We've had a run of rainy days and this morning, the grass is much greener. My daffs are almost all in bloom, the early and late all coming at once.

Stan has most of the fences done, going out in the dry slots to get a paddock finished.

we came from here: The thread "April Fools" in Farming forum

May 1st and it is chilly and rain all week. The guy that rents our cropland has over 500 acres in but with all the cool weather it's not come up yet.

Had the hearing last night with the zoning board of the county for a variance to put a sunroom on the house. We want to square up the house but the current wall is only 68.6 feet from the center of the county road, and the requirement is 75. you never know, that sunroom might jump out some night and they'd find it in the roadside ditch. Oy-vey! They all said "we don't have a problem with it" and they voted to grant the variance. Sooooo.............looks like we'll have a sunroom sometime this year.

Good for you. I always like to hear stories of individuals winning out against government. I wonder if we have any such rules...?

Oh, well, I did neglect to inform you that we had to pay a $400.00 hearing fee........non-refundable, of course, in the event it WAS denied. And now we will have to get a $275.00 building permit. The SU said "Holy (&#%_#(*$_, that is 2 windows".

In our county I don't think there are any such requirements unless you are inside the city limits. I guess we're just not as civilized.

Perhaps your county is rolling in the dough and you don't NEED the money the hearing would have generated..............just sayin'......................

Could be - our property taxes are certainly high enough!

It is spring here. It has to be as all my tomatoes are in already. I grow enough for the entire neighborhood and I am not kidding. Lots of the ones I put in this year are completely new to me, I mail ordered lots of plants but still bought locally. The ones I mail ordered you just can't get around here.

My list all planted-
So the complete tomato list and everythings planted-
Pork Chop
Black & Brown Boar
Blue Gold
Solar Flare
Blue Beauty
Sweet Carneros Pink
AAA Sweet Solano
Berkeley Tie Dye
SteakHouse Hybrid
Porterhouse Hybrid
Razzle Dazzle
Beaverlodge slicer
Beaverlodge plum
Glacier
Oregon Spring
Cuore Di Bue
Momotaro
Japanese Black Trifle
Pink Berkley Tie Dye
Grandma's Pick
Zebra Cherry
Fantastic
Beefmaster
Belgiam Giant
Yellow Pear
Pink Girl
Sunsugar
Black Cherry
Big Boy
Better Boy
Early Girl
Sweet Million
Juliet
Vivia Italia

I'd love to know how you compare Sunsugar to Sungold.

Well, I usually buy Sungold but this year decided to try Sunsugar instead. We we will see.

I'd love to be your neighbor and help with the comparison!

Volunteers form a double line to the left!

What a list, Rita! I've only ever heard of a few of those. It should be interesting to see how they do this year.

Stan is moving heifers. He took some up to his brother's, and I fear that some of them have never been out. He brought some home from Melissa's. They are fewer and have filled the trailer quite nicely - springers who have done nothing but eat and sleep all winter. They will love the new grass.

Do we get pictures of cavorting bovines?

Not this time out. The girls that came here were in the trailer for an extended period while Stan came in at quarter to 2 and they put their heads down and started eating. Hunger tames the rampant heifer. For the time being....

Planting season here. I had started with my tomatoes and now today I have planted out eggplants, basil and zucchini.

@Newyorkrita, by planting out do you mean in a greenhouse setting of some sort? Or direct into the ground? My usual time to set out seedlings for all those warm weather crops is early June in PNW Zone 8, but we are on opposite sides of the continent so I assume there are many differences. I did take a chance and direct seed corn during our recent warm sunny week, but it's back to 45 and rainy so may have to replant (I only grow a short row interspersed with sunflowers, so no big deal if the first sowing fails).

Bonehead said:@Newyorkrita, by planting out do you mean in a greenhouse setting of some sort? Or direct into the ground? My usual time to set out seedlings for all those warm weather crops is early June in PNW Zone 8, but we are on opposite sides of the continent so I assume there are many differences. I did take a chance and direct seed corn during our recent warm sunny week, but it's back to 45 and rainy so may have to replant (I only grow a short row interspersed with sunflowers, so no big deal if the first sowing fails).

I mean put my baby plants in ground outside. I watch the weather forecast, especially for a night time lows and when it looks good I plant out. I do plant much much earlier than many of the gardeners in my area.

That is a very impressive list of tomato varieties! I'll volunteer to do taste testing! I need to be repotting some of mine today. Tender things like tomatoes and squash can't go out until June 1 at the earliest. Meanwhile, I have garlic to weed, and my onions and peas are looking good. In the flower department, the tulips are blooming, pear tree is in full flower, and the lilacs are just starting. I have my humming bird feeder up already but haven't seen a hummer yet. Usually they catch me by surprise, buzzing me while I weed, or looking in the window. The lawn has been mowed twice, and clippings added to the mulch over the weepy hose lines beside the asparagus. The clippings shade the hoses, extending their life, help hold the moisture in the soil, and will break down to feed the asparagus. I should check to see if there is enough to go with dinner tonight. The rhubarb plants are big already, and putting up seed stalks which I try to cut before the plant wastes too much energy on them. A neighbor who sells at the farmer's market and also does CSA boxes will buy a lot of it. I already mentioned it to him, and need to refresh his memory since the markets will be starting soon.