January 12, 2017

“aerial” garden photo

I was able to get an aerial view of my “new” garden. (Actually not so new any more – this is it’s 4th year.) My husband gave me a beautiful new pruning ladder for Christmas. I was able to place it at the top off the slope to the west of the garden and shoot a photo though the branches. I’d like to follow my garden through the year from one location. I wish I could get up a bit higher, but this is the top of the slope. Not…

January 9, 2017

snow on the garden

We got about 6 inches of fluffy snow.

January 7, 2017

I lost both my hives 🙁

🙁 The boxes of both my hives are now empty and stacked crosswise. I was sad to see so many bees die. I’m guessing they died from dripping condensation as I saw water droplets in the hive when I opened it. I noticed bees begin to die in November, just after it got cold. They fell from the hive in huge numbers. Mostly they couldn’t get cleaned out through the mouse guard, so they accumulated on the floor of the hive and I brushed them out. Both hives. I knew…

January 7, 2017

approaching snow storm

We are expecting 6-10 inches of snow – finally. It will be good for my plants. Mulch on my garlic bed is frozen solid. Soil at the edge of my winter tunnel is frozen about 3 inches into the bed. It will be good for plant roots to have a blanket of snow.

January 6, 2017

New Year’s “sort-of” resolutions

I’ve made a list of things I’d like to do better, or differently, in my garden this year. Not necessarily “resolutions”, but things to try to do. And not too many things. Three seems like a good number. Label plants better: I think this has been on my New Year’s to-do list for several years now. One problem is that I like to use compostable wood labels, but they, hmm, compost, in garden soil during the season. I’m going to use plastic this year. I’d really like to know what’s…

January 4, 2017

my (and my mom’s) birdfeeders

My bird feeders are a hodgepodge: half falling over, half broken, and more often empty than filled. Today, the birds and squirrels have emptied most of them. This green feeder is my nicest, even though it’s bent and faded. A spring-loaded perch closes when a large bird or squirrel tries to eat. Only smaller birds can perch and get at the seeds. It’s very nice. Problems I’ve had with it: larger seeds get stuck, accumulate, and clog up the seed opening; it seems that water gets into the…

January 4, 2017

backyard birds

Not much variety in the winter, but very pretty birds. Maybe I’ll see something special if I keep watching my feeders.

January 1, 2017

New Year’s lists

New Year’s Day is a good time for looking forward and making lists. I haven’t made a resolution list. I’m not so big on them since I’m usually not disciplined enough to follow through. I do like to write up seed lists. I love a new year and a new garden to think about. I’ve just finished up my 2017 variety list – between New Year’s family activities, and a lot of food, drink, and generally celebration. My list has 118 different varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Of these,…

December 31, 2016

it popped!!

My popcorn popped! I’m so happy. And it’s really tasty popcorn. Crisp and hull-less. Really nice flavor even without butter and salt. Super with them. I wish it was a open pollinated (OP) variety that breeds true so I could save the seeds to replant next year. But it’s F1. Nevertheless, I’ll buy this variety again next year. Pop!! We’ll have it with our New Year’s champagne!

December 29, 2016

my list of seed varieties to grow for 2017

My total number of varieties to grow this year is 132. I’ve saved 9 myself, have 102 packets saved from previous years, and I’ll buy (or share with other gardeners) another 21. I’ll just grow a few plants of most varieties so I can try a lot of different ones. I’m trying 14 new varieties and many varieties that I grew last year that I won’t grow this year. Vegetables: Beans, Bush: Maxibel, Jumbo, Black Valentine, WadeBeans, Pole: Wax, Shung Wang’s Beans, Emerite, Logan Giant, Kentucky Wonder Beans, Bush, Shell:…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost