Weekend at the Farm January 12 - 15, 2024

 

I am amazed and delighted that I had this random iris bloom (and that I spotted it - what luck) growing in the garden by the dining room.  I cut it brought it into the house before the big freeze that is coming on Tuesday.  I admired it all 3 days I was here.

Nathan and family came for the weekend.  

I pulled up both heads of lettuce out there in the Vegetable Garden.  Beautiful bunches of red and green leaf lettuce.  It tasted so good!

I pressed some flowers - 2 red shrimp flower - the last blooms of summer, and 1 Debutante camellia bloom.   I might lose all my camellia buds and blooms tomorrow.  

And I might lose my little Italicus daffodils that are in bud right now.  This will be year 3 that I have been growing these bulbs, and I have never had flowers.  They have been nipped by hard freezes every year.  Well, at least I understand that, when it does happen, when they go all the way from bud to bloom, it will be a really special season.  

Monday I made some suet and put it out in 2 feeders.  It's 20 degrees.  The birds have already found it.  Bert put a tray of water out by one of the feeders.  Everything else is frozen solid.

Below, how cool is this?  This is Frostweed, a Texas native.  When it freezes, the stems burst and all the water in the stems creates these ice ribbons.  Bert came back from a drive around the property very intrigued by something he saw on his drive.  I got in the truck with him and he drove me over to show me his find.  It was Frostweed.  So it made me remember that I have some growing in one of my gardens.  So we drove back home, and I looked at mine.  This is mine, growing in the Star Garden.  These are ice ribbons.   

Weekend at the Farm January 5 - 7. 2024

 

Here is my new dog.  I rescued her from a gas station.  It took 3 days of trying before she finally let me get her.  I had to shave her because her fur was so matted.  She is heartworm negative and she is not chipped.  Sweet and getting less timid every day.

Saturday.  I worked in the Vegetable Garden most of the day turning over rye grass into the soil for my green manure.  

While I was there I did some raking.

I cut back the asparagus in the small bed and the large bed.  Fertilized both.  Asparagus is a heavy feeder.

Turned over the compost piles in the buckets.  Added leaves to them. 

It was cool and sunny.  A perfect day. 

Sunday.  I did some spring cleaning.  Under and behind furniture.  

Sprayed herbicide here and there.

I spread fragrant mist flower seeds in the Orchard and in several beds here and there where nothing was growing.  

Green Manure January 6, 2024

 Some months ago I sowed rye grass in all the beds of the Vegetable Garden.  I didn't really plant a winter garden this year except for some arugula and lettuce.  I also sowed some parsley that is doing well.  But for the most part, this year I am just doing some soil conditioning.  

Below, I dug all the grass out and turned it under the soil.  It will rot during January and February and be ready for planting in the spring.

Below, another patch of rye, partially turned over.

Below, another before and after.

And another before and after.

And another.  The green that remains is arugula.

And another.  Arugula is the last man standing here as well.

Quick Trip to the Farm December 16 - 17, 2023

 

Bert and I drove up midday Saturday and left midday Sunday.

I wanted to get the rest of my Mangaves into the Greenhouse, and I needed Bert's help with a couple of really big ones.  I also moved the Philodendron to the porch.  It doesn't look like it will freeze next week, but at least that is done.

I filled the fountain with water in Mom's Garden.  

I watered my newest trees. 

I planted my Maple Leaf Oak that I bought at the John Fairie garden a month or so ago.  I planted it in one of the circle drive beds.