Friday, March 8, 2013

A Week Already?

 The daffodils are starting to bloom. A sure sign that spring is right around the corner. I want to get started out in the garden, though the weather just keeps teasing and teasing me. I'm really starting to get impatient.  It's finally just about dry enough to get out there and get the rows prepared.  Of course it is supposed to rain again tomorrow so it's either try to get some things in today or have to wait yet again for it to dry out enough to work the soil.  It's time to be putting in things like Swiss Chard, carrots, lettuce, spinach, turnips, green peas and kolrabi.  Not to mention the onions and potato's.  I had 0% luck with my broccoli and cabbage seed germinating.  I think part of it was because of the temperature fluctuation when we first started working in the greenhouse.  I've just about got that figured out now though.  Hmmm.... Maybe it's still not too late to plant some more broccoli seed?  A bit late for a start but what the heck, right?  I'm absolutely loving puttering around in the greenhouse.  As a matter of fact I've got some more seed I want to start today.  I picked up several kinds of flower seeds the other day.  Most are perennial's that I want to plant around the place.  I've never been much of a flower seed kind of person before.  In the past if I wanted flowers I'd go buy the plants and bring them home.  I'm going to see how I do at sprouting flowers this year though.  So far so good.  I've got a flat of various kinds of seed started now and things are starting to push up out of the soil.  The hope is to attract bees and butterflies. The more the merrier!   

The tomato plants I've got started aren't going to be anywhere near big enough for the garden come April 15th. (Our last frost date) Nor are there nearly enough. Next year I'll be able to start them 6-8 weeks earlier so they should be pretty nice size by the time I put them out.  This year though, it looks like I'm going to be purchasing them.

We've spent this week working on trimming the underbrush and dead limbs off the trees in the front of the property.  It's starting to look pretty good now.  We've still got a bit to go but then, everything around here seems to be a work in progress.  The old trash pile that's been covered in weeds and semi-covered with dirt for years and years is now just a memory.  This was the pile the folks that used to live here must have put all their old glass bottles, aerosol cans and things that wouldn't burn.  It took a couple of shovels and a couple of days to get all that stuff cleaned up.  Now we can actually drive all the way around the perimeter of the property!  Which comes in handy more often than you would think.

Mars has started another project.  He's figured out another way to use the old cinder block from the burned out house foundation.  There's a lot of it but since it was in the fire the blocks are real "fragile".  They break and crumble pretty easily.  So he's using them to make a driveway up to the house.  Where the main driveway is located is a little bit of a walk to the front door, especially if you are carrying in groceries or something.  He's already made a walkway out of some of the cinder blocks so we aren't walking in the mud up to the house.  It looks and works great. This is one of those jobs that gets done when there aren't other projects he can putter with.  Me, I'm trying to finish the afghan I've been working on.  It's close to being done, which is good because before long it's going to be too hot to be sitting with a dang afghan in my lap!  It should have been finished already but finding the time to just sit and crochet isn't always as easy as it sounds.

Anyway.... that's just about all I've got for now.  I hope everyone has a wonderful day.  And don't forget to set your clocks back this weekend!  Spring is springing!!!!

13 comments:

  1. You two always seem to have some project going on...and I think that's a good thing!

    Hope you are able to get to gardening real soon!

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    2. Dang, I deleted myself. heheh...
      Jim I figure if we always have another project to do then how could we possibly be bored!

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  2. I just started my tomato and pepper plants a couple of days ago, just too much to do these days. I used to start the seeds for them back in early February but found that by the time I could get them out in the garden they were huge and had a hard time getting used to being outside when hardening off and in the end I lost most. So this year I waited later so that I have smaller plants to start with. Once there roots hit the warm dirt outside(when it warms up that is!) they will take off. I still have until April 15th to worry about getting them out and even then waiting until the 1st of May might produce better results. It sure sounds like you guys are getting a lot done. We need more pictures. :)

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    1. Girl I know you have your hands full with the new "addition". I'm still figuring out all the dang plant care thing. Folks who say that they can just toss seed in the ground and eat...welll...

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  3. Wow, you are busy. Next time show a pic of your starts, ok? I have never had a luck with that but I am getting inspired.

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    1. JMD, I apologize about the lack of pictures. I'm still limping along on bad rechargeable batteries for the camera. Ticks me off but... I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and get real batteries.

      Oh, and when they (the starts) get big enough not to embarrass me, I'll be sure to try and snap a shot!

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  4. Sci,

    I love having a greenhouse, it allows you to get a head start on things. Great news you're able to control the temperature inside, this will make a difference with growing seeds. Hubby picked me up a little greenhouse, we set it up inside for now. I've started several different type of heirloom tomato seeds, there very thin and little. I'm hoping they will peek up a bit for eventually planting outside. I also got a head start on beets, broccoli, cauliflower, numerous herbs strawberries and luffa.

    We're (bloggers) antsy about getting outside and planting gardens and preparing for our future and canning our success.

    Sci, I'm happy to hear Mars was able to recycle the blocks from the burnt out house and make a walk way/drive way for your place. Recycling everything possible is a wonderful thing.

    Thank you for the reminder on resetting our clocks. Don't work too hard and have a great weekend.

    Your Friend,
    Sandy
    P.S. Give Mars a hug and the critters a scratch behind their ears.

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  5. Whoa, don't set your clock back! It's Spring forward and Fall back! Wouldn't want you to be late on Sunday! Love reading your blog!

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    1. LOL Thanks Diane, I DO tend to get that stuff backwards!

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  6. It's fun to read all about your planting THERE while there is still snow on the ground HERE. It gets a girl kind of excited with anticipation! Thanks for the clock setting reminder. I totally forgot. Springing ahead!

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    1. How do you stand it? I'm just about to go nuts here already with "the need to seed"!
      As for the time change... it just means I have to become more of a "rooster" kind of person. Argggg!!!!

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