Diary 4/9/12

Today for cloudy but mild.  It felt so nice.  I had a chance to work in the greenhouse this afternoon and I really could feel the difference; warm soil, green growth, and in general SPRING!  There is some real progress in there.  Outside the greenhouses, it is still too wet to work up any beds yet, but I am starting to look at which ones I might be able to turn by hand and maybe put part of a fence up to protect from deer. This coming weekend looks like it may have some warmer days, but still cloudy.  In the meantime, it is going to rain and so, more wetness.

HAPPY EASTER!

Diary 4/6/12

Nice day.  Did a little transplanting.  I started squash and some more cucumbers and worked on an area for the next cabbage and broccoli.  It is going to be nice again tomorrow, so hope to get some more transplanting done.  Want to dig up some perennial starts for the upcoming wildflower show.  We sell plants to make money or the fire department.  This year they are hoping to purchase some new hydraulic cutters because dashboards are being made out of tougher materials.  That is the goal, and we will make whatever money we can towards that goal with door donations, plants, a boutique, decorated totes and aprons and 10% of any sales the other booths there make.  Lots of free info there also from Forest Service, BLM, Upper Rogue Watershed and others of that type of institutions.  All this plus a show of usually 200 different wildflowers with their botanical names and organized by families.  This year the show is May 5th and 6th, so hope we have some warmer weather soon so there are more flowers!

Diary 4/3/12

Scented geranium is happy!

Just as suspected, the weather prediction has changed.  Now instead of three days of sun we might get one with  high of 54.  Looks like some cold front must have won out over whatever was maybe gonna happen.  I knew not to get my hopes up too much.  The next couple nights are going to be cold ones, so not going to transplant tomatoes into bigger planters until we get on the other side of this coldness.

Diary 4/3/12

Looks like kale soup for dinner tonight.  In this case, I have a little leftover Italian sausage to use, but you can start with linguisa, sausage, or a vegetable or miso base.  I like to fry the potatoes a little before I add the stock just because it give them a flavorful coating.  Then add your stock and a whole bunch of kale, like a cup and a half coarsely chopped or more if you have it and you like it.  Easy dinner, and it uses up quite a bit of kale which is one of the greens that flourish this time of year. YUM!

Diary 4/2/12

notice the deer trimmed the leaves!!!

It was a very pleasant day and I would like three more of them, please.  (I don't think that is the weather prediction).  I made soil mix, moved tomato trays about, planted some onions, and fortified a greenhouse door where some deer entered and ate some cabbages. I bought a whole roll of insect barrier just to cover everything I plant up so the deer won't get it.  It is not attractive and looks like I am growing table cloths. I think I will ceremonially tap in a couple fence posts tomorrow, Arrgh!

Diary 4/1/12

Cool, rainy day.  I stayed inside except for tending the chickens.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and then right back to rain.  Phew, I hate to complain, but we received 11 inches of rain here last month and I am wondering when I can get out to the garden beds, the raspberries that need pruning, and working on the deer/cow fence?  Help is on the way for the second week of May and then a couple other possible WWOOFers for summer.  Hope we get that break soon.  I planted cucumbers today and the second round on tomatoes into trays, so I will just keep on keeping on for now...