Mom did you know there are all these awesome smells out here and all these fun small things to chase?! Mom they are so much fun!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Spring?
Well despite SOMEONE'S (cough Mother Nature cough) best efforts our garden is still there! We got snow (booo!) but it only stuck around for half the morning before melting.
Now we just have to deal with cold winds that remind us not so fondly of winter and nights that make me wish for spring just a little harder.
Nothing has sprouted yet so we haven't covered the garden, I don't know whether that is smart or stupid but we will see! In the meantime I just keep plodding away wishing fondly for warmer weather to play in the garden some more!
We are supposed to hit 60 most of next week but it promises to be a gloomy 60 degrees with rain predicted for most of the week. But that's ok by me! We need the rain and the warmer weather might just convince my seeds to come out of hiding!
Here is the garden all planted and I am just patiently waiting for the first sprout!
Now we just have to deal with cold winds that remind us not so fondly of winter and nights that make me wish for spring just a little harder.
Nothing has sprouted yet so we haven't covered the garden, I don't know whether that is smart or stupid but we will see! In the meantime I just keep plodding away wishing fondly for warmer weather to play in the garden some more!
We are supposed to hit 60 most of next week but it promises to be a gloomy 60 degrees with rain predicted for most of the week. But that's ok by me! We need the rain and the warmer weather might just convince my seeds to come out of hiding!
Here is the garden all planted and I am just patiently waiting for the first sprout!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Greenhouse yay!
Well we put up the greenhouse up today! It wasn't very hard but it was confusing! Why do all of those instructions read either like a foreign language or like you have extensive engineering backgrounds?
Well either way it is up and I did it all on my own! Now when I get my seeds I can start some of them! I have never done anything like this before so I don't quite know what to expect but it sure will be a fun experiment! Hopefully it turns out and I get some seeds, but if not oh well you live and learn.
My aunt is starting her tomatoes and peppers, and I think I will try my squash and zucchini, along with maybe eggplant and my beans? I don't know but it should be fun!! Tune in later for more updates on the greenhouse!!
Well either way it is up and I did it all on my own! Now when I get my seeds I can start some of them! I have never done anything like this before so I don't quite know what to expect but it sure will be a fun experiment! Hopefully it turns out and I get some seeds, but if not oh well you live and learn.
My aunt is starting her tomatoes and peppers, and I think I will try my squash and zucchini, along with maybe eggplant and my beans? I don't know but it should be fun!! Tune in later for more updates on the greenhouse!!
We put the greenhouse on the front of the house in the porch so that it will still get sunlight but be protected from the wind, this side of the house faces north so it will get all the pretty morning light. Haven't planted anything yet but that will be coming within the month!!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Does anyone need manure?
We seem to have an abundance of manure on our hands, hmm I wonder if that is from the two pooping machines we own? Anyway I am thinking of selling it as people love this stuff to go in their gardens! With that in mind please come and take it off our hands!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Well it was nice while it lasted
So this week is predicted to get down to the mid 20s in the night and the upper 40s is the warmest it should get. All while the whole week is predicting either rain or snow. Gosh am I glad I planted my seeds now :(
At least it is too cold for them to sprout but not cold enough for them to freeze. Thankfully after a rather dreary and wet week we are being told we will hit the 70s again on the weekend! I am excited as that means more warm weather and hopefully to stay!
My garden is just going to love the warm weather and hopefully with a good start to the garden season we will have a bountiful summer! I just cannot wait to plant more and watch my seeds start to sprout!
At least it is too cold for them to sprout but not cold enough for them to freeze. Thankfully after a rather dreary and wet week we are being told we will hit the 70s again on the weekend! I am excited as that means more warm weather and hopefully to stay!
My garden is just going to love the warm weather and hopefully with a good start to the garden season we will have a bountiful summer! I just cannot wait to plant more and watch my seeds start to sprout!
There they are just waiting to begin growing!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
The beautiful weather
This weather just makes me happy, I love being outside and enjoying the warmer days! And the sunshine! It just makes me happier to be able to get out of the house and enjoy everything. The air smells fresher, the house can be opened up and aired out, and the grass is starting to grow! Even our horses are getting in on the action!
They were so happy to get outside and eat the grass that is out (though there isn't much)
The river is getting swollen with all the ice melting up north, though it isn't as high as it usually is. The lack of water is already being felt and we haven't even gotten to summer yet! Anyways the ice was pretty much completely gone from the river by our house but further upstream and downstream is a different story. The geese however make such a racket, though it is better then living in the city and listening to the cars and trains!
It just all looked so pretty I couldn't help but take a ton of pictures, Amaris loved running around and exploring everything. She got so dirty and then ran and swam in the river. Well she got a bath that night and let me tell you a bath is much worse then swimming in the river to her! She about knocked me over trying to get out of the tub!!
I leave you with one final photo that I just found so beautiful I couldn't pass up sharing.
The one lone goose swimming around enjoying the sunshine.
Planting season has begun.
Well it's official. Gardening season has begun. I may have started way too early, but that is fine by me. Hopefully and according to my phone it is not supposed to be colder then the mid 30s the rest of the week with some rain. One can only hope when planting this early in Minnesota. My luck would be that they would start to sprout and then we would get a huge snowfall and freezing temps for a week and I would have to start all over. But I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Do my garden beds look a little neglected? Well at least the mulch kept them healthy!
We planted a lot of stuff! Radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, carrots, beets, and peas.
All are mostly cold weather crops so hopefully they will do alright for now. We also got all the garden beds cleaned up and ready to go so that when warmer weather really does get here the beds can just be planted right away. We are planning on doing a second planting of everything in a week or so to give us a longer harvest time. We also got a head start on cleaning out the corral and stalls from the winter layer of poo that builds up and freezes. With all the warm weather the poo has been thawing. Which means a lot of cleaning for us, and a lot of manual labor.
I am just glad to get my hands in the dirt, with all the beautiful days it has been hard spending my time indoors. We also got a greenhouse from a silent auction that we are putting together, which means more seeds in the dirt!! I just cannot wait, soon summer will be here which means planting season will be in full swing with harvesting right around the corner. Ahh summer how I love the dirt and plants!
Hopefully my seeds will sprout! Give me sunshine Mother Nature!! And lots of rain!
All are mostly cold weather crops so hopefully they will do alright for now. We also got all the garden beds cleaned up and ready to go so that when warmer weather really does get here the beds can just be planted right away. We are planning on doing a second planting of everything in a week or so to give us a longer harvest time. We also got a head start on cleaning out the corral and stalls from the winter layer of poo that builds up and freezes. With all the warm weather the poo has been thawing. Which means a lot of cleaning for us, and a lot of manual labor.
I am just glad to get my hands in the dirt, with all the beautiful days it has been hard spending my time indoors. We also got a greenhouse from a silent auction that we are putting together, which means more seeds in the dirt!! I just cannot wait, soon summer will be here which means planting season will be in full swing with harvesting right around the corner. Ahh summer how I love the dirt and plants!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Warmer weather
Well next week it is forecasted to be in the upper 40s and even into the 50s! You know what that means? It means that it will be warmer next week! I don't ever predict spring is here until it's actually here, in Minnesota you just never know.
The warmer weather has prompted me to get my garden going earlier then I can ever remember planting! Last year we planted in April and we thought that was risky. But with the next week forecasted to be no colder then 30s I can't help but get me hands in the dirt. A few weekends ago I won a greenhouse on a silent auction for our local legion. It's not very big but with this weather it doesn't need to be. My aunt wants to start her peppers and tomatoes in it and then let us use her grow lights and trays to start any of the ones we would like. So that is my project this weekend! I am also going to plant our radishes, peas, cabbage, spinach, kale, carrots, and anything else I think of from now until tomorrow. I think I might succession plant my radishes and carrots so we get a constant supply.
I honestly don't care what I plant at this point just so long as I can get my hands in the dirt.
The only downfall of this beautiful weather? I gotta pick up my puppies poop that is from this winter. In the spring summer and fall she goes in the woods because we are out there and she can be out for longer periods of time. When it's cold? No one wants to go out least of all her. So she rushes out and does her business as close to the door as she can. Then runs in where it's warm. Ugh. Means a lot of work for me come spring. Fun times I tell ya.
Monday, March 9, 2015
My Mondays
Mommy I am so good, I don't know who keeps chasing those horses but it certainly isn't me!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
We NEED....ed snow!!
I know, most people in New York and the Northeast will kill me for saying this seeing as how they might not be dug out by June but we needed snow badly here in Minnesota! The snow usually provides a layer of protection from the bitter cold that we are oh so happy to be getting. But this winter we are bitterly cold, and we had less then an inch of snow on the ground. It makes for a very bad combination as the bitter cold just keeps coming.
My neighbors just had their septic system freeze, well the drain field froze. Which when you live in the country and have no access to the city sewer system means a long and expensive winter pumping their septic when it gets full instead of letting it drain into your yard.
So most septic systems work by funneling all of your waste water and sewage into a holding tank in your backyard, these are usually buried to certain depths depending on how far away from the house they are. It is deep to allow the solids to sink to the bottom and settle, while allowing the oils and chemicals to float to the surface. You are supposed to pump your septic tank every 3 years on average.
The drainage field is where those of us who live in the north usually run into problems. It is laid out like irrigation piping. These pipes tend to be smaller to allow the water to seep out into the surrounding soil and filter clean before entering the groundwater. Unfortunately thinner pipes means faster freezing. When you don't get adequate snowfall to insulate the ground the frost can go deeper and usually ends up freezing those pipes. That's what happened to my neighbors. Thankfully it wasn't the pipe that leads to the tank or then they would really be in trouble.
Anyway I know this isn't the most sexy of topics but everyone should be aware of the working parts of their house and to take good care of them. Unfortunately no one expected the cold snaps and no snow to go that deep into the ground. So keep an eye on your pipes people! Even though winter is coming to an end those pipes are very important and you don't want to be without water or gas or anything else when it gets cold out!
My neighbors just had their septic system freeze, well the drain field froze. Which when you live in the country and have no access to the city sewer system means a long and expensive winter pumping their septic when it gets full instead of letting it drain into your yard.
So most septic systems work by funneling all of your waste water and sewage into a holding tank in your backyard, these are usually buried to certain depths depending on how far away from the house they are. It is deep to allow the solids to sink to the bottom and settle, while allowing the oils and chemicals to float to the surface. You are supposed to pump your septic tank every 3 years on average.
The drainage field is where those of us who live in the north usually run into problems. It is laid out like irrigation piping. These pipes tend to be smaller to allow the water to seep out into the surrounding soil and filter clean before entering the groundwater. Unfortunately thinner pipes means faster freezing. When you don't get adequate snowfall to insulate the ground the frost can go deeper and usually ends up freezing those pipes. That's what happened to my neighbors. Thankfully it wasn't the pipe that leads to the tank or then they would really be in trouble.
Anyway I know this isn't the most sexy of topics but everyone should be aware of the working parts of their house and to take good care of them. Unfortunately no one expected the cold snaps and no snow to go that deep into the ground. So keep an eye on your pipes people! Even though winter is coming to an end those pipes are very important and you don't want to be without water or gas or anything else when it gets cold out!
Monday, March 2, 2015
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