plant corn when oak leaves are as big as squirrels ears
This season is going so fast I can’t keep up with it! Already the oak leaves are opening. I am planting more by my calendar than phenology, just because I can’t seem to keep up this year. The dandelions have been open a week and I still haven’t finished planting my potatoes and I haven’t started planting my carrots. I will keep trying to catch up. Here’s some other phenology advice:When red winged blackbird females return its time to plant peas.When the chickadees build their nests, plant peas and spinach.When…
bright yellow for April
Welcome April! Forsythia and daffodils are in full bloom now. Occasional splashes of bright yellow. And thank goodness for the clear blue sky and no rain in forecast for the coming week. Many puddles and high rivers in the area that need to dry up. March blew away all the records for Boston rain.
honey bee on crocus
Here’s a sight I’ve never seen before. A honeybee on St Patrick’s Day! I think this is a sign of a good season coming 🙂 Honeybees usually don’t show up in my yard ’til late June (post). But here it is only March! – not even Spring yet – and a beautiful honeybee as fat as can bee is loaded down with crocus pollen. Maybe he’s from Joan’s hives, which are up on her second story deck a couple blocks from me. I’m so glad they’ve made it through the…
snow day
This is the same stone wall I photographed a few days ago. Everything looks different today. Here’s my garden:
stone wall
I was trying to catch (photographically) two red squirrels that were running up and down this stone wall yesterday. But I couldn’t do it. They are fast and shy. So this is just a stone wall photo. Its another sign of spring that the squirrels are “playing tag”. Actually its the squirrel mating season and their antics are wild. This could be a phenologism to note: plant onion seeds when the squirrels begin chasing. Other spring signs now are the chickadees have begun singing spring songs, the fur is on…
January full moon
The January full moon. I only had my cell phone camera with me tonight. Its beautiful even at low resolution. Check out Dan’s blog for a high res photo viewed from 550 miles west of me (link).
melted snow on the south slopes
After a couple inches of rain yesterday, we have wonderful stretches of BARE GROUND! And lots of slush and mud. I know its just a spring teaser and we’ll have more snow and cold, but its nice. A friend asked today if I’ve planted any seeds yet. No, none yet. But it won’t be long now. My plan was to get going mid Feb, but I think I’ll start sooner this year. Maybe next week. For now, I just have the sweet potatoes – I’m gradually collecting a few more…
winter solstice
Definitely a season to celebrate!! Finally the days are getting longer. Every day a little more sun. A time for growing, planning and hoping. A true start to a new season. To celebrate, I’ve collected photos of light. One of the most beautiful things. 2009 Holiday Season CalendarDEC 11-18, 2009: Happy HanukkahDEC 21, 2009: Winter Solstice in North America, time depends on your time zoneDEC 25, 2009: Merry ChristmasDEC 26, 2009: Boxing Day and the first day of KwanzaaJAN 6, 2009: Epiphany (observed Sunday, Jan 3 in Christian churches) HAPPY…
full cold moon
Dec 1 was the full moon. It was finally a bit chilly for my fingers on the camera trigger. The branches are all bare now. The winter ducks (canvas backs) are on the big pond. Still no hard frost in my yard. Unusually late. We had a mild frost back in October and even a dusting of snow, but nothing since. I’m sure it will come…
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy
weeks and counting until my last spring frost
My garden this week
Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!
