Went out to let the chickens out at 6:00 am and spend time pulling errant blades of grass from the potato beds. Checked for more beans sprouting. Yup! Yeah, four bush varieties are started! Did a walk-about to see the yard, flower beds, fruit trees and blooming shrubs.
Then the rain drizzled down much of the morning. I helped change the oil on the garden tractor, took DH out for 'coffee break' at Dunkin Donuts, made soup for lunch, and I was off to quilting class.
Got home after 5:00 pm. Reheated soup for supper. Went out to lock up the chickens, fill the feeder, and grab some alfalfa for the rabbit while it rained. Still trying to 'teach' the babies they don't sleep in the nesting boxes so I covered all the boxes to keep them out. Much as they complained, they were roosting on the lower board next to mom when I left. By the time I was done in the coop, so was the rain. I checked for beans sprouting. Yeah! Three pole varieties popped up during the day. Pulled a few more errant grasses and some tiny weedlings.
I LOVE having raised beds. No way I could be catching those weeds so early after a rain if I still had a garden plot.
that sounds like a nice day smart red.
I cleaned out the chicken coop today and added a new roost. did battle with fire ants and pulled some more onions, checked the beans - a couple more sprouted. I found a package of lima beans I meant to plant. i'm going to find a spot for a few of them.
I chased squash bugs, pulled some weeds. i'm like smart red, the raised beds are the only way to go.
I got to the little veggie garden, pulled a hose out of the back of the truck, threw it on the ground and headed for home! It had begun to rain!
At home, between showers, I started the finishing work to the shed. Soon, the plastic film on the hoop house will be pulled down and so far, the shed interior only has fiberglass insulation in the walls and insulation board on the doors. Not the most pleasant view for neighbor Ken thru 9 months of the year.
I'm using old fence boards so . . . it may not be so wonderful that way, either! Ken knows what I'm up to and has said it was "okay." I'd like to paint them white but that may be a little strange also. Three-sided cedar shed with a white interior . . . Anyway, it has to look better than fiberglass bats!
Another several weeks of cool but fairly dry spring weather.
I went out to the big veggie garden and got the sprinklers on Tuesday. Since I just wanted to give them a little water, I needed to hang around to get the valve off after just a couple of hours. I visited my old garden along the river that I hadn't seen for several years!
The property owners sold the land and their home but I was gone the year before. Pretty much, I just moved across the road . They were elderly people and caring for all the land was getting beyond them. The writing was on the wall.
Anyway, I have never met the new owners but since the garden was above the river and the water level has dropped in recent months, I just hiked on down from the nearby parkland! It was a long walk and some of it across some river cobbles but, I made it!
Walked right past the path up from the river . Hey, it has been several years and the new owners use a different route. Well, I used a different route too when I found myself about 100 yards too far west. Came up in the corner of what had been my garden . . . . . . . . . .
They've kept part of it mowed but there are wild rose bushes there!!! It seemed smaller. Maybe it was the several rose bushes scattered about . . . maybe I've grown.
MontyJ pruned the tomato plants and re-tied them, while he was doing that I helped with a little weeding that I missed the other day! Got it done in no time working together Now he is pruning the maple trees out front before they knock him off the tractor.
:watering WATERED, things are getting pretty dry. Lots of things looking limp in the heat. We NEED rain. Funny I should say that after a wet spring that put planting behind schedule. I am not sure I like Mother Nature's sense of humor.
Well today I checked on my indoor grow box that has been up and running for two days now. Checked to see if my seeds have popped up yet and nothing yet. So I noticed the seed pods were a little chilly due to being in the cool basement. So I took a heating blanket and set it under the Jiffy Seed Starter to help move things along.
In my outdoor garden I checked to make sure they were well watered since it was a wopping 92 here today in Illinois. We have not had any rain in a week which is weird coming off of a very wet spring. I also added some Diatomaceous Earth to keep the garden pests at bay. I also pulled a few unsightly weeds that tryed to stick around. All in all it was a good day.
I battled a few bugs, wrangled a few errant bean tendrils, lopped off some sun flower branches, sneaked a few early tomatoes & peaked for some cucumbers to no avail.
I informed DH that the sunflowers were falling over from the water soaked ground. I tried to prop up the asparagus ferns that are falling over. Came in dried off and sat by the FIRE.