So Far So Good

Pictures of the gals playing in the dirt this evening...the ducks enjoy it when the chickens are gone for a while so they can dominate the water--definitely making a separate duck hotel for them this summer.

Yesterday on the way home from work I heard a story on All Things Considered that made me a bit concerned about this avian flu outbreak that has been in the news here in Minnesota--mostly related to turkey farms.  This time the story was a national one and focused in on chickens.  The main thought line became the idea that this is coming from migratory waterfowl.

I have a literal migratory waterfowl highway over my chicken coop.  The chickens and ducks seem perfectly fine.  It sounds like once birds get sick the end is in a few days with no treatment options.  I will be watching everyone closely and waiting eagerly for summer temperatures that are suppose to do away with the virus.

Welcome Rainy Sunday

Rain started late last evening.  I was watching Ken Burn's The Roosevelts while designing the new garden and enjoying one of my last mugs of lemon balm tea before I collect a new stash this season when the tap-tap began on the roof.  It continued through the night and into the early morning.  By the time I poured my first cup of coffee the wild ducks were splashing on ponds and Canadian geese were frisking around in the field out front of the house and the peaceful tapping made all right with the world.  Steady, misty showers persisted through the day and gunmetal gray filled the landscape except in a few spots.  Walking out in the soft showers with Jewel felt wonderful--Spring seems so sweet this year for some reason, and any sign of it is very appreciated.  The moss on the oak tree on the property I put an offer on stood out in vivid orange green splendor after soaking in a fresh batch of moisture.

Then the grass, although short and stubby still, fills my eyes with green.  It's no longer just growing in the sunniest places, but everywhere.  I'm hopeful that it will continue to rain through the night, because selfishly I just like it, but more importantly the moisture is very needed.  The clouds are sagging towards the ground, so the likelihood is promising.  I'm looking forward to the first true thunderstorm.  I have my fingers crossed for another rainy morning.

Ice Out--Mist In

The duck, goose, swan, crane flyway has been open for about a week and a half.  I've been waiting for the return of the "mist".  Late this week the conditions were just right so that it appeared.  More than once this week I've been a bit late getting to carpool because it's so hard to leave the peace and quiet and beauty of it all.  Weekend mornings are so wonderful, and soon three months of summer will come.  Summer in Northern Minnesota is heaven on Earth--having a view of the ponds will make it even more so.

Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Waiting for things to sprout, waiting for word back on the land offer, waiting for a lot of things around here!

Moving Fence

Moving the fencing over...Gypsy on the picket line--look at all that compost fuel!

Today I moved Gypsy over so she could actually graze on some last year's grass.  She was very excited about this!

I love, love, love my fencing.  I have always been an electric fence devote and could whip in those t-posts, clip on some clamps, and string that electric wire in record speed--plus knock in an 8 foot grounding rod.  Then I heard out about this fencing from a company in Iowa and decided to give their horse stuff a whirl.  It's sturdy, quick, very durable in winter and windy weather, puts up with deer who sometimes like to go through that skinny electric wire, and it's easy to move where ever I want--but can be permanent if I want it to be.

The good old gal is 17 this May, but you wouldn't know it {she would be deeply offended by the old gal remark so I won't make it again}.  She's been a trooper, moving from her home state of South Dakota to the desert of Arizona, then the frigid tundra {in the wintertime anyways} of Minnesota.  I've had her since she was five months old.  I'm looking forward to riding her around the countryside this summer/fall and probably a little bit more than last spring {and moving her fencing with her to my own place soon}.

Today continues to be windy and tomorrow will be as well.  There have been some mighty gusts...Little Greenhouse had her first mishap.  I was trying to put in the other two anchors without much luck and the house shifted and my plant bench tipped over inside.  I lost one herb pot and a turtle also lost his head {but a little glue surgery will get him going before it's time for him to head outside}.  Dad helped me pound in some rebar poles I had from rabbit house construction and I cinched it down tight.  So far so good.  Gusts have been at 50 mph with a about a steady 20 mph.  As a precautionary measure I put all the trays on the ground in case the house blows over or shifts so that the shelves tilt...but I do believe she'll be good.

Gypsy is a champ, and just puts her rear to the wind--but look at all that dust in the sky.  It should be a bright blue out today.

Successes {and Hoped for Successes}

Can you see them?  Little red cabbage sprouts--the first ones up!

When I did my morning greenhouse check I saw a few tiny, tiny beginnings of sprouts among my red cabbage and tomato seeds.  Yesterday I was able to plant my Southport onions that came in the mail Friday and also planted some herbs.  Today the okra will get planted.  I've never, ever planted okra early, but if I want it here, I'm going to have to get it going in the heat of the greenhouse.  Last summer I had one plant germinate, but it never got going enough at the community garden to produce anything.  This year I'm still trying to decide how to do the okra--I'm leaning towards container okra that can be moved from warm sunny spot to warm sunny spot as needed.  Is this just futile, this trying to have okra in zone 3?...I'm willing to struggle for it.

The wind blew and gusted and howled ALL night long.  If Little Green could stay standing after last night, she will have no problem continuing to stand.  Intermittently there were rain showers throughout the night and morning too.  My parents' home has a metal roof.  I fell in love with the sound of rain on a metal roof in South Dakota when the small school I taught in had one.  Someday my home will have a shiny silver metal roof that allows me to listen to the precipitation through it.  Snow on the roof sounds pretty awesome--more like a whisper compared to the tap, tap, tap of light rain {or the steady roar of a heavy downpour}, but I'm ready to listen to just rain.

the community garden is currently a deer playground...wishing I could get some peas and kale going

I'm declaring that Spring is really, truly here in the Northwoods {I've enjoyed seeing posts on KAXE's Season Watch page especially as of late}.  Songbirds are showing up, I've spotted grass sprouts in the sunniest spots, and I know that the community garden's soil is totally thawed and workable {although sadly they don't let gardeners in for planting until the end of May}.  This could be a good thing though, because this is the Northwoods after all.  It could dip down to the "hard freeze" realm very easily if Canada feels like sharing its weather on a whim.  When I have my own place, with my own garden it will be very, very hard to have restraint though.

Speaking of my own place...last week I submitted an offer on some acreage.  I'm told the owners of the property are getting ready to head back from the Florida Keys and just received the offer and are considering it.  I'm eager to hear back.  Regardless, I'm hoping that by the end of May things will close and I'll be putting up my garden on this property.  I don't want to jinks things, so I'm not going to take any pictures of the place until it's officially mine, but here's to hoping!

Little Green

Little Greenhouse is busy doing her job.  She's been up a little over a week and so far I'm happy with her.  I went with a boxed greenhouse from Menards and with it on sale I got it for about $120.00.  Many people build there own, and I have seen a few from people around here that look quite efficient either made from cattle/hog panels in a Quonset form or with a utility shed like wood frame with high gage plastic, but when I considered cost and the fact that I was building this by myself and wanted it up quick, plus I have this thing where I'm not very good making doors--in the end the box greenhouse seemed practical this year.

All together it took me maybe an hour and a half to two hours to assemble once I really got going.  I put it on the south side of my parent's house--right on the other side of my bedroom wall, so I could hear it start blowing away if it tried too...and so it would get as much sunshine as possible.

So, objectively, what am I thinking about the greenhouse so far...

Not so good things:
It was hard to find an exactly level place for it and I didn't do a lot to level things out, so with my predetermined allotment of plastic covering, the left side had about a half-inch gap on the bottom and the front of the greenhouse had about an inch gap.  I used some scrap plywood to run along the side and secured it to the plastic and then when I'm not going in and out put a piece of plywood along the front as well, so it doesn't flap in the wind and allow for heat loss.

It was hard for me to use the anchors supplied with the greenhouse in a way that didn't cut into my floor space, and the wire ties were not exactly easy to figure out and use.  Currently two are in the ground and this weekend I'm going to put the other two in and use parachord instead of the wire ties to attach the anchors to the frame.  I did hit the frost line about a foot down when I was twisting the anchors in the ground last weekend.  I wonder if it's receded since then...I'm interested to find out.

I also had some issues getting the door frame squared.  When I measured everything out and made sure things were the dimensions they should be the door wouldn't zip.  I had to scoot things a little to make the door work so that the front of Little Green isn't exactly 6 foot wide, she's about 5'11 or so.  I'm not too worried though...as long as she doesn't collapse.

Good things:
I love the zipper style door and the widow options, plus the side vents.  The plastic is very sturdy and hasn't scooted around on the frame.  It warms up in there very quickly once the sunlight starts to hit it, and with the heater running at night to keep it at least 70*-75* I'm very happy with how warm it's keeping my seed trays.  I also feel I have plenty of room.  In the next few weeks I'm going to add some shelving that's a bit more fancy, but for now, I feel that I have exactly what I need to get my sprouts going.

The same heater I used in the rabbit barn the winter before last has been put to work again.  I like it, because it has the thermostat to it and because it's very safe.  If something were to happen where the greenhouse started to blow apart {which hopefully will never happen}, it would shut off at the slightest knock.  This little guy ran non-stop the winter of 2013-2014 from December to mid-March and started right up again when I put it to use in Little Green.

I rested some scrap plywood on a few buckets to make my seed shelf for now.  I have an abundance of scrap plywood lying around from my parents' home build and then Dad has been gifting me buckets all winter.  He likes to eat at the local Chinese buffet and they sell their empty soy sauce buckets for a buck fifty...I have a lot of useful soy sauce buckets on hand.  Then, I have my garden bench and whatnot in there.  I've strung some Christmas lights along the top of the frame just for fun too.  It does make her look pretty cool at night.

This week we've had several bouts of overnight slush and snow that melts by mid-day, but Little Green stayed dry and warm {you can see the gap by the door that lets air in if I don't have the front covered and the slightly not square front}.  No leaks, and no frame malfunctions even with some wind...and hopefully by the end of this weekend I'll see a few sprouts.

Overall I believe Little Green was a good choice for this year.

Tomato Variety Gained

I am exchanging some of my tomatoes and other things I have started for some tomatoes from a co-worker I also carpool with.  This guy's family has been saving a particular yellow tomato they've named Carlson Gold for years.  As you can see from the paper towel in the picture, they use the paper towel method.  This is a method I totally forgot about.  I remember seeing it when I was younger.  An older gardener I knew would spot a fantastically large and beautiful tomato he thought an excellent specimen for its variety and simply squeeze out as many of its seeds as he thought necessary on a paper towel and then put it someplace to dry and then store it until next year.  He then ate the rest of the excellent tomato.

For years I've tried fermenting and had some luck, but my over-busy lifestyle for a time and the fact that I lived in a very hot climate, led to many problems--mostly that I would forget about the seeds and they'd go past the ideal time frame to remove that gel stuff that inhibits sprouting and go into actual sprouting or simply disintegrate, or that they would just get too hot even though the Arizona house's air conditioner was set for about 80*--the South Dakota houses never had air and would often heat up too.  This would make the whole process speed up and then I would lose the seeds sometimes or loose part of them anyways if I wasn't very diligent.  Then there was also the fact that in Arizona my growing conditions didn't give me the best quality fruit and I didn't feel that they were save worthy many times.  Seed saving isn't that complicated.  I used to be more uptight and worry that I was doing it right with tomatoes over any other variety for some reason.  Maybe age is making me even more laid back...but I'm ready to not be worried about this whole tomato thing--to just do it and chill about hot jars and mess ups and just save seeds already.

A lot of the seeds I have now were saved with the help of a friend who had a much colder home a few years ago.  Tomato seeds have a long shelf life, but I am running on the fridges of that long life right now and decided it was time to get some fresh seeds for my favorite varieties, so I've socked all of my seeds into the soil.  When it comes time to save I'm going to do a few things.  It seems that fermenting doesn't have to be as drawn out as I originally learned...so I'm going to just do a short soak and then rinse and dry--doing things this way will allow for long term storage.  I'm also going to do a few paper towels for quick gifting and to do a germination comparison with the seeds saved the other more old fashioned way.  These on the paper towel won't have a huge shelf life, but will serve the purpose.

On top of getting a few awesome tomato seeds to try out, co-worker also threw in some peppers...pretty awesome.

It has been an interesting {I was very surprised to get Teacher of the Year after only being at the school almost two years--I thought there was some rule against that or something...}, busy {class plays and projects and whatnot}, and overall pleasant enough week {good weather, and also classroom fun} and gaining a few plants topped it off nicely.

Sprout Watching

Eagerly awaiting the first sprouts of the 2015 garden season...can't wait!

Obedience School {Level 1} Graduate

Something BIG happened about two weeks ago that I failed to mention here...Jewel graduated from an obedience class!  Every Monday evening for about 2 months we attended a class with other dogs and worked on our basic commands and behavior.  During the final evening we had to show our stuff off {while everyone watched...} and she passed with only a few dings for having a tight leash at times and not wanting to stay down when it came time for the down-stay routine.  I was very proud of Jewel, who went through a full active day at doggy daycare and then went right into class.  She did spectacular.  We continue to practice our skills, but honestly, when we go out on the town or hit the trails she's pretty well behaved {although always on the lookout for squirrels and chipmunks} and when she's at home she's pretty good, except for the the whole deciding to chase deer once in a while and digging holes where ever she feels like it.  But that's what out-of-town dogs do, right?

Certainly Not Alone Out Here

So much wildlife today!  More sandhill cranes, many flying so low I could see their red heads and hear their wings swishing, lots of geese honking as they tour the countryside, and this morning I woke with a start to the sound of ducks and immediately thought that Quinn and Henry were out and running around under my bedroom window.  Luckily it was just a flock of ducks headed north flying over.  There have been a lot of young eagles without their bald heads showing up and I have to think they are hatchlings from previous years returning to their home turf {they were my main motivation for finally catching Stonewall}.  Then the swans are making themselves at home again.  It's impossible to sneak up on them for a picture, but they often fly over very low and when they're on their lake their honking and caring on is awesome entertainment.  There are two pairs right now and I wonder if both will end up staying the summer or just one.  Then, of course, there are the deer.  They bed down right outside of Gypsy's pasture almost nightly.  I love to see the gals come through each evening.

A Greenhouse

 the greenhouse preplanting

Jewel helping me get things set up

The turtles are back at it and eager for me to put them out in the garden
 

little ground cherry seeds from FEDCO getting ready to go in the soil

 Little Greenhouse is up!  Last weekend it was so windy that it became impossible to do anything involving yardages of plastic let alone walking upright outside.  This week I spent evenings putting the frame together, fitting the covering on, and moving some simple shelving inside out in the much calmer and pleasantly mild and sunny afternoons after work.  It made for such a great week actually and by the end of it I have a greenhouse!  Last year about this time I was still staying late most of the week helping run the after school program and would get home each evening around 7:30.  I am so glad that is not the case this year.  It has actually been years since I could just come home and enjoy life and having that extra time before I have to go back at it makes such a huge difference.  Putting together Little Greenhouse in the brand new Spring in Northern Minnesota was pretty awesome.  That I got to see countless sandhill cranes flying over, the trumpeter swan family, one of the bald eagles--the other is on the nest, and this awesome little hawk like bird that is a beautiful shade of gray-blue I noticed last fall and is back in town that I think is a Cooper's hawk made things even better.

Inside the greenhouse I've put in some simple shelving and then some containers that used to be on the deck with flowers the last two summers.  It's in a very sunny southern spot and days are getting warmer, but I'm curious about how warm it will actually get in there so I'm keeping track.  I may have to pump some heat in there if it gets chilly so I'm prepared with a whole array of space heaters, but this crazy warm spring may just allow things to stay warm enough in there.  This is the first time I've started seeds this way, so we'll see how it goes.  I'm curious about my lighting.  I talked with the greenhouse down the road and for many things they don't use extra lighting.  Days are not exactly long yet, but we are getting almost 12 hours of light right now.  Will this be enough?  I'm sure the plants will let me know soon.

Here's what is trying to grow in there.{pictures coming soon!}

Eggplant:  

Kamo

Korean Red

Ping Tung

Cambodian Green Giant

I'm planting four varieties this year.  Kamo is suppose to do well in colder climates so I'm signing it up for a Northern Minnesota trial.  Korean Red is a free gift from Baker Creek that I'm kind of excited about--almost all of my free gifts from them have turned out as favorites.  Could Korean Red be the eggplant I've been looking for?!  I can't wait to find out.

Onions & Leeks: 
Jaune Paille Des Vertus
Wethersfield Red
*most likely I will order some Southport White Globe seeds this weekend
Bleu de Solaize Leek
*I will be going down to Local Greenhouse to pick up a shorter season leek tomorrow...
American Flag {85 day leek from Farmer Seeds--a Minnesota seed company I purchased from the greenhouse down the road}

I'm planting a brown and red onion this year and totally forgot that I needed to order white seeds...so after all my orders have been placed I will be putting together another order for white onion seed.  Oops.  Could I have subconsciously not wanted to be done...or perhaps really wanted an excuse to order more for this year--because after all, how could I just order onion seeds?  A one item order would look kind of crazy to those order preparers.  The varieties I pick have been decided due to their storing quality.  I love having onions to last all through the winter.  My grandpa on my Mom's side came from an onion farming family.  I think of that when I plant these each year and have to believe that this is why I love the smell of onions in the garden while they're growing even more than when they're in the kitchen being prepared.  My brown {I suppose its actually yellow} onion is a very old French heirloom.  I'm hoping to get enough of all of them to be able to have onion ropes hanging around and waiting for me to use them until I get a new stash next season.  I'm growing leeks for the first time in a few years too.  I planted some trays last year to start, but of course didn't get to see the results.  I've picked out the French variety that takes 100 or so days, but am going to try a variety that has a shorter growing season as well.  I'll be going down to pick seeds out for it tomorrow morning when I go see the fresh stash of seeds at the greenhouse that is literally down the road from me and will let you know what I pick out.

Peppers:
Sweet Pepper King of the North
Etiuda
Chimayo {the hot one}

All of my pepper varieties are new to me this year.  I absolutely can't get enough of sweet peppers and would love to have a stash of hot for give away gifts and just a little use on my own part for canning and cooking.  I put a lot of thought into picking out my sweets this year and believe I've found two that will do well with the shorter and cooler season.  The hot sucker has come from a friend's stash.  It's the only hot pepper I've enjoyed using and could be though of as the red type that is often used in classic drying wreaths and ropes down in the Southwest. 

Cabbage:
Perfection Drumhead Savoy
Cour Di Blue
Red Express

This year I will be making a concentrated effort for a spring and then fall cabbage crop.  I love, love, love, love cabbage in just about any form.  The idea that I needed to mass produce it took hold after finally learning that I can shred it and freeze it and it will still keep its texture and taste.  The savoy will be more for fresh eating this summer season, but the blue {it's not really blue} and red will go into the freezer.  I wouldn't mind filling 1/4 of the freezer with cabbage then 1/2 with kale and 1/4 with spinach...hmmm.  That could probably mean I may need to get a full size chest freezer instead of a half.

Tomatoes:
Granny Cantrell {red}
Brandywine {pink}
Green Giant {green of course}
Amana {orange}
Hillbilly {yellow-red bicolor}
Royal Hillbilly {pink, but more red}
Pilcer Vesy {yellow}
Cherokee Purple {purple}
Blue Beauty {blue, black, purplish}
Sunrise Bumblebee {red-orange swirled cherry}
San Juanito Tomatillo {not really a tomato, but sort of in that class in my mind}
Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry {not really a tomato either, but since I'm putting the tomatillo in this category...}

There are going to be a lot of tomatoes in the garden this year...that and the squash and dry beans will be taking up a gigantic amount of space.  The first summer up here I had more tomato success than I had in a very long time.  Last year I had hopes to have more of them than ever, but we all know how that turned out!  This year is the year.  So call me crazy, but I'm putting in more than 50 plants easy.  Most will be my red Granny Cantrells that I love, but there will be a bunch of the others too.  I will be freezing, stewing, and saucing up a storm {and all about the time school starts, because that's how it goes up here--but I'm okay with that, because what a wonderful way to unwind from those first initial days of the school year...in the kitchen monitoring a pot of tomatoes fresh from the garden with something nice and cold to drink!}.  But I want them for fresh eating to my heart's content too--especially the non-reds I grow.  The only new tomato on the menu is the Blue Beauty from Wild Boar Farms via Baker Creek.  I'm intrigued by what Wild Boar and other produce "breeders" do.  I like to imagine myself selecting and developing in my own garden in years to come just for my own fun mostly.  I was very torn between growing the Cherokee Purple or Black Krim this year.  In the end I opted for the Cherokee because it gets bigger and doesn't crack like the Krim--although I love the flavor of the Krim.  I believe this is the only garden restraint I'm showing this season.  Otherwise I'm going full force and showing no discipline at all.

Cauliflower and Broccoli:
Calabrese Green Sprouting
Snowball Self-Blanching

I have never grown enough of this stuff to freeze, pickle {the cauliflower that is}, or save in any form so that it can last past the growing season.  This year I hope to change that.  I feel insecure about my cauliflower and broccoli growing skills for some reason.  Hopefully this time around I can stretch my expertise.

In the planters I've got some greens going, and I have a few pots of herbs as well.  I've always had such huge success direct sewing my herbs that I'll be doing most of them that way again this year, but having a few in pots is always nice.  I'm eager to see my mizuna sprout.  Of course I planted some of that again this year and it's always the first thing I get to eat from the garden each season.  I have my favorite rocky top blend from Baker Creek, but also am eager to try the spring mix out from Sandhill and do a comparison...that should be coming soon hopefully.  In about a month I'll be cutting my first stash of homegrown salad!  I can't wait.  I even threw in a few radish seeds in one little planter and should be eating those by the beginning of May too!

More Packaged Food

This past week I went and got more hay for Gypsy and the rabbits...who don't use very much.  Perhaps my last hay purchase until next fall!?  We'll see, but if grass is going to grow high and happy we're going to need some more rain!  I'm hopeful that we'll start getting some truly raining days soon after such a brown winter.