No Need For A New Arc

Neighbor's Sheep in the Sun

The weather lately has been so rainy, that I’ve heard more then one joke about my chicken coop being the start of an arc. Now that the sun has finally decided to battle the clouds and start soaking up some of the puddles left everywhere, I’ll stop thinking about an arc conversion of the shed I’m building. Granted, it would be pretty cool to build a boat around the first story, and use the shed as living quarters while floating here and there. I even have a good selection of local animals that I could have stocked the boat with….. I’ve got two cats, two pigs in the barn, three horses, and the neighbors have cows, sheep and goats.

Thankfully, I’ll pack those thoughts back into my dreams where they belong. The sun is out for it’s second day in a row, and I’m starting to feel happier now that I’ve actually got some Vitamin D in my blood.

Peas - "Mammoth Melting Sugar"

Instead of using the sunny day as an opportunity to build, I’m planting peas, very late in the season.  I’m not a big fan of these veggies, but I do like stir fry, and they are good for me, so I’m sure I’ll eat them if I can beat the critters to the harvest.

Peas Planted on the Left

It took about 30 minutes to break up the soil, and mix in some aged manure. The whole time I was digging, I had a few Amish children watching and cheering my name from across the valley. They are very friendly, and smile and wave when they see me drive by.

In the right of the photo, I’ve removed the protective plastic from my Swiss Chard, leaving the stakes in place more out of laziness then worry about the cold. These plants did survive the winter, and began growing as soon as the snow began to melt.

In the center I’ve planted a mix of different cabbages, which have yet to sprout. I’ll give them a few more weeks before I determine them to be missing in action.

The rest of the garden is covered in a blanket of thick green grass, odd, but not to worry, the Rototiller will solve that problem soon !

Early Signs of Spring

Early Daffodils

I caught this sight out of the corner of my eye while petting my niece’s puppy. These green sprouts are Daffodils which are beginning to grow a few weeks earlier then last year. I took a similar picture on March 7th 2010 for my post Signs of Spring.

As I think about the timing when these plants first grow, I’m reminded that last year at this time I was busy cloning grape vines, but this year I haven’t even pruned those vines. I better get my self into gear as soon as the cold returns, or I will lose the opportunity for the year.

It’s important to prune grape vines, as grapes will only grow out of the new green part of the vine. When you prune a grape vine, your reducing the amount of top growth that the roots need to supply with nutrients. Since the size of the roots are not changed, it is easier for the roots to supply ample nutrients and water to the new growth, which in turn encourages better grape production.

Fall Planted Garlic

I’m very happy to see that my store-bought  fall-planted garlic is still alive and well. I got these cloves at quite a discount compared to garlic bulbs in most gardening catalogs. I know these are not “Gourmet” garlic bulbs, but they are an important first trial before I invest in the much more expensive bulbs. If this garlic crop does well, I’ll begin diversifying with the more expensive bulbs.

Goat Manure

I also have some work cut out for me this weekend. Above is one of the first of many piles of manure that I hope to place into the garden in the next few weeks. This particular pile is Goat Manure, which is very good for a garden, and contains very few seeds.

“Micro Twister”

Micro Twister

It’s official, I think I’ve seen everything now…

The day started like any other, hot, and dry. I was in the greenhouse cutting some hose for a different project when I heard a huge gust of wind, and felt the structure move a bit. I have been in there during lightning storms, so I really didn’t give it much thought. I was actually happy to hear the wind, as that is usually a sign of rain. I went into the house only to notice papers scattered everywhere, and a lamp knocked over. I then began to feel the wind again, and it was a bit disorienting. I rushed out to the porch, wondering if I would need to find cover. When I stepped out, I noticed one of the largest trees in my yard get literally beaten and thrashed by wind like nothing I had seen before. It was almost as if nature was out to break this tree apart. I also noticed the still air everywhere else. I ran to get my camera, and got it just in time to capture this twisting air carring dust up off the drive way.

When it dissipated, I got curious, and began looking for other signs of it’s passing.

Micro Twister Damage

When I got to the tomato patch, I noticed about ten plants knocked over, and beaten up a bit. The plants should grow back and be fine, I’m just amazed some times thought; of all the possible reasons to have trouble growing in the garden, I just never thought a twister would damage these plants. I’ve worried about bugs, blights, rusts, watering and minerals and here wind is what’s setting these plants back.

Once again, Hazel was knocked over…