red-winged blackbirds
I just looked up when I’ve first heard red-winged blackbirds around here in the spring over the past few years. I think it shows a trend: 2018 February 25 2016 March 5 2015 March 27 2009 April 9
spring red-winged blackbirds
The red winged blackbirds are a full month early this year!!! I saw a small flock of 4 or so males at a nearby pond a few days ago and have been listening to them (cookalokooo) from my window today. We’re having the warmest February on record here. I don’t see much spring going on with the trees and bushes outside. but the birds are reflecting the warmth. I’m tempted to plant peas now. My soil is workable. The old saying is to plant peas when the female red winged…
crazy February weather
Yesterday we had record breaking temperatures in the 70’s here! I felt very excited and wanted to plant my gardens all at once. But, back to reality and this is the view this morning. Our typical February weather. Very pretty (but yesterday was really awesome).
snow day
We are being hit with a blizzard today. Over a foot of snow is predicted. I added food to the bird feeder this morning and it’s rapidly being covered up. Juncos, blue jays, titmice, and song sparrows are braving the wind and digging down for the seeds. There’s been a chickadee and a bluebird coming to the feeder too, but I wasn’t able to get their photos.
first frost
We got a hard frost last night. All my garden plants have a coat of white crystals. It was one month late, almost to the day.
balmy (hot!) fall
I can’t believe it’s November 3 and NO FROST yet. This is over 3 weeks later then our average date of Oct 10. It’s a very odd season here in the northeast. We’re up in the 70’s today.
no frost yet
I didn’t get a frost last week in either of my gardens. My mom’s garden frosted and many others around, but no frost yet in my area. And none are in sight for the next week and a half. That means I’ll have a VERY late frost this year. At least 3 weeks late. Wow. My plants summer plants have stopped growing anyway, because there isn’t enough light for them.
frosty night
I’m wondering if my garden got it’s first frost last night. I covered some baby lettuces and picked the last of my peppers, eggplants, and popcorn – just in case. My thermometer now says it’s 33. Brrr. Once it’s light and warms up a little, I’ll go down and check.
flowers (and some pollinators) in my garden now – the last of the season
This collection has 10 different “ornamental” flowers (actually not only ornaments, but valuable companions) and 8 vegetable or herb flowers. These are all in my backyard vegetable garden. The vegetable flowers here are eggplant, pepper, squash, broccoli, carrot, bean, basil, and cucumber. I was curious to see the carrot flower. Carrots are biennials and bloom their second year. To get the flower, I planted the top of a supermarket carrot in the spring. I won’t collect the seeds as I imagine the supermarket carrot is a hybrid.
wet weather harvest
Today I spent a hour or so at my community garden plot. Tasks: Pick red raspberries Harvest 4 big butternut squash Pick ripe tomatoes, eggplant, peppers Pull and compost dead tomatoes plants Pull and compost spent summer squash vines Weed escarole bed with my Dutch hoe Sow seeds for Daikon, salad radish, and spinach to replace a row of escarole eaten by chipmunks The good part was I didn’t need to water the garden. Bad part, I got soaked by the rain (tropical storm Jose) that we’ve had a couple…
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!
