Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Sunday... HAPPY EASTER to everyone. Thinking about the "reason" behind the holiday is sobering...

53 was the low, it is more cloudy than yesterday, but still some sun coming through. By lunchtime it is supposed to get cloudier and then showers coming more this way. Rain/wet weather through Tuesday... off and on... saying some severe possible. Then a cold front drops and we will go from 50 nights and 70 days to 50 days and back to 30 nights...

Going out to plant the mini daffodils I bought for myself so they will get "watered in" when we get some rain... and then next year they ought to come up and be pretty... after seeing the real interesting ones that are yellow petals with the orangey/red trumpets(centers)... hoping that maybe after the Easter holiday they put them on sale and I could get a pot or 2 to plant. I have never seen this type/color offered in the fall when they promote planting daffodils so they can bloom in the spring. But I am not going to pay like $12 for a pot of them... partly it is for the "decorative" pot they are in, which I have no real interest in... so if they go on sale after Easter, I could swallow a lesser amount and do something with the pot later on.

Going to look around at the farm and see what big tubs (holds about 20 gal of water) there are and if I can find a few with cracks in the bottom to use for planting these other plants. Going to get a few shovels full of the "dirt" in the calf barn to bring home to put in them to mix with other dirt...
Also noticed some irises coming up in some of the "dump piles" that DS had gotten from the state from the ditching they do along the roads... when he was getting it dumped there at the "next door" part of the farm... will dig them out and bring them here and plant along the bank; no sense in them getting destroyed when he uses that dirt/gravel stuff.... they are probably just the plain blueish ones that grow along so many roads out here... but they will look nicer along the bank than not having them there. I love irises... and have come to really like the day lily's...

When @Mini and I meet in May at the poultry swap, there are hundreds of other kinds of vendors, and I got some day lily's a couple years ago... going to look for more this year and get a bunch... I have a patch here in the yard that are the plain orange, common, ones... going to get them dug out and use the bed for some of the "fancier ones"... put these along the one steeper bank, and what ever survive, fine... they do help hold the banks and there are some places around here that have a whole bunch and they are pretty for a few days at least...
Figure I am getting "younger" every year, going to have a few things I like to look at... while I can look at them... while I am here to look at them.

Our farm bureau/co-op has asparagus roots in bunches... $25 for a bunch of 25... I think I am going to invest in them and get the patch started faster than if I started some from seeds... I like asparagus... and it sells good so might be some income in a couple years... wanted to put a patch in last year but didn't get that far... but the garden was pretty good.. so next step is the asparagus... and it is a permanent patch.

2 of the 3 peach trees have buds on them, one is actually blossoming ahead of the other one... the third tree is definitely dead... it looked like it had died last year but I left it... yeah, just dead, so it will get taken out sometime. Would sure like to get the other ones moved from the property at DS's... but again, he never had time this winter to do it... and do not want to move them now...

Once I get the new mower and can keep up with the mowing and all, will get things more ready for getting more of this done this fall and winter... and my knees are much more able to do some of that this year than they were last year... I think I will try to get some of the silage bag plastic from a couple of farmers since we do not put any silage in bags now... and kill off some spots of grass to be able to plant some of the trees next fall... might make digging the holes a little easier... and I can get them spaced and "see" them so I know what I am doing....I also am going to try to get some of that plastic to kill off the grass along the split rail fence and the bank, along the road... to make planting these day lilies and such easier... do not want to use any poisons so the plastic ought to "cook" the grass and weeds a bit to make planting easier...
Getting all that stuff cut way back last year has been a help... am going to use the new mower with the "hitches" and pull the cart with mulch to help smother and contain some of the regrowth around the bushes... still might get the forsythia bushes pulled out but at least I can find the centers and all that.. There are a few flowers on them coming out... and it is nice to be able to see up the road and not back out blind....

Peonies are coming up now...

Just got to get this brush in the garden burned... potatoes are sprouting so they need to get planted sooner rather than later... they will again be a big part of the garden...

Time to get outside and work on some stuff for a bit... before we get any rain as it is getting cloudier.
I have a few days "off" to get some things done here in the house that I have been putting off... I need to get motivated. But it will be the first of the month tomorrow, so have to get out the calendar, and look at farms to schedule also. Like @Mini Horses , would rather do them when it is not as nice outside, and be home to do things when it is nice out.

 

[SageHill]

Happy Easter to you. We had a full - mountain to mountain real rainbow this morning.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep....home in good weather, work in bad

The leftovers from potatoes you gave me are sprouting need to plant. May have to container them with this weather. The sweets are holding, so still bringing them to you at swap. May container grow those here this year. I bought a doz of those protein tubs at last months auction, knowing a few may be damaged BUT could use it garden! Only 3 were but also only $3ea. May put holes in couple more. I have several squares that were once for recycle pick up...which that city stopped. Sturdy & with pre drilled drainage.

Are those co-op asparagus roots dry or sprouting?

My plant starts are starting slowly. But, since I can't get things tilled, works perfect. It'll work. I have acquired some cardboard & some plastic. The plastic isn't woven, fall apart. I'll strip cut for areas, rows to help. Several bales of chem free mulch I harvested last year, here on farm. I'm ready to garden!

 

[Ridgetop]

HAPPY EASTER!

I wish we were in Texas with the garden ready to plant. However, not going to get anything planted this year. Will turn the rams in on the rye grass and let them eat it down. Then plant some fruit trees this winter, asparagus roots, rhubarb, and pan where the berries will go. Spring makes us al want to get our hands in the soil.

 

[farmerjan]

Asparagus mostly dormant looking... not dried out though... see a little green on a few.. going to get them and heel in to a couple planters so they won't dry out and might even start to grow a little... then get them into the area I want them once it gets tilled and worked up good... not ideal, would be better to just direct plant... but better than them drying out too... if I put them in some tubs or planters they will be easier to dig out and replant. If you want a bunch let me know, I can "heel them in" into some dirt and bring you some too... maybe trade out for a couple more tubs if you don't need them all... I may have to put a couple holes in some here the rate I am going...

Getting time to get my butt ready to go eat in a bit...

 

[Mini Horses]

Appreciate offer, and yes thinking " should I plant some" -- then said nope. Buy the few you eat. Nothing more until this years garden gets in!!! . Don't take on more of "where to" right now. Limits!

 

[farmerjan]

I fully get the setting limits.... just thought I would offer... and if you don't eat it alot, then it is just as well to just buy what little you eat. I have always wanted my own bed of asparagus, and would eat more if it was readily available. I used to pick it at Wade's mill... there was a big bed there and they would pick a little and eat it and more than 2/3 just "went to seed"... they never "put anything by" or canned or froze anything out of the garden. Big waste in my opinion... For a couple years when Jim(owner of mill) didn't want to do "all that work", I did the whole garden... but I didn't do all the tilling inbetween rows and all; I mulched everything... and there was tons of stuff... then he decided that they would sell it at the mill... and then it seemed like the daughter would come by and get all she wanted... of the already picked stuff... even when I had it picked ready to take home to preserve for myself... the agreement was, I would do the work, they could pick anything they wanted for the house, and I would take anything that wasn't sold, home for myself... but I got a little tired of them taking all the already picked stuff and the daughter not putting any effort into at least going and picking her own out of the garden either... and she did not live there, so not really included in the agreement... just decided it wasn't worth it when he decided the third year to take and mow a section that I had not weeded because the groundhog had been eating off the green beans in the mulched area... and mowed off the whole section and the beans were ready to pick... the mill was closed on Mon and Tues and that's when I had to do my harvesting... anyway, I sorta went off (quietly behind the scenes, not at them) and asked why and he said because the grass had gotten high and I said we agreed to let it grow there so I could try to get a picking or 2 because I wasn't allowed to trap and dispose of the groundhog....and got a wishy washy answer of oh I forgot... so I just quit the garden there... but it also curtailed my asparagus picking...
So, I want a patch of my own because there are too many around here that pick the wild asparagus growing along the fence rows and such... often cannot get enough for a good meal...

Been an interesting afternoon... went to Deb's with the green beans and wax beans already cooked... so they would be hot. She really liked the mini daffodils... she had friends down for the weekend... whom I had met the wife as she had the horse that I had taken care of out there the one year... and Deb said she had asked DS and that he said he would come by around 1:30... and brought Jim with him too... there was plenty of food... so not a problem. But I was surprised he was not spending the day with GF.....and kids..... but anyway... we had a good meal, sat around and talked a bit... then DS and Jim left, and it started to shower a little bit again... Deb was going to stick the daffodils in the ground so they could get settled in, and then it started to rain a bit more. Her friends were leaving to go back as he had to work tomorrow... I left too and then it started to rain a bit... then let up a bit... I moved all the plants out of the greenhouse to get a good "rain water" watering since it is warmer out also... and then it thundered and got darker and rained a good shower and then hailed... they were small pieces of hail but gee whiz... then it stopped. Sun came partially out for a bit and it is back up to 60 after dropping to 53 during the little storm... it had gotten up to 74 earlier... it was quite warm since it was so cloudy...
Crazy weather...

I came in, got a bunch of dishes, pans etc., washed and got the gallon glass jars from the milk and choc milk soaking, in the sink, to wash as soon as I empty the dish drainer later.
Did not get my mini daffodils planted yet... maybe tomorrow. Haven't gone to look for any more tubs either.. will do that tomorrow when I have on "cow clothes"...

It is really staying light later and later.. It will be time to go out and put the chickens in the crate here in a little bit. Need to get out my calendar and see what testing needs doing and get a schedule together..


Chickens locked in. Forgot to send this so finishing it up now. Think I am going to put a movie in the dvd player and watch and sort through some of the junk mail and match/fold the laundry I brought in which is mostly socks... Nothing on the calendar tomorrow so will see about getting some things lined up in the morning for the rest of the week... Will check the rain gauge in the morning if it is not raining...

 

[Ridgetop]

not dried out though... see a little green on a few.. going to get them and heel in to a couple planters so they won't dry out and might even start to grow a little.

You can spray them with water to keep them moist for planting too.

 

[Finnie]

. and yes, they might have started out to be just "barn cats" but I have gotten quite attached to them...

So, do they have names?

 

[farmerjan]

@Finnie ; Female is sorta named "Silkie" as her white fur is very silky under her chin... Mostly they are just "Kitty Kitty"... and some less "nice names" when they are tripping me up, and under foot when I go into the bathroom and when I walk by and they reach out to grab... sometimes with claws. GRRRRR.... But, then when they bring me another mouse or a mole, I am pretty complimentary for their accomplishments....