Four Days at the Farm December 31, 2015 - January 3, 2016

 This is my Vegetable Garden.  I planted Elbon Rye grass seed in all the beds and black plastic pots.  Elbon is supposed to trap and kill nematodes in its root system.  And in February I will turn over the soil and the rye grass will act as a green manure and replenish the soil.  Nematodes do not like rich soil.

New Year's Weekend.  Josh and Amy were in Anacoco, Mom, Dad, Nancy, and Lisa spent New Year's evening together, Josh and Blake stayed home with Sam, Max and Chelsea were partying somewhere.  Cold and wintery weekend.

• Thursday.  I did some raking, but mostly I picked up leaves that Bert blew into drifts.  I carted them in the wheelbarrow to the compost pile and the leaf pile.  I dumped quite a few loads into the area across from the Long Border.
• More of the daffodils have begun to pop up, mostly the ones I planted in previous years.  Established daffodils tend to emerge before daffodils planted in the current year.
• I spent some time cutting the remaining Philippine Lily seed heads off the dried stems and spreading the seeds around in half a dozen or so flower beds throughout the Star Garden.  It is supposed to rain over the next several days, so they should get a good start.
• I removed my Double White Angel Trumpet from the pot in which it was planted, and I set it in the ground.  Last spring I bought a tiny plant at the Round Top herb sale.  I had it in a pot by the pool for a while, but I could see that would be too dry.  So I moved it to a place where it could get some regular water.  I've been meaning for a while to transplant it directly into the ground, finally did it.  It is quite tall now, but it never branched out, and it never bloomed.  Next year will be a good year for it, I hope.
• Friday, New Year's Day.  Spent some time in the Orchard raking leaves into the blackberry beds.  I also spent about an hour cutting away dead blackberry canes.  Weeded.  My wildflower seedlings are coming along nicely.  Grey Boy kitty was on my back a lot of the time which slowed down my progress.  
• I have decided to plant four or so roses in the Orchard.  They take up space and I love them.  Too much to weed down there.  I'm thinking about planting G Nabonnand (an orange and pink blend), Baronne Henriette de Snoy (pink blend), Madame Berkley (apricot pink blend), Rubens (also a blend), and maybe McClinton tea (which is orangey and therefore different from most old roses). 
• I raked around the arobor where Bert had blown leaves into drifts, dumped them in the compost pile. 
• Raked out the Vegetable Garden.
• Loosened the soil along the walkway in the Infinity Garden and spread three packets of curly leaf parsley seed that I had soaked overnight.  If it sprouts I will have a very pretty green border along the walkway this spring and early summer - longer if I am conscientious about cutting it back when it goes to see.
• Saturday.  I went to Antique Rose Emporium and bought four roses.  Baronne Henriette de Snoy, a tea rose introduced in 1897, light pink fully double with a dark pink reverse.  I planted her in the bed with the 3-in-1 apple tree.  G. Nabonnand, a thornless tea rose introduced in 1883 with flowers that are a blend of salmon pink and yellow.  It is described as having an open growth habit which usually means it is scrawny looking.  But I'm interested in the blends, so I bought it.  I planted it in the bed with the plum tree.  Georgetown Tea is a "found" rose.  The flowers are fully double dark salmon pink.  I planted it in the bed where the peach tree used to be.  I left plenty of room for another fruit tree which I will replace probably this winter.  Finally, I bought Maggie.  Maggie is another found rose, although the rose experts think it might be the old Bourbon Eugene E. Marlitt.  I planted her in the long bed between the Southern Crabapple and the plum tree.  There was a Maggie rose blooming profusely at the Rose Emporium this morning, about a dozen dark pink flowers. 
•  I dug up some blackberry lily growing in a bucket in the Star Garden.  Not a moment too soon.  The soil in the bucket had very poor drainage, and the lily tubers were all rotting.  I salvaged a few and planted them directly in the ground.  Hopefully they will survive.
• I raked up some pine needles in the usual spot next to the Rose Garden and bunched them up around my new roses.  When we finally get a hard freeze they will need some protection.
• The Urban Harvest fruit tree sale is January 16.  I have 3 spots that I need planted.  Two of them are where my two peach trees were, and the other is an open spot that will share space with my Mayhaw.  They offer about 8 varieties of avocados.  I always thought avocados were not cold hardy, but I was wrong, in fact they are evergreen into the low 20s.  I'm also thinking about getting an Asian pear tree.  They are semi-self fruitful which is what I want because I only want one tree, I don't want to grow two pear trees.  And, if I can get to it before it is sold out I think I'm going to try a Sugarcane Jujube tree.  This one is self-fruitful with a very upright growth habit, perfect for planting in the big bed with the Mayhaw.
• Sunday.  Decided to transplant some double Tiger Lilies from their pot since the blackberry lilies were rotting.  But after some digging and feeling around, they seemed okay so I left them.  But I did move all the Philippine Lily seedlings that were growing on the top.