March 6, 2016

2016 planting list

Finally I have time to start my seed planting! I started flowers in milk bottles outside a few weeks ago, but today I planted lots of seeds in seed trays. I am going to be planting more flower seeds this year – for my bees. BTW, all my planting times come from the Skippy’s Planting Calendar apps. February 14, in plastic bottles outside Anise Hyssop Wildflower mix, Save the Bees Wildflower mix, Bring Home the Butterflies Wild NE Aster, small white March 6, indoors under lights Heliotrope Bunching onions, Nabechan…

March 5, 2016

seed swap tomorrow

Remember to come by our Seed Swap tomorrow at the Belmont MA Library, Assembly Room, if you’re in the area. It’s 3:00 to 4:30 pm, sponsored by our community garden, the Belmont Victory Gardens. We hope to have a lot of seeds to share and gardeners to meet. We have a seed planting demo and some planting info. Open to everyone. Bring fresh seeds to share if you can.

March 5, 2016

red-winged blackbirds are 3 weeks early

This afternoon I hear red-winged blackbirds at the pond for the first time this season. Last year I didn’t hear them til March 27. So this is three weeks earlier! I wonder if I should adjust my planting calendars by three weeks? A pair of mute swans arrived today too. The ice on the pond melted about 2 weeks ago. We’ve had buffleheads and ring-necked ducks diving since then. Also flocks of Canada geese making all sorts of noise all night. They’re starting to pair off now. I think the…

February 27, 2016

more honey

Yesterday I bottled 10 pints, 15 lbs, of honey for us to eat. It’s spicy and sweet, medium amber. Really good. I think better than my September batch of honey, which was collected in a super and probably all Pepperbush honey. Pepperbush, a white flowered shrub, was in full bloom around the pond in August and September. It gives a floral, very mild honey. I took this new honey from frames throughout the hive, so it’s a mix of flower nectars collected throughout the season. Beautybush, Silverbell, Black locust, apple,…

February 27, 2016

ice out

The ice melted in our local ponds today. A perfect day for a swim, Skippy thought. He swam around quite a while and seemed to love it. Pretty brisk I think.

February 24, 2016

dismantling my dead hive

Greg wrote to me Monday to say he was sorry I lost a hive. He said, “I’ve been told this is the riskiest part of the winter because brood is expanding and the overall population may still be declining. That means there is more brood to protect and keep warm during very cold spells.” Greg also mentioned the tarps I put on my hives during the recent cold snap, saying that moisture in an airtight hive can be more deadly to bees than cold. Well, I was very sad to…

February 24, 2016

“the best way to get real enjoyment out of a garden..”

I just love this quote that was in Dave’s Garden newsletter today. The best way to get real enjoyment out of a garden is to put on a wide straw hat, dress in thin, loose fitting clothes, hold a trowel in one hand and a cool drink in the other, and tell the man where to dig. — Charles Barr Ah, gardening.

February 20, 2016

winter tunnel after -12 F cold snap

I’m surprised how well a double tunnel insulates plants. I thought everything would be dead by now. Especially after our record breaking -12.8 F (-25 C) night. Spinach, kale, mustard, bunching onions and cilantro are perfectly happy. (My kale outside of the tunnel is dead.) Lettuce, arugula and chard in the tunnel are cold-singed but will recover fast I think. Probably turnips and daikon radish (the large dead-ish looking plants in the center) are not good choices for a winter tunnel. We’re getting some warm days, 40s and 50s, and…

February 20, 2016

getting ready to plant onions and celeriac

Yeah! It’s time to begin planting indoors. This weekend I’ll clean some of my old planting pots and trays and get out the seed packets and potting soil. So fun to get my hands into soil again. I used to plant onion sets instead of seeds, but onions grow bigger and are less disease prone from seed. It’s a stress on the plant to hold it as a little bulb then get it growing again. its really easy to grow onions from seed. Only two tricks, get the right variety…

February 19, 2016

hive check – one’s alive, one’s dead

It’s been 3 weeks since I checked my hives and moved them. The weak hive is dead. No live bees, though lots of honey. The top box seems like about 50 lbs. My stronger hive is doing well. Maybe even more bees than last check. At least similar numbers. I checked it without gloves, face netting, or hive tools, so I didn’t look too long. I’m glad they survived our brutally cold (-12 F) and windy (gusts to 30 mph) night. I will work on wrapping up and securing the…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost