January 2009

*Yawn* 

Waiting for spring here.

Seeds & Sophie

Sophie and I started the first of the seeds yesterday.  All the ones that needed 6-8 weeks.  A few of the usual tomatos and some peppers, a new pansy from Veseys and other much needed flowers that escape my memory now.

We got to talk about what they need to grow.  How some seeds need light, and some need to be covered with a bit of soil.  Reminds me that I haven’t done the T.O.P.S. corn & bean, or even the radish experiment with her yet.  Now would be a good time too, in the Spring.

 Still have oodles of snow with that horrid icy crust on the top. Blech.

Water

Bought water garden book and mag at Lowes for Benjamin.  This will be the year we finish the frog pond.  After perusing both of them, I’m pleased he doesn’t want fish.  It seems to be a rather tricky wicket to get everything just right for fish.  Frogs on the other hand will appear naturally according the book.

February

Teased again.  Melted off, followed by our first official serious snowstorm of the year.  We may get seven inches.  We need the moisture.  The public schools closed at 10:30 in anticipation of the storm.  Kinda wacky isn’t it?  A silly game to get those half days logged. 

Ice rink was topped off Sunday night.  The kids need only scoop off the latest snow and they should have some good ice.  We may have three weeks of good skating left.  Y’know what that means, it will be warming up.  Really, it will.  I’m gonna make a cup of cocoa and keep telling myself that.

Tease.

It melted just enough that I could see the plants again.  I was ready to head out and sprinkle the poppy seeds.  Then it snowed.  Now everything is covered again.

I have order the dirt, to be delivered on the first Spring thaw!  Yippee, doing the happy dirt dance.  I have only rocks and minimal topsoil in my woodie yard so getting a load of dirt is exciting.  Yep.  I am easily amused as I near the half century mark.

Now I have to toodle on over to Veseys and order seeds. 

Toodled.  Had dinner, played Duck Duck Bruce! with the family, walked a mile and a half and ordered the seeds. 

Hardish to imagine Spring when everyone else is out skating on the rink.  In candlelight no less.  And drinking Penzey’s cocoa.

Next up, finish plans for phase II which will be happening this year, miracle of miracles, and work on lighting for the garden.

Leftovers

Beans

Provider Vesey’s

Filet Morgan Bush Cook’s Garden

Jacob’s Cattle Vesey’s

Carrots

Chantenay Red Cored Vesey

Chantenay – V

Cook’s Favorite Chantenay – CG

Minicor – CG

Purple Dragon – CG

Cukes

Calypso - V

Fanfare – V

Marketmore – V

 

Various

Mammoth dill

Krausa parsley – CG

Walla Walla Onions – CG

Summer Squash Spacemiser – V

Summer Squash Golden Dawn III

Pepper Orange Sun – V

Birdhouse Gourd – FM

Brandywine Tomato – FM

Space Hybrid Spinach – CG

Dill  Bouquet  – V

Radishes

Plum Purple – CG

White Tipped Early Scarlet – H

Easter Egg – V

What am I missing?

Basil.  I’m visualizing the garden and all I can come up with is basil.  Basil in it’s many forms.  Globe, mammoth, early, spicy, basil.  What grew next to the basil?  I can’t remember, does it really matter? 

Okay, no zucchini.  Must have some zucchini in there somewhere.

Lettuce.  Need some greens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brrrrr with Signs of Warming

The temperature hasn’t risen above 20 degrees all day.  The cars had to warm up.  The kids had to be warmed up.  We may hit 60 over the weekend.   Truly odd weather for January, but not unheard of I remember a couple like this when Olivia was little.  It was a welcome respite from the cold.  A reminder of that Spring really is coming.

 Last night I started circling in the seed catalogues.  First go around circle everything that I find remotely appealing.  Was starting to seriously narrow my choices when I voice in my head said, “hey, don’t you have any seeds left from last year?” .  Yay.  Today I will check the leftovers and see if I can narrow my circlings.

Seed Catalogues

December 31 I started for the computer, I needed to get on and get some seed catalogues.  For heaven’s sake it’s nearly January and I haven’t gotten one garden catalogue.  I must have been dropped from all the lists.  My name was probably being circulated and shared, like that of a good customer, only in reverse.  The drop list, get rid of her, she only preuses, circles and dreams.  I needed to correct that situation, el pronto. 

After all this could be the year I begin phase 2 of the major-garden-overhaul.  It probably won’t be, but it could.

I put my head down and started for the computer.  As I rounded the corner, I met my husband coming in from town.  “Hey,” he said, “I picked up the mail.  You got a bunch of catalogues.”

 Praise be.  They do still love me.

Winter

It is winter in the garden.  We’ve had terrific ice storms.  Last Sunday it warmed up and melted enough so I could look at a few plants.  Today more snow, tomorrow more snow.  But Sunday was a little reminder of Spring.  I wish I had planted more hyacinths.