Snow! 4.11.22

Still falling hard at 7:20 am. Quite a snow fall. Quiet and peaceful now.

Somehow I don't think I'll be digging in the dirt this morning LOL.

That Poor Hen! 4.11.22

The green-ish eggs are duck eggs, which are like jumbo sized chicken eggs.

Twin Yolks,

Growing Ginger From A Grocery Ginger Root. 4.10.22

During the Winter I cut a swelling bud from a grocery store ginger root. I planted it in seed starting medium.  Last week I transplanted it into potting soil.  Growth is pretty nice so far.  Each leaf is larger than the last.

I think this will always be in a container.  Ginger is tropical.  From what I read, we might have usable ginger by late fall.

Transplanting A Climbing Rose that I Grew from a Cutting Last Year. 4.10.22

Last year I started this climbing rose from a dormant pruning.    I didn't expect it to grow so well.  It was in a bad location so I moved it.  Since we are still in early Spring, I think it should settle in OK.

This rose is a pink-ish color, sort of peachy.  I don't know the name.  I pruned back about half of the top growth, to compensate for root loss.

Seedlings. Four O'Clocks, Extreme Bush Tomato, and Salpiglossis. 4.10.22.

 The Four O'Clocks are germinating quickly on the seedling mat.  I don't think it's necessary to pre-sprout them although maybe the overnight soak help was helpful.

The Extreme Bush tomatoes germinated but not the eggplants,  so far.

The Salpiglossis are starting to grow.  The seeds were tiny, like dust, so I sprinkled them on top of the seed starting medium and pressed them into the soil.  Supposedly they require light so I had them in the sunroom instead of on the warming mat.

Baby Chickens. 4.10.22

We've had these a few weeks.   So far they are healthy and growing quickly.

Sweet Cherries In Bloom. 4.10.22

 Last fall I pruned these sweet cherry trees pretty severely.  I wondered if they would bloom as well this year.  They look great!  Barring a  bad weather event, I think they will have a heavy crop with lots of sweet cherries to eat fresh, to share,  and to can.

One is Ranier and the other is Bing.  I planted them about ten or fifteen years ago.

New Growth on Refurbished, Transplanted Lavender Shrubs. 4.9.22

 This is encouraging.  The old lavender shrubs that I rescued, cleaned up, and pruned, appear to have settled in.  The green growth is new.   Original old growth is grey.

I think that if I keep weeds away and keep them pruned, they will develop into nice shrubs (actually small enough, "subshrub" might be a better term), with lots of lavender to harvest and lots of flowers for local bees of all minds.  

Making Another Garden Cap (Cadet Cap). 4.8.22

 I made some more adjustments in my cadet cap sewing.  The last caps needed a bit more tightness, so I added a headband, which helped.  I had ordered some more heavier weight interfacing for cap bills.  In error, the interfacing that I received was fusible on both sides.  I didn't think I liked that, but it turned out to make a much better bill.  I has just the right flexibility and stiffness.

I used left over chino trowser fabric as before.  It's both tough and soft and pliable.

The inside is flannel.  The inside top is quilted for scalp protection.

The cap is reversible, if I want the flannel on the outside.  There are no fabric raw edges.

It's comfortable and a perfect fit.

Sometimes I like to save the label from the source fabric, as a kind of logo.

Planting Oregano and Ratibida Seedlings Outside. 8.8.22

The oregano seedlings that I had outdoors during a frost haven't done well.  I think it was too early.  I started a second set after that, which have grown more quickly, and passed the first ones.  Here is a comparison.

Today I planted three of the cells in freshly turned soil.  I also planted the six pack of Ratibida, which I have never grown before.

It may still be too early, but I am hopeful.  Rudbeckia and Echinacea seedlings, planted previously, seem OK.

The First Forsythia Cutting is Rooting. 4.8.22

I noted the first of the forsythia cuttings has grown roots.  As before, the roots are emerging from new growth rather than from the original stem.

I cut the bottoms of the other cuttings, so that the lowest new growth will be under water.    Unfortunately, this one isn't as vigorous as the other variety.  It's more compact, and the flowers are larger and a different shade of yellow.  I'm happy with any that grow.

More and Fresher Four O'Clock Seeds. 4.8.22

 After planting the other Four O'Clock seeds, I looks for the ones I saved last year, and found them.  I also looked back in my notes.  Years ago, my best success was by soaking the seeds overnight, then incubated them on a wetted paper towel in a zipper lock bag.  I tried that this time and noted several seeds had begun to germinate one day later.  So I'll do that with these as well.

Planting Carnation and Statice Starts Outdoors. 4.8.22

 I've never grown carnations or statice here, so I don't know what works.  Carnations seem kind of uncertain.  The ones that I up-potted have survived but are not thriving.

I decided to plant out the first batch that I started in silicone six-packs.  These are looking pretty good.  They have spent a number of full days outdoors, so I'm not concerned about sunburn.  Chill might be a problem.  I kept the other sixpack for more TLC and for comparison.

I also planted the first six pack of statice seedlings.  They are odd looking plants, sort of like dandelions with leprosy.

Pruning and Cleaning up the Carnivorous Sarracenias. 4.8.22

The Sarracenias were looking  bedraggled.  According to the experts, they should be pruned by now.  Flower buds were starting to emerge so I was careful.

One before picture.  What a mess.  They were sitting in their basins at the edge of the vegetable garden.

After.  There are lots of flower buds.  I want to create a better place for them.  This is easy to access for filling the basins with rainwater.

Lots of flower buds.  One plant had a big slug among the leaves, and some slug damage to a few flower buds.  I mover her (or him) elsewhere and added slug bait.

It was interesting to see, these were teeming with spiders.  Since spiders are also carnivores, it was kind of a double whammy for any insect that happened to visit.  This one didn't have the most spiders but it was the one I remembered to video.

Asian Pears Are Blooming. 4.8.22

 The Asian pears are full of blossoms.  I wondered if last year's pruning was too extreme.  I don't think so. If each cluster gives a pear (after thinning) thats enough for a few batches of canned pears.  Almost done eating the ones I canned last year.

It's interesting that one tree has red-ish new foliage and the other is bring green.  I had multigrafted both trees.  Apparently, somehow the grafts matched the original trees.  I forget the varieties now.

Planting Four O'clock Seeds and a Couple of Tomato and Eggplants. 4.6.22

 I had some brilliant yellow Four O'Clock seeds that I collected two years ago from a plant growing in the front yard.  It cones up each year, grows, blooms beautifully, never needs watering, and deer don't touch it.

I also have a packet of mixed colors of Four O'Clock seeds.  They will go into a different location.

The "Extreme Dwarf" tomato should extend the season longer.  I planted the first bunch of those a month ago.  Very container friendly, prolific and tasty, but small - about the size of a heritage sauce tomato.

I found the eggplant seed packet so decided to start those too.

Here is that "Four O'Clock in 2020.  I don't have a definite lineage, but I've been saving seeds and growing them for roughly 20 years, so these are probably descended from the first ones I grew back then.  The first photo was from 2014.

Then from 2020

Planting Potatoes, Container Method. 4.6.22

 I found these red potatoes in a cabinet, too sprouted and wrinkly for good potato salad.  I decided to plant them in one of the fabric containers.  They might be ready by mig June, and then bush beans can go into that container.

Many years ago I used the container method and it was so-so.  This time I'll give the, more room and fertilizer.

They are covered with a few inches of soil.  As they grow, more soil is added until they reach the top.  They should be watered and fertilized until the stems start to dry.  I figure, if each potato makes five good potatoes, that will me thirty, which is no small potatoes LOL.  Unless they actually are small potatoes.

Baby Ducks. 4.6.22

Ning's baby ducks.  After watching them a few days, he thinks two might be males.   I don't know how to tell the difference except time will tell.

Main Crop Potato Starts Arrived. 4.5.22

 The potato starts I ordered from Fedco in Maine arrived yesterday.  I opened them and havecthem in the sunroom to pre-sprout (chit).

Envol are super early producers. "The earliest of the Early".  Yukon Gem is an updated version of Yukon Gold - a little later but more disease resistant and more productive,

Sorya is a German variety, Yellow flesh, midseason, long keeping that produces well with low fertility soils.  Kennebec is mid season, so far my favorite of all potato varieties.

The seed potatoes all look about the same so I wont add more photos.  I also bought a late season variety, Elba - white flesh, disease resistant, and supposedly very long keeping type potato.

I'll need to prepare some more area for them.  This is enough for five long rows and I've only prepared two rows so far.

Peppers, Eggplants, Thyme. 4.3.22

 Here are some of the peppers and eggplants that are sunning outside today.  They are behind the tomatoes in growth, even though I started them earlier.

Behind them are the Rosemary cuttings.  I think two will grow.  The other doesn't look so good.

There are still lots of pepper and eggplant seedlings in six-packs to up-pot.  I do a few each day.

This is the thyme six-pack that I started later.  I think these are bigger than the earlier starts now.  The reason is it was still too cold when I planted the earlier thyme outside.

I think the others will be OK, just set back a bit from their time in the cold.

Flower Seedling Plants. 4.3.22

 The flower seedling and cutting starts are doing pretty good. 

These are carnations, statice, bloodflower, milkweed, late started coreopsis, ratibida (Mexican hat flower), later started oregano, and later started thyme.

These are mostly geraniums.  The more lush ones are mostly starts from cuttings last fall.  The puny looking ones were starts from this winter.

The big planter / container box is done, and the containers are 1/3 full of soil.  When they are full, two of the ten will get flowers (carnations and statice), two will get Serrano peppers, and four will get bush beans.  Im not sure about the remaining two, maybe shallots in one and a bush tomato in the other.

Tomato Seedlings Growing Fast. 4.3.22

The tomato plants are in Black Gold potting soil.  For most, I'm using taller pots, 4" across, so they don't get root bound too fast.  There are still about 6 weeks before they can go into the ground. These are all slicing tomato and a few cherry tomato plants.

It's a lot of plants, but about half are for gifts.  

At this early stage, the dwarf types are easily distinguished from regular height plants.

The three on the left are dwarf, the two on the right are not dwarf.  The far left plant is "CC McGee", a "potato - leaf" dwarf.  

The one exception is Reisentraube, which so far is as small as the dwarf types, even though they are a regular height - type plant.

All were in the sun for a few hours yesterday.  They looked fine afterwards.  In fact, I think the leaf color looks better.    They will be in the sun for most of the day today, too.  I'm actually hoping that the dwarf plants can be in pots longer than the regular height plants, to give me more time.

Potato Plants Emerging. 3.31.22

There are several potato plants emerging from the early planting of sprouted potatoes.  This variety has red skin.  They will need a little cultivation soon so the weeds don't compete.  I don't know its name.  The yellow ones have not emerged yet.

I just checked on the Fedco  website.  They should be shipping potato orders in April.