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Post by stratcat on Mar 16, 2010 23:53:40 GMT -5
Last Monday we had the 1st chipmunk sighting-in Mom's back porch eating birdfood stored there.
Thursday had a bee check out the banana I was eating as I bent to look at a lemonbalm growing in my lawn.
Friday heard a Killdeer in town.
Saturday two Canada Geese arrived at pond at Mom's neighbor's place.
Sunday heard the 1st Robin.
Spring has sprung! Time for a snowstorm...
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Post by johno on Mar 17, 2010 13:04:17 GMT -5
Lilac buds!  |
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Post by sandbar on Mar 17, 2010 22:41:15 GMT -5
Another sign of spring = my memory goes for a dippy drive. I sent stratcat some seeds for a 4H project = only problem is, he doesn't have one, and the seeds were meant to go to someone else who does, and I can't remember who. If we promised you seeds for a 4H project this year please speak up. Hey Dan, As I mentioned to you in a PM, I was the 4H project guy. Stratcat sent me the seeds for our 4H project and I received them last week. THANKS STRATCAT!!  Sorry it took me so long to get a THANK YOU posted. I've been tending to other projects and haven't hit the board much. I should be in bed now ...  Thanks again!! Steve. |
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Post by sandbar on Mar 17, 2010 22:44:48 GMT -5
BTW, my garlic is up!
Planted some elephant garlic yesterday. About 6 heads worth. Am hopeful I got it in early enough to get enough vegetative growth before bulbing starts.
Anybody else grow elephant garlic?
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Post by robertb on Mar 18, 2010 12:07:06 GMT -5
Yes, I've been growing it for years. If I'm making a big pot of something, I use a couple of bulbs and it comes out really good. You should be in time, but it will probably need some cold weather to make the bulbs clove. You could end up with singletons, but it'll taste the same. It's best to plant in October.
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Post by sandbar on Mar 19, 2010 22:20:29 GMT -5
You know, I was just too cheap to buy garlic from a seed supplier (way too pricey) and just bought some heads at the grocery store. I hope that was an OK thing to do.
I didn't put them in last fall because I didn't know whether they were winter hardy here (US zone 5a, -10F to -20F average annual lows). Hope they get enough cool weather as you mentioned. I'd like to save most of them for planting stock this fall.
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Post by grunt on Mar 20, 2010 1:57:52 GMT -5
Steve: We usually get to at least -10 F here, and never have a problem with winterkill. In fact some onions got left on top of one of the beds, and made it through the winter, with only the snow for a blanket. They were the first things sprouting green in the spring. I think most onions and garlic seem to make their own antifreeze, if the winter comes on at its usual gradual pace. If you want to ensure they make it through, just pile a bunch of mulch over where they are, for the worst of the winter.
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Post by robertb on Mar 20, 2010 4:13:38 GMT -5
I have problems with overwintering onions - I suspect it's waterlogging rather than cold, though last winter was drier than most, colder, and killed off as many as ever so I may be wrong. Other alliums sail through. Elephant garlic seems to be as tough as any, and I've yet to see one affected by white rot, which I have at low levels.
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Post by Penny on Mar 20, 2010 7:22:31 GMT -5
I saw a Robin here, it was after supper lastnight and we had raked part of our lawn and there it was!!!!!!!
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Post by ottawagardener on Mar 20, 2010 7:58:07 GMT -5
I've not tried overwintering regular onions though shallots, garlic etc... make it through just fine. This year was exceptional I think in that it seems everything that might, did overwinter.
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Post by ottawagardener on Mar 20, 2010 7:58:47 GMT -5
Penny: I've seen various spring birds and there is almost no snow left in Ottawa. I keep waiting for winter's last hooray.
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Post by robertb on Mar 20, 2010 8:11:37 GMT -5
There are fewer of the common small birds around here this year due to the very cold winter, which is extremely hard on them. I've seen the odd couple of Long-Tailed Tits, where they're normally around in large family groups. Wrens are almost absent, and both Long-Tailed tits and goldcrests were turning up in the trees outside the window, where I wouldn't normally see either. I imagine the cold forced them further into the city than normal.
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Post by stratcat on Mar 20, 2010 14:35:38 GMT -5
Another sign of spring = my memory goes for a dippy drive. I sent stratcat some seeds for a 4H project = only problem is, he doesn't have one, and the seeds were meant to go to someone else who does, and I can't remember who. If we promised you seeds for a 4H project this year please speak up. Hey Dan, As I mentioned to you in a PM, I was the 4H project guy. Stratcat sent me the seeds for our 4H project and I received them last week. THANKS STRATCAT!! Sorry it took me so long to get a THANK YOU posted. I've been tending to other projects and haven't hit the board much. I should be in bed now ... Thanks again!! Steve. YW. Glad you got the seeds. Good luck on the 4H project. Had a dusting of snow on the bushes this morning and flurries when I walked today. Yesterday was mid-60's (19C) shorts, no shirt weather. Worked outside and got two small pea patches planted. |
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Post by flowerpower on Mar 21, 2010 7:21:34 GMT -5
We are seeing some bare patches of ground now. But the veggie garden is still under a ft of snow. It should all be gone by the end of the week. |
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Post by Alan on Mar 21, 2010 20:25:04 GMT -5
It is most certainly spring in Indiana.
The past week or so, after attempting to get caught up after having food poisoning I have:
-Watched the honey bees awaken from their winter slumber
-Grafted 25 Khazakistani apple trees
-Potted up a few hundred perrinial fruit and nut trees from seed
-started a couple thousand brassicas, tomatoes, and peppers
-Planted the back half of the large greenhouse, amended it with compost and lime
-Plowed, Planted, Amended the two south facing slopes of the farm to Sugar Snap peas, snow peas, cos, romaine and butterhead lettuces, a sweet storage onion grex, walking onions, green onions, spinach grex, and raddish grex.
-Bred three more rabbits
-Weaned 12 Rabbits
-Sold 7 Rabbits
-Sold a Royal Palm tom
-Got to turkey hens to set a nest
-Changed the oil in the vehicles, tractros and greased everything.
So, so very busy.
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