Mid-April, and this is what I see from my back door. Is it any wonder I'm not overcome with gardening inspiration? We had a few warmish days last week, enough to melt it back this far, but this week we're back to fence-sitting at 0C. Yesterday we had snow-flurries. Just a little, but that's all it takes to fling a person into climatic despair. Today the sun is shining, so I'll gird up my cerebral loins and believe that summer will come again.
This year I'm going to try planting some trees again. The deer like them too, so I've got to get more serious about staking my claim. I'm thinking chicken-wire and burlap... I need another northern plum to pair up with the one I've got so they can cross-pollinate, and an apple and maybe an Evans cherry. I've got one saskatoon bush that's doing not too badly, so I'm going to dig a trench and put a bunch more of those in.
The soil is awful here. On the west we have a big stand of golden willow that have taken the garden plot hostage with their roots, and most of the rest of the acreage was used as an impromptu parking lot by the previous owners. Chive's going to mow down the willows, and I'm going to ask around to find a truckload of manure. (Too bad I can't just back up to the local coffee-shop and download some of the B.S. that's thrown around there!)
I'm going to have a fling with haybale gardening too, just on a very small scale to see how it works for me. You can look it up for more information, but the basic idea is to put down a few hay or strawbales, water them to start them rotting a bit, sprinkle them with dirt and fertilizer, and plant right into that. It's pretty arid here, so I don't know how they'll do in the moisture department, but I figure that it's worth a try as a soil-building experiment. If nothing else, it'll break down a bit and I'll have the start of a new garden plot.
Other than that, the cats catch mice, the kids chase each other, and I study. I finished my second mid-term with the physiology a few days ago, which means I'm on the last lap now. And yesterday I submitted my official application to the university in the city, so next year I'll really be on my way to being an acupuncturist. Wootle-ee-doot!
8 comments:
I'm having to tackle my lot -- one tree has bent over after two years of snow and my lackwit gardener swears he can right it, and another is a goner (a straggly hemlock) and will have to go. I don't know what to put in there, but now you have me thinking fruit trees. I have a cherry (it turned out to be a Rainier of all things) bought at the end of season from the local nursery eight years ago and now higher than the house. Maybe instead of blocking my tiresome neighbors with another hedge shrubbery placeholder at the edge of my lot, I ought to get him a buddy.
"april is developmentally delayed" .... as compare to ? what? we live in the land of ice and snow. sometimes i believe we're all developmentally delayed. those whose cognitive development wasn't impaired left long ago...... sigh. so sick of the cold. hang in there, o brilliant one. you'll be a voodoo queen before you know it - working with real live dolls.
Dear Ms. Madcap:
I just got several minutes of seat-time toward my OSHA-10 test by reading your blog.
So, I feel a bit obligated to mention something about PPE at this point.
Hazards communication, and all that.
Trees are a bit beyond me at this point, but I've got a bit of a flower/weed garden going. Well, until it was beat down by the rain in a really bad way.
Still looking for some honeysuckle to put up along the fence. Makes the place smell quite nice when the breeze drifts a bit from that direction.
There might well be some honeysuckle to manure ratio to provide optimum pleasantry from breezes. Could be worth checking in to.
The haybale sounds like a good idea, and I'll bet if you take it off in sections, you can get quite a bit more area out of one of them. Makes me think of strawberries for some reason.
Where are you? Come back!
So, did Spring ever arrive?
Hey, hello, Madcap! So you're one of the mysteries! I haven't caught up with your blog as yet, but did want to drop in to say hello since a link led me here...
I'm a mystery? Well, that's a mystery to me.... Welcome back from wherever you were!
Nice to know you're still on the planet! Thanks for the comment back!
Post a Comment