-held little plow on a handle that you walk backwards to make a furrow about 3 inches deep. You can use it to cultivate, throwing soil up onto growing plants, plant smaller seedlings and, as we used it, to plant onions, which don’t get planted deeply.
After Will finished a 100-foot row, he came back and we started planting. I drove next to the row and handed Mike half-bundles of onion plants. He set them, one at a time, spaced about right, into the row. Behind him came Will and Sherri, setting the plants in. It was a little windy and cold at times. But not too bad. When we ended up, we had four 100-foot rows with five different varieties of onions, Yellow Spanish, Patterson, Cippolini, Red Wing, and Ringmaster. As Sherri wanted onions and didn’t have enough garden space to plant a lot at home, we planted hers with ours and we’ll just share onions, come harvest.
The plants in the heated greenhouse are doing very well. The peppers and tomatoes are nice and stocky. The melon, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, squash, and pumpkin seeds are germinating well. Inside, it feels like spring! I can’t wait to start out in the garden. But, in reality, we’ll be waiting for at least another 3 weeks before even putting in potatoes. We’ve found that, yes, you can plant potatoes earlier. However, if it freezes, the tops will be killed and if a period of cold, daily rain, arrives, the potatoes will rot in the ground. We’ve found if we wait until that type of weather has passed, we never have to replant our potatoes, and they produce much more in the warmer soil.
Yep, the mom fox moved her pups. Will and Drew found their old den, right behind and under the woodshed! No wonder she was worried when her pups got big enough to leave the den! I found the new den, in a path in the woods, next to the driveway, but quite a way from it. I saw it this morning, remembering the hole started last fall. There is another hole, down the hill from it, under some fir trees. I didn’t bother either hole but did notice a big wolf track in the sand around the hole. He was just passing through but boy, that was a BIG track. Bigger than even Sarge’s!
Happy spring everyone! — Jackie
We had a huge male raccoon that was a frequent flyer around our feeders. A few weeks ago, better half heard a huge kerfuffle and I’ve not seen the raccoon since. This is why our cats are now indoor only.
We too had hail damage, claim came through today. My state *finally* woke up re: P&C rate increases being justified – one thing to pay for claims in my area but another for hurricanes. I expect my rate to up but insurance is a gamble – you think you’ll incur a loss/death, insurance company thinks otherwise. Replacing the roof was a retirement budget line item but is no longer.
You have good friends – better half and I split house work – yes do partner up with a person (male in my case) that can cook and clean as well as do laundry if need be.
Will be time to plant tomatoes, cukes, and zukes here soon.