New England, May 2016

bigdogrock wrote:I know it is kind of late to plant seeds, but it couldn't be helped, a very nice person made sure I had some heirloom tomato seeds that I got into the planting tray. Now if I could only find my heating mat, where did I put it? I'll probably find it in June.
     No frost advisory tonight! It will probably stay in the Mid 40's and tomorrow is supposed to be a postcard picture day.
     I wish I had tomorrow off, but it is not to be. The black flies are horrendous this evening, so at least I won't be bug food tomorrow. I think it is time for bed, the Red Sox are winning, no frost to worry about, and at least most of Saturday is supposed to be great. Rock

Black flies suck!

bigdogrock wrote:I know it is kind of late to plant seeds, but it couldn't be helped, a very nice person made sure I had some heirloom tomato seeds that I got into the planting tray. Now if I could only find my heating mat, where did I put it? I'll probably find it in June.
     No frost advisory tonight! It will probably stay in the Mid 40's and tomorrow is supposed to be a postcard picture day.
     I wish I had tomorrow off, but it is not to be. The black flies are horrendous this evening, so at least I won't be bug food tomorrow. I think it is time for bed, the Red Sox are winning, no frost to worry about, and at least most of Saturday is supposed to be great. Rock

Black flies suck!

bigdogrock wrote:I know it is kind of late to plant seeds, but it couldn't be helped, a very nice person made sure I had some heirloom tomato seeds that I got into the planting tray. Now if I could only find my heating mat, where did I put it? I'll probably find it in June.
     No frost advisory tonight! It will probably stay in the Mid 40's and tomorrow is supposed to be a postcard picture day.
     I wish I had tomorrow off, but it is not to be. The black flies are horrendous this evening, so at least I won't be bug food tomorrow. I think it is time for bed, the Red Sox are winning, no frost to worry about, and at least most of Saturday is supposed to be great. Rock

Black flies suck!

I just sowed some tomatoes about 10 days ago. I won't plant them early because there is simply no benefit here in NE unless you have them under cover in a hoop or hightunnell or something.
So, go ahead and sow this seeds and put them in a sunny window for solar gain or like me, put them on top of the radiator for a few days.

Those babies will catch up

You're right Camprn, the tomatoes will catch up so no sense putting them out in the stress of cold nites too early.

I harvested my first meal of asparagus today.  Served it with pork chops, applesauce, and lemon on the roasted asparagus.  Mmmmmm good.

Today I got three planting trays done with green beans, purple beans, squash, and cucumbers. They will all stay out in my old barn (built between 1865-70) where it will be warm in the daytime but not freeze at night. 
     It is that time of the year when I start to clear away the remnants of winter, making room in the shop part of the barn which has the bench for wood working, general home maintenance, as well as the "honey dos" that make life good.
     The breeze way door is 15 feet wide and 9 feet tall, and it rolls open on the old fashioned rollers to face the west. Tonight the sun has set behind the forest treeline, and gives a warm glow of diminishing light that signals the girls to mosey towards the safety of the coup. They know the coup light on the timer will soon come on and that I will close the coup door when they are all in, then count beaks and give out their favorite snack of scratch and freeze dried meal worms.
     In the big doorway I have a lazy boy easy chair facing out. Imagine it as a one seat theater, featuring home and peacefulness. I can sit for hours just relaxing and enjoying home. I can sit there at night and watch the stars and sometimes I can watch the weather shows that happen here in New England.
     It is time to start dinner and start to wind down for the evening, I will probably go back out for a little while to listen to the Red Sox and the evening sounds of the forest.  Rock

quiltbea wrote:You're right Camprn, the tomatoes will catch up so no sense putting them out in the stress of cold nites too early.

I harvested my first meal of asparagus today.  Served it with pork chops, applesauce, and lemon on the roasted asparagus.  Mmmmmm good.

Sounds delish, QB!  

And you are right, as Camp said, those babies will catch up.  Nothing actually grows when it is too cold...just survives.   Maybe? Might not.  My spring stuff was testament to that, such a strange spring.  Timing way off.

Rock ... That all sounds wonderful.  When can I visit? 

Hey TD, if you're a Red Sox fan, I can bring out another comfy chair and we listen to the game and talk about gardens and such. Game time is usually 7:10 PM. For added enjoyment I have the electronic racket bug zapper that will bring out real excitement and entertainment when the mosquitoes make their summer appearance.

bigdogrock wrote:Hey TD, if you're a Red Sox fan, I can bring out another comfy chair and we listen to the game and talk about gardens and such. Game time is usually 7:10 PM. For added enjoyment I have the electronic racket bug zapper that will bring out real excitement and entertainment when the mosquitoes make their summer appearance.

I have to admit that I would be a Blue Jays fan. Last summer I went to a Blue Jays game in Toronto. Guess who they were playing against? Yup, the Red Sox. The Jays did not play well and at the end of the first inning it was 8-0 for the Red Sox!

And concerning mosquitos, I had one on me today trying to draw some blood from my arm.

It is funny how the weather messes with you. It is almost 60F outside this evening, but it seems cold and dreary outside. Just a few months ago I was just hoping for the temp to stay above freezing. The wood stove was my buddy, and our little dog spent many long naps laying down on the small carpet just in front of the warm window giving off the flickering light and heat that make wood stoves so coveted in cold times.
     I don't want to go outside this evening, the steady drizzle has left everything slippery and so wet that it almost makes you over cautious about where you are stepping. Besides, the clouds are so thick that it is very dark early, so it is hard to see. It's not cold, but it ain't warm outside. Inside it seems humid, but between comfy and uncomfy, not sure if you need a sweater or not. Your body is confused on whether it is too cool or just too humid.
     It has been a long week for me, I am glad the weekend is here. But I wanted to be out battling the black flies and planting seeds. Hopefully I will get some dry and warm time tomorrow. I have more spring planting ambitions, I bought some Mammoth Sunflower seeds, they get very tall and the birds love them. So I am going to sow those tomorrow.
     As for tonight, I feel bedtime coming early, the Red Sox are playing in the rain currently tied in the 5th inning. I can wake early and check the scores, then find my way outside with a cup of coffee and get started with the day. Rock

Carrots sprouted yesterday, I turn the mustard under and covered it with compost to get ready for the summer crops, the radishes are ready to harvest, the squirrels are still at it but I have nothing to put in the holes they dig, cutworms are going after the cabbage. Need to get some toothpicks. Or at least cut up some toilet paper rolls. Getting ready to plant pole beans. Can't decide if I should do it today or wait until after this next week of cool weather. Maybe half and half just to see what happens.  Need to mow the lawn again and water the SFG since we only got a spattering of rain last night.

That's what's going on in my little corner of the world.

CAMP, you have four of the same posts at the beginning of this page. Dang tablet!

Hey CC, I thought she was just agreeing with me about how bad black flies are! GO CAMP!

bigdogrock wrote:Hey CC, I thought she was just agreeing with me about how bad black flies are! GO CAMP!

I know, I thought the same thing for half a second.

Strawberries bloomed today!

Of course, I planted my pole beans last Sunday, and now face 30s and 40s overnight for almost a week.  And my maters are ready to go in, but they will wait!

I always wonder if I am the only person who get so frustrated and wants to plant things before it warms up enough. "Patience my foot- I want to plant!"
But, I will wait, I think.
Patience Rock, patience Rock, patience Rock...

Rock, you can make a hoop tunnel or one of those domes tht are shown the book covered with plastic . I cover my beds with windows in the early spring so that I can start crops early. That's why I'm eating stuff now.

That is a good idea CC, and I have done it in the past, but time issues creep into my life, and I just don't want to push something else back and create more time issues. Everything is a drive for me to get supplies, that is added into it, although it is a one time thing, still, it all adds up. Today is going to be a good and busy day, almost like I am starting up for summer!

I woke up to morning sunshine that brought out the new light green color on all the trees and shrubs. We got three tenths of an inch of rain yesterday, so the grass had a sparkle that lightens one's spirit. With coffee in hand I walked to the coup and let the Ladies out to greet the world.
The black flies made their presence known, and the whole day was spent avoiding them. DEET free bug spray is my friend today. I did all my inside "must dos" as quickly as I could, so I could start on my list of outside things I wanted to accomplish.
The Monmouth Sunflower seeds were first, then I built a pot holding trellis for cucumbers. I have a small spot that has a boulder under it so it won't grow deep rooted plants, so I will put a big pot there. I also got a few spuds planted. In another spot I am making a new small garden that will hold some beans and maybe a sunflower, just for looks.
I planted some Cosmos and a nice person gave me some Marigolds to plant, so I have a long flower box that will have them this year.  I am also going to crowd my    4 X 4 SFG by putting those Marigolds on the extreme edge of the box, they will surround my Garlic which will be done mid-summer and I can try some fall planting when the Garlic leaves. I will try taking some pics tomorrow if the sun is out and upload those. It has been a good day in the garden, the Red Sox had an exciting game that they won, and tonight I may get a light show if the thunder storms happen as the weather folks say "might" happen. Rock

Dark gray skies and a cold wind, so I got to sleep in. 41F, good sleeping weather. As the day goes on we get glimpses of sunshine, mostly lasting what seems like only just moments.
     Today looks to be an inside day, I like the way Scorpio Rising puts it "indoor drudgery." The west wind and cool temps make it easy for me to stay in. I was reading about compost tea, I like it.  I also read some about making fish emulsion, I bet that is a malodorous endeavor. Even as frugal as I am, I think I will forgo any thoughts of home made organic chemistry adventures in fish emulsion and just buy it. I don't even want to think of the predators that would be enticed to that. There was more than one reason they used to bury the fish in the ground for crops.
    Over all it was to cold for me outside. The Ladies all went inside very early. I built a fire in the woodstove, the dog and the cat thanked me for that. I spent some time cruising the SFG site and learned a few things. I am going to soak some Morning Glory seeds and plant them in trays tomorrow after work.
Rock

I lit my wood stove again this afternoon.

Quote from Rock:
" I like the way Scorpio Rising puts it "indoor drudgery."

Attitude! Attitude!

I changed my attitude to doing housework  etc. "Blessing my home."  
It works, after a fashion.

Kelejan wrote:Quote from Rock:
" I like the way Scorpio Rising puts it "indoor drudgery."

Attitude! Attitude!

I changed my attitude to doing housework  etc. "Blessing my home."  
It works, after a fashion.

Ha! I like it! But when you would rather be in the outdoors.....ya know? Lol

There is a subtle peacefulness that you get when you do the dishes and other things inside for the benefit of everybody in the house. It can be hard to feel it when you really just want to be outside after a cold winter. That is what makes the word drudgery fit so well.
                                        drudg·er·y      noun  -hard, menial, or dull work.
                                        synonyms: hard work, menial work, donkey work, toil,                                                                                   labor; chores
It makes you feel like you get to escape into the warm, bright, alive world where work isn't work, but art that you are making out of living things.
You can only last so long inside for the winter, the cold forces you in, but your mind wants the sun and the warmth it gives. Your brain tells you it is not as rich when it comes from a forced hot air furnace, or windshield defroster, though the heat from those sources let you live until the sun is king once more. So, you live on, you stay warm to get to the good times, searching for the gold.  My garden is usually located at the X on the summer treasure map.