We are in the middle of large scale property cleanup and maintenance activities, and also building some new raised beds. So much is going on in fact, that the man and I each took three days off work to get it done. Typical spring cleaning on our acreage. Strenuous physical activity, leaving me not much time for deep thoughts this week. My only thoughts have been: man, we had a lot of big storms over the winter…so much debris to…
april garden activities
April 1, 2019April is one of the busiest months out in the garden and most of that has to do with (that dreaded) cleanup. Here is what we are working on this month. I pretty much did nothing garden-related during March but take care of seedlings growing indoors. We have a LOT of cleanup to do around the place. A bunch of branches came down over the winter. And all those tall ornamental grasses to cut back. We let them stand over…
i’m digging! brand new peonies
March 29, 2019This week I am digging the peony shoots that are coming up. These are ones that I divided from a group of them further out on the property and planted closer to the house in the fall. This post details that process. I am very happy that the transplant “took” (because it doesn’t always work out that way, right?!) and that I will have peonies blooming right in front of the house. If you’ve followed along for a while, you…
an old troll bridge in the middle of the woods..
March 25, 2019Sounds like a line from a Grimm’s fairy tale! It has just turned spring, and things are ramping up quickly around here. While we are gearing up to start the outdoor projects, I thought I’d show you something we did last summer out on the property. I’d meant to post about it at the time, but it just got away from me. So, no better time than the present. There is a quaint little bridge that leads from our house…
i’m digging! the first true leaves
March 22, 2019quick update on the seedlings
March 18, 2019i’m digging! garlic sprouts
March 15, 2019thoughtful thursday: music to garden by
March 14, 2019Question for my fellow gardeners: do you listen to music while working in the garden? This question made me think…do I listen to music while I garden? Sometimes, but not always. And when I do, what do I listen to? Oftentimes, it is gardening podcasts that I listen to. I plan to do a future post on my fave gardening podcasts. But for now, let’s talk about music to garden by. A quick search came up with a bunch of…
fanning the seedlings
March 11, 2019Still upping the seedling game, I’ve added a fan to my setup. The primary reason for using a fan is to maintain good air circulation, thereby reducing the risk of diseases caused by too much moisture. I’ve also read that using a fan can help the seedlings become stronger, sturdier. Intrigued by this, I looked into it a bit more. According to www.gardeningknowhow.com: “This tricks the plant into thinking that it is growing in a windy environment and releases chemicals…
i’m digging! the first seedlings
March 8, 2019This week I am digging the first seedlings to pop up…tomatoes, brussels sprouts, and onions. One of the podcasts that I listen to regularly is The joe gardener Show by Joe Lamp’l. His episode this week is a gem, chock full of good tips on starting seeds indoors. Today I implemented one of the tips from this episode. He suggests that once the first few seedlings emerge, to go ahead and remove the clear plastic cover that was used to…
