Whitewater
Attractive To Bees
Many good things are happening out here, I'm in the research-and-planning stage of preparing for spring, and one of the things I found was that our local Fleet Farm (sort of a Wal-Mart for All Things Outdoor, they also have Carhart and chicken feed and tools, etc, for those of you who haven't got a FF where you are) . . . carries a heated pad to start seeds that need warm soil, and does so at a very fair price, considering that you get an entire seed-starting kit. This is very necessary in our house, where the only room to start seeds typically never gets above 60'F any time during the year! FF also has shop lights and high-wattage bulbs, so yay for that.
And seeds. Did I mention seeds? This year, looks like I'll be ordering a lot online though, there are very specific things I want (like Eureka cukes) that probably won't be offered here 'cause not enough people buy them. *shrug*
Going to start my peppers indoors, definitely (if I can figure out how to put the lighting together!), and perhaps the cukes and beans, just to get a jump start on our short season.
FF also has cheap canning supplies including nice big Mason jars for pickles!
If I have time soon, I'd like to scan and upload the rough sketch I created a few days ago of the 'master plan' for the garden this year, so that you guys can see it.
But the best news of all is that a strong, able friend of mine has agreed to shovel out the garden prior to tilling it this spring -- and he's agreed to a trade!! He loves my zucchini bread, so I offered to barter my bread and other garden excess (I'm planting 2-3 times as many peppers, zukes and tomatoes this year as last year, plus the beets and the cukes and the carrots and the beans, which I didn't have last year . . . ) as well as a couple jars of pickles for his labor. He accepted! Yay for bartering, 'cause there's no way I could have afforded to actually pay somebody money for this -- not and rent a tiller too.
I am so pleased.
And I can look out at the almost-foot of snow we've just gotten (and it's still snowing!) and know that under all that white stuff, this summer, it will start growing good things! And hey, the snow is good for at least one thing -- now all my strawberries will have good insulation for the last 6 weeks or so of winter, always a good thing.
I can't wait for spring!
Whitewater
And seeds. Did I mention seeds? This year, looks like I'll be ordering a lot online though, there are very specific things I want (like Eureka cukes) that probably won't be offered here 'cause not enough people buy them. *shrug*
Going to start my peppers indoors, definitely (if I can figure out how to put the lighting together!), and perhaps the cukes and beans, just to get a jump start on our short season.
FF also has cheap canning supplies including nice big Mason jars for pickles!
If I have time soon, I'd like to scan and upload the rough sketch I created a few days ago of the 'master plan' for the garden this year, so that you guys can see it.
But the best news of all is that a strong, able friend of mine has agreed to shovel out the garden prior to tilling it this spring -- and he's agreed to a trade!! He loves my zucchini bread, so I offered to barter my bread and other garden excess (I'm planting 2-3 times as many peppers, zukes and tomatoes this year as last year, plus the beets and the cukes and the carrots and the beans, which I didn't have last year . . . ) as well as a couple jars of pickles for his labor. He accepted! Yay for bartering, 'cause there's no way I could have afforded to actually pay somebody money for this -- not and rent a tiller too.
I am so pleased.
And I can look out at the almost-foot of snow we've just gotten (and it's still snowing!) and know that under all that white stuff, this summer, it will start growing good things! And hey, the snow is good for at least one thing -- now all my strawberries will have good insulation for the last 6 weeks or so of winter, always a good thing. I can't wait for spring!
Whitewater
