I haven't posted here in a while, since I started my own blog on my tomato website. One great thing about having your own server, is you can play around with it as much as you like.
My husband used the new tiller to do a square in the lower garden. I planted Bermuda onion plants, the larger cabbage and cauliflower plants, and I transplanted some garlic plants that were crowded and gone wild in the lower garden from years past. I mulched the area with alfa hay, the store was out of straw.
We hauled 50 bags of steer manure, plus seed starting mix, the very best organic potting soil, and other stuff. We till it into the garden as we work.
Right now, we are visiting my daughter in MN. Yesterday there was a blizzard, and we had to drive from Luci's home back to my Mom's house and our hotel. We saw numerous accidents, as it was very slippery. So we are getting our dose of cold and snow for the year. It was hard to leave home, as it was 80 degrees, and our front yard flowers were in full bloom. I hate missing them. I would so much rather be home.
We get home next week, and the very next day Loren is coming over to work for us for 2 days. He is tackling the tilling of the lower garden, and things like that. I am going to work with him just part of the time, as I have other work waiting for me when we get home. Hopefully I'll have photos to post when I get home.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Monday, February 28, 2005
Spring Garden Progress
Since I last wrote, Loren has cut down the dead Buddleia tree that fell over amongst the apple trees. The tiller arrived, and we assembled it and it works great! We got the 85 strawberry plants planted in the terra cotta Mexican jars. 35 Tristar, and 50 Seascape. Stan helped me empty them out of the old, bad dirt, and we refilled them coco-fiber/coir potting soil that holds more moisture than regular potting soil. Then I tilled the upper garden with 4 bags of steer manure in it and planted potatoes. Pink Wink, Charlotte, and Butterfinger, plus one yellow/white I don't recall the name of from last year.
Indoors I started tomato and pepper seeds about 4 days ago. About 75% have sprouted of the tomatoes, no sign of the peppers yet. Tonight I am starting 6 packs of each one starting tonight, so they will grow under Scott's care while we are gone from the 9th of March to the 20th or so. 11 kinds of tomatoes, and 4 peppers. I am getting excited!
Henry Field's Seed and Nursery sent me a catalogue with a preferred customer sale. Selected seeds at 2 for 1 pricing. I couldn't resist and got peas, beans, broccoli, and other stuff. I don't know if I'll plant it all, but we do have plenty of room if we conquer the whole back yard by May.
Tomorrow I will post pictures of the cabbage plants. They have gotten really big! I have to go now, as I am wetting down the special seed starting mix in the flats.
Indoors I started tomato and pepper seeds about 4 days ago. About 75% have sprouted of the tomatoes, no sign of the peppers yet. Tonight I am starting 6 packs of each one starting tonight, so they will grow under Scott's care while we are gone from the 9th of March to the 20th or so. 11 kinds of tomatoes, and 4 peppers. I am getting excited!
Henry Field's Seed and Nursery sent me a catalogue with a preferred customer sale. Selected seeds at 2 for 1 pricing. I couldn't resist and got peas, beans, broccoli, and other stuff. I don't know if I'll plant it all, but we do have plenty of room if we conquer the whole back yard by May.
Tomorrow I will post pictures of the cabbage plants. They have gotten really big! I have to go now, as I am wetting down the special seed starting mix in the flats.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Wednesday is the Big Day
Well, Wednesday is looking to be an eventful day.
First of all, we are going up to Willits with a trailer, and are hauling home a ton of bagged cow manure, ground oystershell, rice hulls, organic potting soil with coco fiber, and some other stuff to rehab the dirt gardens.
Loren is driving over to work on his days off from the Inn. He is unloading the trailer, and carrying stuff to the garden spaces. He is also briging a chainsaw to cut down the dead tree.
The new Mantis Electric Tiller arrives Wednesday. And so does the 2 additional bean towers from Burpee.
Yippee! What a fun day it is going to be!
I am all ready for seed starting in earnest March 1st. I have the new heating mat, and the light and table as I told you earlier. I have the seeds.
I have been transplanting more raab and cabbage into larger grow cubes. I have 7 celery seedlings growing, tiny tiny little things they are. The seeds are like dust. The bok choi is up and growing its first true leaves. One of the 9 yr old broccoli seeds sprouted. We'll see if it is healthy or not. It is growing slowly, and has not popped up it's head yet.
March 1st we start the tomato seeds, and many others, like flowers. I am getting new planting trays and cells Wednesday. Will be properly prepared for the Big Day.
First of all, we are going up to Willits with a trailer, and are hauling home a ton of bagged cow manure, ground oystershell, rice hulls, organic potting soil with coco fiber, and some other stuff to rehab the dirt gardens.
Loren is driving over to work on his days off from the Inn. He is unloading the trailer, and carrying stuff to the garden spaces. He is also briging a chainsaw to cut down the dead tree.
The new Mantis Electric Tiller arrives Wednesday. And so does the 2 additional bean towers from Burpee.
Yippee! What a fun day it is going to be!
I am all ready for seed starting in earnest March 1st. I have the new heating mat, and the light and table as I told you earlier. I have the seeds.
I have been transplanting more raab and cabbage into larger grow cubes. I have 7 celery seedlings growing, tiny tiny little things they are. The seeds are like dust. The bok choi is up and growing its first true leaves. One of the 9 yr old broccoli seeds sprouted. We'll see if it is healthy or not. It is growing slowly, and has not popped up it's head yet.
March 1st we start the tomato seeds, and many others, like flowers. I am getting new planting trays and cells Wednesday. Will be properly prepared for the Big Day.
Friday, February 11, 2005
What a difference!
Wow! The new plant light that Stan put up for my seedlings is a wonder! 240 watts, and it is cool enough to be very close to the seedlings to deliver bright light. Their cotlydons are really large after just a few days under the light. I added a heating pad on high or medium underneath the pan with the rock wool cubes in it a few days ago, since I added new cubes and celery seeds. I keep water in it, as it evaporates rapidly. Not only are the cotlydons growing, but the first true leaves are rapidly enlarging. The broccoli raab has a purple cast to them, the cabbage is plain green. In a couple of weeks I will start the seeds for the summer raab. It is a new variety bred to grow during the summer. I got it from Thompson & Morgan. Anyways, having a good light set up for seedlings is worth the effort, if you're serious about starting your own plants. It really makes a huge difference.
I got the box of potatoes from Ronniger's yesterday, and I got the box from Territorial. The Asian hand hoe is really cool, and it sure digs and turns the soil well! But it is hand-forged in China, and it is quite cruder in reality than what the catalogues show. But it is interesting.
I bought a package of magnet paper, and printed out all kinds of photos of produce and my garden plants from last summer. I sized them for the fidge, and now it is covered in veggies! You just cut them out with regular scissors.
I bought the book "Melons For The Passionate Grower" by Amy Goldman, from Amazon. It shipped today, so I am looking forward to getting it early next week. The photos in that book, plus her Squash book, are fantastic. Food Art. Victor Shrager did the photos at her NY farm from her crops. Hundreds of varieties.
I got the box of potatoes from Ronniger's yesterday, and I got the box from Territorial. The Asian hand hoe is really cool, and it sure digs and turns the soil well! But it is hand-forged in China, and it is quite cruder in reality than what the catalogues show. But it is interesting.
I bought a package of magnet paper, and printed out all kinds of photos of produce and my garden plants from last summer. I sized them for the fidge, and now it is covered in veggies! You just cut them out with regular scissors.
I bought the book "Melons For The Passionate Grower" by Amy Goldman, from Amazon. It shipped today, so I am looking forward to getting it early next week. The photos in that book, plus her Squash book, are fantastic. Food Art. Victor Shrager did the photos at her NY farm from her crops. Hundreds of varieties.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Plant lights
Yesterday, Stan made me a real nice seedling light setup. He put eyebolts in the ceiling and hung shiny new chain. He bought a 4 bulb florescent fixture, hung it from the chains, and we set up the folding table legs and set a 2x4 piece of metal grate on it. Now the plants can get all the light they want, 24 hours a day. It even has full-spectrun plant bulbs in it. The cabbage and broccoli raab babies are really happy with their new digs.
I have some broccoli seed from 1996. I grew it that year, and the variety, Southern Star, was the best broccoli I ever grew. Very nice heads. I hoarded the seeds remaining, and grew some out 3 or 4 years ago. I don't succeed in getting plants started in time every year, have to start them in late January, hence the seeds lasting so many years. Now that I'm playing with plant breeding, I want to take this hybrid and make it open pollinated so I can save seed. The variety was only offered in one catalogue for that one year. Hence my hoarding it.
So I put five seeds in each of 7 rockwool grow cubes. I can see the seeds have swelled up since sowing last night. Now, if they will just please germinate! I know 9 years is a long time for seed to be stored, but here's hoping it's in the nick of time!
I have some broccoli seed from 1996. I grew it that year, and the variety, Southern Star, was the best broccoli I ever grew. Very nice heads. I hoarded the seeds remaining, and grew some out 3 or 4 years ago. I don't succeed in getting plants started in time every year, have to start them in late January, hence the seeds lasting so many years. Now that I'm playing with plant breeding, I want to take this hybrid and make it open pollinated so I can save seed. The variety was only offered in one catalogue for that one year. Hence my hoarding it.
So I put five seeds in each of 7 rockwool grow cubes. I can see the seeds have swelled up since sowing last night. Now, if they will just please germinate! I know 9 years is a long time for seed to be stored, but here's hoping it's in the nick of time!
Monday, February 07, 2005
A Birthday pruning
Today is my Birthday. I'm half way through my 40's now. Hurray! It also makes me aware the first half of my life is over, and I don't want to waste any of the future.
Today I noticed that the arbor was leaning over very badly. The grape vine that flows into the dead tree was pulled taut. The top branches are at a noticeably different angle, and some branches now rest on the ground. It is slowly falling over. It can injure an apple and a plum tree if it falls on them.
I pulled free many of the grape vine branches. Some larger ones I had to cut free, and they bled sap. I felt bad that I had to injure such gloriously wild growth. It was a happy vine and it covered the tree profusely. They were happy vines. Two were involved, the Einset and the Venus. But I did pull free some whole long vines, and I gathered them all along the rail of the upper garden. Grapes truly do well here.
I guess the remaining thing is to get someone with a chain saw to come and cut up the tree and remove it. I have been saving and cutting into lengths the water sprouts that grow so straight. I can make tomato cages and cucumber trellises with them. Or bean supports. I think I should prolly saw off the larger branches for larger trellising. But I don't know if I have the time to do it.
I still have to get the remaining vines tied to the trellis in new shape. They all bent north into the tree before, now they have to go straight.
Today I noticed that the arbor was leaning over very badly. The grape vine that flows into the dead tree was pulled taut. The top branches are at a noticeably different angle, and some branches now rest on the ground. It is slowly falling over. It can injure an apple and a plum tree if it falls on them.
I pulled free many of the grape vine branches. Some larger ones I had to cut free, and they bled sap. I felt bad that I had to injure such gloriously wild growth. It was a happy vine and it covered the tree profusely. They were happy vines. Two were involved, the Einset and the Venus. But I did pull free some whole long vines, and I gathered them all along the rail of the upper garden. Grapes truly do well here.
I guess the remaining thing is to get someone with a chain saw to come and cut up the tree and remove it. I have been saving and cutting into lengths the water sprouts that grow so straight. I can make tomato cages and cucumber trellises with them. Or bean supports. I think I should prolly saw off the larger branches for larger trellising. But I don't know if I have the time to do it.
I still have to get the remaining vines tied to the trellis in new shape. They all bent north into the tree before, now they have to go straight.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
My Pink Saladette Tomatoes
These are my Pink Saladette tomatoes, bred from our garden. You can see more of my varieties for which I'm distributing seed through the Seed Savers' Exchange. Visit www.saladette.com to see more photos and learn about my garden.
These are my Pink Saladette tomatoes.
These are my Pink Saladette tomatoes.
Hybrid, Heirloom, or Open Pollinated?
When vegetable seed catalogues say "hybrid", what does that mean? And what are the other two terms? What should you as a home gardener be concerned about?
A hybrid variety is the result of pollination of one genetically uniform variety with pollen from another specific genetically uniform variety. A seed company chooses parent varieties that wiill produce first-generation "offspring" (F1 hybrids) with the special characteristics they desire. Hybridization or crossing, is done in a very controlled manner so that all of the plants grown from the seed will be genetically identical, and from the same cross. The pollination is often done by hand and under controlled conditions. Hybrids may be bred to be more adaptable to environmental differences such as cold soil, disease, or high altitude, more uniform in ripening, growth, and more predictable in quality. And hybrid plants may have what is called "hybrid vigor". All the best qualities with vigorousness.
But hybrids do not "breed true". They do not produce seeds that will produce plants exactly like themselves. This means home gardeners cannot save seed from hybrids, and must buy seed each year.
Open pollinated or heirloom varieties tend to be less uniform in growth than hybrids, but they remain consistent and the seed can be saved and replanted by the home gardener. Heirlooms are just that, seeds handed down through generations of gardeners from around the world. Open pollinated varieties are stabilized from years of culling and breeding.
Most lettuce, bean and pea varieties are open-pollinated, while most modern cabbages, broccoli, tomato, cucumbers, melons, and brussels sprouts, are hybrids. Hybrid summer squashes, cucumbers, corn, and carrots, dominate the US market, and farmers love hybrids for their uniformity of ripening and of size and color.
In future installments here I'll go further into the merits of both. I plant both hybrids, and I save seed from heirlooms.
A hybrid variety is the result of pollination of one genetically uniform variety with pollen from another specific genetically uniform variety. A seed company chooses parent varieties that wiill produce first-generation "offspring" (F1 hybrids) with the special characteristics they desire. Hybridization or crossing, is done in a very controlled manner so that all of the plants grown from the seed will be genetically identical, and from the same cross. The pollination is often done by hand and under controlled conditions. Hybrids may be bred to be more adaptable to environmental differences such as cold soil, disease, or high altitude, more uniform in ripening, growth, and more predictable in quality. And hybrid plants may have what is called "hybrid vigor". All the best qualities with vigorousness.
But hybrids do not "breed true". They do not produce seeds that will produce plants exactly like themselves. This means home gardeners cannot save seed from hybrids, and must buy seed each year.
Open pollinated or heirloom varieties tend to be less uniform in growth than hybrids, but they remain consistent and the seed can be saved and replanted by the home gardener. Heirlooms are just that, seeds handed down through generations of gardeners from around the world. Open pollinated varieties are stabilized from years of culling and breeding.
Most lettuce, bean and pea varieties are open-pollinated, while most modern cabbages, broccoli, tomato, cucumbers, melons, and brussels sprouts, are hybrids. Hybrid summer squashes, cucumbers, corn, and carrots, dominate the US market, and farmers love hybrids for their uniformity of ripening and of size and color.
In future installments here I'll go further into the merits of both. I plant both hybrids, and I save seed from heirlooms.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Strawberries
Last night I ordered 75 strawberry plants from Raintree Nursery in Morton WA. I ordered 50 plants of Seascape, and 25 plants of Tristar. Both are day-neutrals, meaning they bear fruit from June til October, rather than one big crop like June-bearers. The Seascape variety has been pretty fantastic in CA. It really thrives on the West Coast. Our local truck farmer, famous for his Farmers' Market display of fantastic crops, swears by Seascape. But Tristar is the most popular variety overall across the nation.
So today I am going to clean out our Mexican terra cotta strawberry pots. We have 6 of them. They are full of old dirt and pea gravel. That old dirt is going into other large pots, for growing Horseradish roots on the deck. I am not planting them in the garden again, as they took over the whole carrot bed before Loren dug them all up for me. They don't need prime dirt to grow. They need to be contained! The strawberries will get premium dirt.
The first crocus is blooming in the front yard, in the new hillside planting area beside the front door. It is a pale purple. 300 yellow, white and purple crocus are planted there, and all of them have leaves up and ready to bloom. There is also at least 100 miniature daffoldils planted there in clumps. It gets a lot of shade, and is cooler than other yard areas that get sunlight this time of year, so this area is slow to bloom.
So today I am going to clean out our Mexican terra cotta strawberry pots. We have 6 of them. They are full of old dirt and pea gravel. That old dirt is going into other large pots, for growing Horseradish roots on the deck. I am not planting them in the garden again, as they took over the whole carrot bed before Loren dug them all up for me. They don't need prime dirt to grow. They need to be contained! The strawberries will get premium dirt.
The first crocus is blooming in the front yard, in the new hillside planting area beside the front door. It is a pale purple. 300 yellow, white and purple crocus are planted there, and all of them have leaves up and ready to bloom. There is also at least 100 miniature daffoldils planted there in clumps. It gets a lot of shade, and is cooler than other yard areas that get sunlight this time of year, so this area is slow to bloom.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Planting first seeds
A few days ago I put cabbage and broccoli raab seeds into grow cubes to sprout for the hydroponics unit. The cabbage seeds were fresher, and came up fast. But they got leggy on me. The raab sprouts are short and stumpy. So I may start another set of cubes with new cabbage seed, and keep them outdoors to grow slower and shorter. the leggy ones will get planted in dirt, deep enough to cover their long stems.
New Tiller
Well, last night I ordered the new tiller online. I love ordering stuff online, it's so easy and convenient. Anyways, I ordered the Mantis Electric tiller. 21 pounds, plenty of rpms with the tines, and it's suppsed to be easy to use. It is going to ship on the 4th. I can't wait to begin reclaiming the backyard garden from the weeds and stickers.
The weather has been lovely, sunny with some wind, but very Spring-like. February is often a good time to start pruning and getting ready for Spring, as the weather is moderate. The narcissus and tulips are coming up, and soon the front yard will be ablaze with color and flowers for a few weeks. I have to prune back and retrain the grape vines, as they are out of hand. The apple trees need to be pruned back, and I have some drip irrigation to the new plum tree to lay out and assemble.
I haven't even begun to lay out the lower garden this year, but the onion plants will be here the first weeke of March. So I have to figure where to plant them, since they will be in the ground for a while and tie up that space. I can plant a late crop after they get pulled. I ordered Burmuda onions. They are hard to find. I hope they grow well here, our days are a bit longer than they are bred for, so that means my bulbs will be a bit smaller.
The weather has been lovely, sunny with some wind, but very Spring-like. February is often a good time to start pruning and getting ready for Spring, as the weather is moderate. The narcissus and tulips are coming up, and soon the front yard will be ablaze with color and flowers for a few weeks. I have to prune back and retrain the grape vines, as they are out of hand. The apple trees need to be pruned back, and I have some drip irrigation to the new plum tree to lay out and assemble.
I haven't even begun to lay out the lower garden this year, but the onion plants will be here the first weeke of March. So I have to figure where to plant them, since they will be in the ground for a while and tie up that space. I can plant a late crop after they get pulled. I ordered Burmuda onions. They are hard to find. I hope they grow well here, our days are a bit longer than they are bred for, so that means my bulbs will be a bit smaller.
Monday, January 31, 2005
My new seed organizer
I keep a lot of vegetable and flower seeds each year. I get so many free gift seed packets with my annual seed orders, and I have so many seeds left over each year after planting, that I have many packets, unopened or partially used. I have seeds for 5 different melon varieties, many different beans, 4 or 5 carrots, oodles of flowers, and so on. And I always end up saving seed from some of my garden flowers.
For many years, I kept my seed packets in a metal box, the tins like cookies or popcorn come in for the Christmas holidays. They were just in a jumble inside it. It kept out bugs and sunlight. When I moved to this house, I took over my husband's seeds as well as my own. He had them in a cardboard box.with cardboard dividers. I made more dividers, and took over the box. I keep it in the livingroom under the TV stand. I may have upgraded to a larger box at some point. But once I started saving seed in quantity, I ran out of room quickly.
So day before yesterday, we went to Kmart and we found a great plastic container by Akro-Mils, made for scrapbook organizing. It has a large compartment, divided into two columns, and it has room for 8 row dividers. It only comes with 4 plastic dividers, so I made more out of cardboard. It works swell! I labelled each divider. It also has a double lid, with storage space for my seed reciepts and miscellaneous stuff. It is not airtight, so when I go to store it for the summer in the fridge I'm going to encase it in a plastic bag tied shut, or another plastic tupperware or rubbermaid airtight storage unit.
It has enough compartments that I have room for each category of seeds. Cole crops and herbs are one unit, tomatoes have their own space, peas, beans, and corn form another. All pumpkins and squash have a unit. But when I go to store my home-saved seeds for all the beans next Fall, I will need another container for all those bulky seeds. I still don't have a container for my blue corn. It is just in a gallon ziplock, still on the cobs. I want to be able to pick a few kernals off each cob when filling orders, so they get a genetic diversity to avoid inbreeding.
We have had gorgeous weather here, some rainy days, but yesterday was in the 60's, sunny, and calm. We had the sunroof open for our country drive, and you couldn't ask for it to be nicer this time of year. The tulips and marcissus are all coming up, although the backyard ones are already blooming. I have to prune the grapes and apples soon. This week we are ordering the Mantis Electric tiller. I will report here how well it works. It comes with a great guarantee, so I can return it if it's junk. But one expert gardening local here has one and can't say enough good things about it. So I hope he's right!
For many years, I kept my seed packets in a metal box, the tins like cookies or popcorn come in for the Christmas holidays. They were just in a jumble inside it. It kept out bugs and sunlight. When I moved to this house, I took over my husband's seeds as well as my own. He had them in a cardboard box.with cardboard dividers. I made more dividers, and took over the box. I keep it in the livingroom under the TV stand. I may have upgraded to a larger box at some point. But once I started saving seed in quantity, I ran out of room quickly.
So day before yesterday, we went to Kmart and we found a great plastic container by Akro-Mils, made for scrapbook organizing. It has a large compartment, divided into two columns, and it has room for 8 row dividers. It only comes with 4 plastic dividers, so I made more out of cardboard. It works swell! I labelled each divider. It also has a double lid, with storage space for my seed reciepts and miscellaneous stuff. It is not airtight, so when I go to store it for the summer in the fridge I'm going to encase it in a plastic bag tied shut, or another plastic tupperware or rubbermaid airtight storage unit.
It has enough compartments that I have room for each category of seeds. Cole crops and herbs are one unit, tomatoes have their own space, peas, beans, and corn form another. All pumpkins and squash have a unit. But when I go to store my home-saved seeds for all the beans next Fall, I will need another container for all those bulky seeds. I still don't have a container for my blue corn. It is just in a gallon ziplock, still on the cobs. I want to be able to pick a few kernals off each cob when filling orders, so they get a genetic diversity to avoid inbreeding.
We have had gorgeous weather here, some rainy days, but yesterday was in the 60's, sunny, and calm. We had the sunroof open for our country drive, and you couldn't ask for it to be nicer this time of year. The tulips and marcissus are all coming up, although the backyard ones are already blooming. I have to prune the grapes and apples soon. This week we are ordering the Mantis Electric tiller. I will report here how well it works. It comes with a great guarantee, so I can return it if it's junk. But one expert gardening local here has one and can't say enough good things about it. So I hope he's right!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Seeds for 2005 Arriving
Well, I'm getting all stoked about gardening this year. I ordered all my seeds early, the catalogues came earlier than in prior years, and now I wait for the mail every day to see if more goodies have arrived. My Burpee seeds came, and they are my favorite to order and grow. I also am buying seeds for Aunt Wanda's garden, and we'll see how my choices grow for her.
I am traveling right now, but when I get home I have to prune the apple trees. January is our coldest month, usually. I also have to prune the grapes. Finally. They have gone wild, with vines over 15 feet long. They are climbing in the trees and shrubs of my neighbor's yard now. But so are my ground cover roses. Dorothy Perkins, pink vigorous grower. Long canes.
We have gotten a lot of rain, with weather fronts just hammering California. The north got less than southern CA, though. Still, the rain makes my narcissus grow nicely. When I moved into this house I brought with me 3 paper grocery bags full of "Cheerfulness" narcissus with me, and I planted them in front and back yards. Last year I bought 100 crocus, and 300 more narcissus and 100 dwarf daffodils. This last Fall I bought 480 hybridized mix narcissus, 400 crocus, and 480 other daffodils. And 100 dwarf narcissus. I had Loren plant many of them for me. The rain made it easier to dig trenches in the hard clay soil for the bulbs. Now they are peeking out of the dirt, leaves, and since the bulbs were nice and fat, I'm sure they will be full of blooms. But the stupid bulb companies won't leave me alone now, and I have nowhere else to plant left. I don't do summer bulbs.
I bought a real nice software program to catalogue my seeds, and planting dates and I can print out different reports, even making totally custom reports. It's called "The Seed Program", simply enough, and it's made by Cyberniche Software. When I get home I will post a direct link to their web site, but if you so a search for them you will find it. I highly recommend them. It was only $25 plus a modest shipping fee, first class mail, the program is on a CD. My order was processed within 24 hrs, and it was shipped that same day. If the Interstate 80 wasn't closed over Donner Summit for a couple of days due to snow, the mail would have arrrived sooner. Still, it was only 8 days mailing.
Well, when I get home I will post a listing of what I'm planting in 2005. Ta-Ta for now.
I am traveling right now, but when I get home I have to prune the apple trees. January is our coldest month, usually. I also have to prune the grapes. Finally. They have gone wild, with vines over 15 feet long. They are climbing in the trees and shrubs of my neighbor's yard now. But so are my ground cover roses. Dorothy Perkins, pink vigorous grower. Long canes.
We have gotten a lot of rain, with weather fronts just hammering California. The north got less than southern CA, though. Still, the rain makes my narcissus grow nicely. When I moved into this house I brought with me 3 paper grocery bags full of "Cheerfulness" narcissus with me, and I planted them in front and back yards. Last year I bought 100 crocus, and 300 more narcissus and 100 dwarf daffodils. This last Fall I bought 480 hybridized mix narcissus, 400 crocus, and 480 other daffodils. And 100 dwarf narcissus. I had Loren plant many of them for me. The rain made it easier to dig trenches in the hard clay soil for the bulbs. Now they are peeking out of the dirt, leaves, and since the bulbs were nice and fat, I'm sure they will be full of blooms. But the stupid bulb companies won't leave me alone now, and I have nowhere else to plant left. I don't do summer bulbs.
I bought a real nice software program to catalogue my seeds, and planting dates and I can print out different reports, even making totally custom reports. It's called "The Seed Program", simply enough, and it's made by Cyberniche Software. When I get home I will post a direct link to their web site, but if you so a search for them you will find it. I highly recommend them. It was only $25 plus a modest shipping fee, first class mail, the program is on a CD. My order was processed within 24 hrs, and it was shipped that same day. If the Interstate 80 wasn't closed over Donner Summit for a couple of days due to snow, the mail would have arrrived sooner. Still, it was only 8 days mailing.
Well, when I get home I will post a listing of what I'm planting in 2005. Ta-Ta for now.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Winter nights
Today was foggy mostly, with the sun coming through about 1 pm. Then it was beautiful. It only got up to 39 degrees today.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Snowy Weather
Today we drove down to Napa. It was raining here, but it was cold. When we got to the highway, we could see snow down to about 2,000 feet in the hills to the west ahead. The mountain was in clouds. Going "over the hill" we were in snow, and the roads were sanded. CalTrans had 2 plows at the top of the hill, just hanging out. Down below, in the Napa Valley, it was cold but not raining. The grape vineyards are all dormant now, no leaves on the vines. I saw some puddled water in the vineyards in places. We are saturated. We had lunch at the Rutherford grill, a place we like a lot. I had great sashimi ahi tuna with salad. It was delicious and light. Stan had fresh trout and tortilla soup, which they do pretty good.
I have to prune the fruit trees later this month, when it is really cold for here. When they start pruning the pear trees around here, I know it is time to prune the apples and grapes.
I have to prune the fruit trees later this month, when it is really cold for here. When they start pruning the pear trees around here, I know it is time to prune the apples and grapes.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Rainy Weather
Today has been chilly, just around 44 degrees F, and it began raining again this afternoon. It has been raining for the last week, and will continue through next week and weekend, with a couple short breaks here and there. I want to try planting some beet seeds to see if they germinate and grow this late into winter. I think I can also plant them in early spring. I have to look up their prefered soil temp. I have ordered some new garden software that I am looking forward to, to help organize my gardening.
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