It is still too early here for much yardwork, although things are starting to green up. Our weather has been volatile, with highs in the 80’s, then snow showers. People have been out mowing lawns.
We worked really hard last summer refurbishing our 20 year old strawberry patch. The plants had petered out and the soil was packed and hard. By last fall there were new plants and new runners coming along very nicely. We had to fence the whole thing due to rabbits eating the strawberry leaves. We had a whole herd of bunnies in the neighborhood. Our next door neighbor trapped and then released about 10 rabbits in the country. There were far fewer rabbits hopping around by the fall.
The fencing fell down over the winter. We planned to put it back up in a couple of weeks. Wouldn’t you know it, the minute the strawberry plants started to emerge and green up, there was a rabbit nibbling them. Husband was out last weekend in pelting sleet laying down a makeshift carpet of plastic fencing to foil the rabbits until we can put up a proper fence when the weather is better and we have more time.
How are your garden and yard plans coming along? Growing any fruits or vegetables this year?
Trail Baboon 
Oh joy! We had .31 of rain yesterday! We have San Marzano 2 and Brandyboy tomato seedlings started. I tried Spanish Giant pepper seeds, but only one germinated.
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Rise and Shine, Baboons,
The rabbits in my neighborhood are hale and hearty, as ever. The population attracts raptors at some point every summer. I confess to welcoming that brutal process. They have already nibbled my tulips.
We have taken out my vegetable garden in the back. The fence drooped last season with the chicken wire stretched and breaking, so it needed replacing. Without Lou to do those tasks I decided that going smaller and more efficient was the best option. The flower gardens stay.
Lou’s cousin who wants a garden, came to get the wood for the raised beds and about half the dirt. I am seeking someone with a Bobcat to move the rest of the dirt so other gardeners can use it. The fence wire is gone and the posts are gone, with one strip of fence at the back. Following my hip replacement and recovery, I will reseed the area in bee lawn and start a flower garden border at the back of the area. Where the fence is, I want to start some tall flowers and hollyhocks (LOVE hollyhocks). The vegetables will move to small raised beds on the deck.
So if anyone wants a load of black garden dirt full of organic matter, I have some.
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I’ll take it!
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Your birds will love it. After Uhaul rental and gas the free dirt will cost $500
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PS, John Updike will love the title.
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That is what Husband said!
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Yay for your plan for the bee lawn…
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I’ve only fantasized about what I would plant if I could have a garden again. I’m considering a tiered plant shelf/planter contraption on wheels. I could put pots with herbs, lettuce, spinach, chard, marigolds, etc., on it, and it would still comply with the rules. I think the one I’m considering is about $130. I still have two plastic grow boxes on wheels and two large, wide and low, clay pots. Those two are quite heavy and were my mom’s. I love them. I fill them with summer annuals like coleus and others. Those stay on the front steps. The problem with gardening on the deck is that I must carry all the water to the deck from the kitchen. There’s no easy way to do this, so I just inhale deeply and get it done.
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can you put a rain barrel out there and catch the rain dripping off the roof onto the deck in a 55 gallon drum then you get a little pump like the one that they put in a pond sold at Menards for about $15 hope that to an electric cord and dip it down into the bottom of the 55 gallon barrel and when it’s time to water, all you have to do is hit the go button on the pump. I guess you need to buy a couple feet of clear plastic tubing at the hardware store but if it’s something that would be a long-term plan, your total expenditure would be under $100 for the barrel the pump, the electric cord and the tubing if you want a detailed illustration, I can take a picture of the one I got downstairs that I run through my filtration system and fill 5 gallon jugs with
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That’s a good idea. Not sure if there is room up here but it might work.
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Downsized the garden in exchange for more grass in the yard. Wife is getting tired of so much work with the plants and flowers. Need to get rid of a big pile of yard waste, then rake the grass, maybe actually fertilize this year with compost, and then try to minimize the weeds by hand in the front yard.
Tried the “no mow May” last year because it was the hot new thing. Now I hear the experts saying it either doesn’t help or isn’t so good for the grass and pollinating “weeds.” Don’t know what to think so I’ll just mow as usual for me, which is as infrequently as possible.
Chris in Owatonna
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Afternoon –
The chives are coming along nicely. Both the ‘wild’ batch, which have much thicker stalks than the ones in the pot. Curious.
We don’t have too many rabbits. A few that sure get the dogs excited. We have a lot of squirrels. The dogs get excited about them too, and will spend hours staring up into the tree where the squirrel went an hour ago, before hopping off into the next tree which the dogs missed.
Grass is sure greening up. Got the big lawn mower out the other day. Moved the old one. Maybe this is the summer I put a new carburetor on it and get it running again.
Kelly hasn’t gotten to her tomato pots yet, or whatever else she decides to grow this year.
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I have at least one rabbit who is part of the wild stock off my patio. He or others won’t let me grow flowers in ground pots. This year will not do any flowers. Too much is uncertain about my next few months, including where I might be living included.
Clyde
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Today Husband bought a pack of salad mix seeds to plant in our lettuce bowl. Most of our gardening is done on the second-floor deck. We quit planting tomatoes because the deer and squirrels always destroyed them. We will grow chili peppers and herbs in pots along with the usual assortment of flowers.
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got my heirloom tomaroes to steal seeds from and will buy other tomato basil and peppers at the hennipen tech plant sale that happens for mothers day
lots of succulent and flowers also
spencer moved out so i have the whole patio to work with and the trade off is i need to water daily.
i have climber fence to plug stuff into. spencer did zuchinni. i am not a fan so well see. maybe beans or pickle cucumbers
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I asked Husband how much garden he thought he’d do this year, and he said he hasn’t thought about it. (!)
I have my ideas, which are mostly some tomatoes, one (1) zucchini plant, a row of carrots, beets, onions, and some salad greens. And we’ll see if I can revive the herb garden.
I haven’t cleaned up the flower beds yet, and it’s probably warm enough now to do that without disturbing the bees, right?
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