Is everyone taking advantage of this good weather working in the gardens

Well, Bunting
they took me shopping today!
How is that!
New seeds, new bird magazine..
And taking walks enjoying the sun.

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Major work done today! Instead of mudding and sanding my bedroom reno project, I instead chose to work outside:

1) Back yard post-winter “dog-mine” cleanup. Arguably one of the very worst Spring Cleaning tasks each year.
2) Begin post-winter cleanout of garage/woodshop. Probably second worst task.
3) Begin cleanup of herbal garden bed…
4) Sowing of seeds from the Seed Exchange program last month…

I also got several bags of topsoil to even out some low spots in the yard, but that’ll have to wait a few weeks…only so much daylight in April!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

I got out in the fresh air yesterday and today and today sleep a lot

But got many other things done too

Suits all ready for work tomorrow

all set to go. lol,lol

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

worked outside as well.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Hey D,
You sure did enough for the two of us!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Doubt it…it’s not like I dug a pond, like a few of you!! LOL…

Still…I’m a little sore today!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

I too have been working outside all day for the last few days.Got the gardens ready for May.Got the edging done.Planted some lilys.Replaced some rotted boards on garden wall.Got some of the planters filled with dirt and placed where I want them; also ready for May planting.I have the biggest chore still ahead of me.The big garden on the hill.Lot of work to do there.Gotta get some big flat stones so I can make a place to stand in the middle of it to plant the top layer.Then it’s improve the dirt and wait for May.Wait,Wait,Wait. darn.” I’m in a hurry to get things done.Oh I rush and rush…..” you know the rest (lol)

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Clean up time here too. Perfect weather in these parts for outside work. Off now for a bag of lime.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

Monday, April 21, 2008 10:14:13 AM
It’s still snowing :-(

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Geez Bob, I am really sorry about all that snow your way …

Maybe this will brighten you day a bit … Here, I stepped outside on my front porch this morning and it seems like overnight the trees all have budded … you know where they are all green, but no “real” leaves yet. It is almost like a miracle happened … one day nothing the next all the trees are “singing” ...

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Grandma T , on of the worst side effects of this unexpected return of winter is that it is calving season here and the number of animals lost in these storms is astronomical.
This goes for birds and critters too as they normally have their young right along this time.
We had a storm down south a few years back and they lost over 30,000 animals.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Yes, the animals are also taken by surprise!
Whether it is snow, heavy rain any kind of sudden change in the weather and the animals, both wild and domesticated suffer!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Out for a large pickup of black earth (bagged) and a bag of lime. Busy day with travels.

Terrible to hear its still snowing Bob in your area. Its almost too warm here for April. I think we’re in for a surprise. Only thing safe to plant in the area would be onions & peas.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

Geez Bob and “E” ... guess I never thought about the wild life being affected with the surprise snow. Now that worries me … :-(

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

That happened here last year

I do feed the birds and one squirrel

To help the birds along make sure you give them high energy good to help keep them warm

Peanut butter bars, you can make and home made suet. frozen fruit like blueberries cranberries if you have them in the freezer.

Raisins, they love raisins and are full of energy

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

getting overwhelmed with weeds this year, way to much rain has caused this!

-- Toronto, Ontario

This is an extremely hot and dry summr for us in NS Had 1 /.2 day of rain in 3 weeks and beleive me weeds here are terrilble it has been a lot hotter than any other summer I can rememeber. I don’t ever remember such terrible humidity. We normally get a bout 10 days of it in mid Aug but never in June or July

I am sure weeds is one thing that grows well without rain

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

High humidity which is most unpleasant. Alert has been issued so best to take it on the easy side.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

Just plain nasty today. Hot and humid, possible t-storms this afternoon. I’m just gonna hang out here in the AC.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

It rains every day now. The garden is burgeoning as are the weeds.

Everything is so Green!

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Last summer it rained almsot every 2nd nite , a prfect summer

Not too hot and not this humidity

thei is just terrible and beats me down and cn’t do anything til it cools about midnight

I was up at 4 this morning but the humidity was awful even then

I can fill the dehumidifier in 6 hours andd it holds 2 gallons

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Same here…extremely humid and hot for Newfoundland…I’m afraid for August to come, I don’t adjust well to this heat.

-- Xploreorganics, 5b Canada, LFD 06-20

Xploreorganics

Do you live in NFLD???

I have company coming from there tomorrow for a few days

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

more rain, seems like everyday now, last year, the entire two months, we had no rain, all lawns were burnt, actually everything was and was hard to keep up the garden watering 2X and they barely survived.

more rain, more weeds grow!

grrrrrrrrrr!

-- Toronto, Ontario

yah.. we installed several rain barrels this year because of the drought conditions last summer… didn’t need them this summer! I can’t believe there is that much water up there. Someone, somewhere is wishing we’d share.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

So much rain that I had to dig up my tomato plants out of the new bed: they were drowning!!
Moved them to “higher” grounds, on a slope!

And then yesterday I realized my 2 new clematis were drying up:not enough water! They are by the deck, where the rain rarely reaches!

The sun is up this morning and I am wishing you all some SUNSHINE today, and if not at least no rain!!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Work went from dead slow to overbearingly busy. I’ve made several kitchens, several islands, tiled floors and back splashes. Fixed furniture, chairs, made furniture…............and the list goes on but I need a new tractor for the fall and have a wood boiler to pay for so no rest for the wicked.

In the mean time I have finished (finally) shingling the poolhouse roof, planted 4 cherry trees, a few dozen cedars, cut 7 acres of grass. Drove by a small home style garden center where the veggie plants are free so my garden has several tomatoe specie, beans both yellow and green, bush and climbers, bush peas and climbing peas. lettuce, onion, garlic, spinach, egg plant, zuchinni, beats, all kinds of peppers, carrots…....and more.

I’ve split several hostas, been rooting mock oranges, lilacs and japanese willows, planted a few more clematis, moved some bee balm, planted few japanese pogodas (dogwoods). Bought and planted an Umbrella tree and am constantly tweeking my pond/rock garden.

Covered the driveway (401 in size) with a nice thick layer of crushed limestone, did some wiring in the barn.

And then of course I have my FIL who is “mean, ignorant, narcissiistic, and a condecending idiot” who is constantly on a “make work project”................never a dull moment with that $$#@&%.

With all the rain and heat, the gardens are spectacular. I’m going to move a big section of lillies today as they are done blooming and are a PITA as they fall over where they are.

Oh ya…............bring the indoors out contest.I doubt I will have the time but I took an antique wood stove from the basement, placed it out near my tree nursery/summer hen house. Filled it with soil and put cascading petunias in the top holes (3 holes) opened the front door and planted some more annuals and again in the ash door…........put morning glories climbing the smoke stack. Have this whole thing next to my eclectic bird condo highrise and put soil in some of the birdhouse doors then plants…...............but I doubt it will bloom enough for the deadline…...............come late August it should look cool.

And then theres my own chickens and roosters

and three kids

4 dogs

.

.

.

-- Central northish Ontario

Bringing that old stove out sounds really neat. My wife’s cousin did that, and it was really neat.

-- jroot

Hey, if we weren’t busier than beavers, we’d be bored silly! And at least you haven’t had time for boredom!

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

Lol,lol GT

I’d like to have your FIL here with all the work projects as long as”” he”” did them all and finished them. I could use the help

lol,lol

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

be careful what you wish for Bunting….. remember that he loves to water with roundup (or some story like that).

GreenTh… I’m worn out just reading your list!!

Take a pix of that stove and enter it. We’ll use our imagination for the blooms! Sounds gorgeous

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Yes, I am in agreement with MsDeb … take a pic and enter that stove, blooms or no blooms, I bet it is lovely!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Proof that am working hard in the garden

-- Hooked on Gardening.....Ontario zone 5b

oh Bullseye.. DELICIOUS!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

What are you going to make with those, Bullseye? Do something special on the BBQ ?

-- jroot

Oh Ms Debbie
I didn’t see that

No round up or chemcials on my land

I already made mustard relish with 6 of my cukes and have at least 15 more coming and lots of blossums

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Great looking cukes Bullsyes

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Are they cukes or zuchinis ??/

-- jroot

Thanks everyone! Jroot…glad you could join us here :-) We are going to bbq the zuchinnis

-- Hooked on Gardening.....Ontario zone 5b

Do you have any special recipes for BBQ’ed zuchini? My son, the chef, loves them.

-- jroot