Yesterday I counted 8 clusters of potato leaves! I think I planted about 20. Another welcome sight is the first peonies starting to open. I have not seen a single dandelion. Sagebrush is in bloom and we have been seeing a few mallow and other wildflowers. We have multiple varieties of dryland shrubs in the hills around us, most bloom in the spring but the rabbit brush blooms in the fall just before frost and about the same time the tumbleweed starts to change from light green to red and finally brown before the wind breaks it loose to go tumbling and shedding hundreds of seeds. Tumbleweed is Russian thistle, brought here by immigrants along with their grain seed. They settled in the great plains and a few years later the tumbleweed started showing up miles away. And it just kept tumbling!
Unpredictable spring weather continues. Following a day of blustery wind and rain (we got 2 10ths of an inch) yesterday was beautiful for garden tilling. This morning was as well and I mowed the yard, intended to do other things but by the time I finished mowing the weather front came and brought us wind, lightning and thunder plus another 2 10ths of an inch of rain.
Some flowers are! I have one, a fairly common allium that I wish I had not planted! Yesterday I worked on deadheading all of the alliums I could find in the yard. That invasive one really got away from me. I was also trying to dig out their bulbs. They are confined in an old feed sack because if I put them on the burn pile or the compost they will just be scattered and grow in a different place. There are already a few in the pastures. I need to get those soon.
In past years we have only had one or two hummingbirds until the babies hatch, so then about 4 or 5. This spring we suddenly have 5 or more! The sugar-water feeder is a busy place. We try to count them.
The garden has been tilled. Multiple times. First Ron (our son) went lengthwise, then crosswise, and then I spread leaves and he tilled them under. That takes 3 passes to get the majority of them underground. He used the big, old Troybuilt tiller we bought new in 1983. It's still going strong but I can't handle it anymore. The weather behaved itself today, thank You, Lord! I still have about a dozen bags of leaves and am not sure where I will put them, or when. The sun will begin to break down the bags by fall so that would be the limit of how long they will sit there. Some could be put into the garlic rows anytime between July and late October. I'll add some to the raised bed. Not sure what I will plant in it, maybe the broccoli or some cabbages. Bunnies can't get them there.
The reason for tilling crossways was to mix pathway soil with the old, established rows that had too much cow manure.
Days in the 60's and even up to 80 one day, then frost last night! The vegie plants I bought have spent mornings outside in the sun and breeze and nights in the greenhouse. Yesterday was so windy they also spent the day inside. And so did I.
Two days ago I finished mowing the grass and weeds in the main part of the garden where leaves will be spread and tilled into the soil, and also mowed the weeds in the lower part where my new vegies will be planted after I rototill that part. The grassy edges by the rhubarb and between the grapes and the pasture fence also need mowing again. And after I do that the mower needs to come back to the yard so I can mow that again. Hubby mowed around the buildings and the driveway edges with the riding mower yesterday in spite of the wind.
This morning it calm so we can get the shade cloth on the greenhouse. It's past due. Without it my jade plants and cacti get burned spots. Who would expect cacti to sunburn?
Even after a couple of windy days and nights the bird nest on the porch beam has stayed in place. Ms Bird is a good builder. I'm sure she has eggs in it now. The bird that built the nest in the rhubarb has now built another one in the next plant. She apparently didn't learn a thing!
The lilacs have started to bloom and right away within a day or two of seeing the first flower we have two hummingbirds. That lilac bush was big and old when we moved here 30 years ago and is a refuge for the sparrows, wrens and other small birds. We call it the bird bush. The hummingbirds nest in that bush but I have never been able to spot a nest. When young hummers are big enough to fly the feeder is a busy place and they usually come from and return to that bush.
I'm multitasking in the garden. I did some mowing around rhubarb plants and have a hose going there to give them a good soak. And I mowed next to the old asparagus row and have a slow soaker going there. Since that big tree was cut the asparagus is coming back to life! The peas were watered, also the potato rows and I made 4 holes to plant more because I found 4 nicely sprouting potatoes in a bag. They will extend the row. None of the ones I planted a week or so ago have shown themselves above ground yet and that is fine because the tops would have frozen.
Yesterday I saw something green at the base of a "dead" raspberry plant. And as I looked at the other three plants in my little row I found new green leaves at the base of every one of them! Thank You Lord! Only God can make a dead plant grow!
As I suspected the bird nest in the rhubarb plant is way down near the ground, sideways and as of yesterday with only one egg of the 4 that Ms Bird laid. Maybe she has learned something? The plants are growing pretty well so I think I will have some rhubarb to sell next week. The grass around the plants needs to be mowed again.
Today was senior discount day at the farm store so I bought a few tomato plants, summer squash, broccoli, and a few other things. They didn't have a few of the things I want so I will check at the discount store and might end up going to Walmart. The nearest Walmart (or any big box store) is 40 miles away and if I have to buy plants I want to support our local folks before going somewhere else.
My packrat trapping efforts have been successful lately. I caught two, then after 3 nights of not catching any moved the trap and caught one last night. I'm sure there are a lot more waiting for their turn. I've never caught two at a time but it is possible. A few years ago I had a trap set in the corn patch to catch whatever was feasting there. In the morning there were two young raccoons in the trap! I have also caught two mice with one snap of the trap several times. It seems that those youngsters are never far from a sibling.
It's wonderful weather! Warm, not hot, and no frost for the past two or three nights, just great gardening weather! Yesterday I finished the hands and knees job of weeding the garlic. I also watered all of the rhubarb one plant at a time giving them a slow soaking. I lay the hose down and let the hand held sprinkler give the roots a good soak. A baby bunny popped out from under one plant, it seemed dazed by the bright sun and had taken a good spray of water so wasn't a happy bunny. When I moved to the next plant another one popped out! And I flushed a mouse out of the next one. No shortage of places to hide and they'd better be careful or they will be owl food! The bird nest I mentioned in the last blog post now has 4 eggs. As the stalks and leaves have grown it is now way down in the plant and looking like a failed construction project. It probably won't hold together much longer.
The ten day forecast doesn't show any temperatures near freezing. It has me wondering if it might be safe to plant tender things like tomatoes outside. The tomatoes I started from cuttings off last year's plants are tall and spindly despite being in full sunlight in the greenhouse. They have had plenty of blossoms and not one tomato! The air circulation is good because there is a small fan running 24/7 so I think I will buy some new plants. It was an experiment anyway.
My seed starting efforts have been a bust this year. Operator error. I put the pots on a heat mat and I think it was too hot. Nothing came up. I was trying to make up for the days we were away when I should have had them growing already. I will be buying cabbages, tomatoes, and squash. Maybe some broccoli. With our short season those are the things I always start from seed and set out six weeks later. I'll direct seed some beets, bush beans and ? How much depends of space available. Potatoes are already planted next to the peas.
My garden will be smaller this year anyhow because I am only planting the part where I didn't put so much of the cow manure compost. The rest of it will get a generous application of the bagged leaves I brought home last fall. Our son is coming for a bit of visiting and work while he is between jobs. He will use our big old Troy Built tiller and get them all underground. Meanwhile, I will mow the grass that has come up and use the smaller tiller to try to get it underground. I might need to do some raking before I stir up the soil to remove the grass clippings. Last year we used the weed eater on the grass and I raked it into piles before he could do the tilling. It's looking very shaggy already!
So far I have only seen one fledgling owl. After his wild sojourn into the grassy pasture (probably aided by a gust of wind) he was on the nest tree the next day and the day after that. I try to spy on him from a distance so I don't scare him, but I think he probably doesn't like the riding lawn mower even at 40 feet away. He did stay put on mowing day. Good little owl, now listen to your parents! Actually I have no knowledge about what owl parents tell their youngsters but it is fun to guess!
