November 29

2012

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.

Thursday. Most of the trees have dropped their leaves. The nights are down in the low 30's & high 20's. The days are lovely, crisp, and while the mornings have been drizzly, the afternoons have been clear. Sounding like perfect weather for spinach under row covers. Missing my garden, but enjoying being a corporate girl. Still, this time of year begs me to buy seeds! What if I buy them and don't have a spring or summer garden, either? Lots of bunnies & skunks here. Pretty much have to cage in everything...Oddly, no snails. Probably due to the late afternoon robin invasion. "That's where I come from, I'm an old Tennessean..."

December 20

2010

Gardening in the High Desert

• Separated the Ivy into 4 coir 6" pots.  One has lovely long branches - I should cut some and make even more plants.
• Wet, relatively warm weather means more weeds are sprouting.  Good for fallow beds - turning them under.  But not so goo for the garlic.
• Have not planted tomatoes yet, the the urge is strong.  Soon.  Soon.
• Turned my damp compost. It smells so sweet.  Need to sift it and hoe it into my beds.
• Collards are pretty much kaput.  I wonder when I should winter sow them.
• Probably I should start a new JAN-FEB-MAR [hand written book] journal for 2011, but there is still some bit of space to fill in the one started in 2006.  Not so much as to be frugal, although there is that - but more for the companionship of year over year notes.
• Farmers dream of the deep, slow rains of this past weekend.
• Fall planted spinach still small, still green, still growing at a tiny pace.  Will they go crazy in the spring?  I need a LOT of plants for daily salads.  Survived negative temps, they did. 
• Will empty snaffle bottles lined up like wall-o-waters help protect early toms?  Or, if all danger of freezing, really freezing, is past, perhaps I could fill them.  I am thinking that since they are heavier than plastic, they won't blow over.  They should be a decent mini-heat sink and wind break.  And maybe help keep critters out, too.
• Looking forward to spring daffodils.  I wonder if the ones for forcing have had enough chill hours yet?
• DONE - Make new labels for my garden books [journals]

10 - October 02

2005

2006

2007

2010

2005

The sweet gums [trees] are looking decidedly perky this morning. I was concerned that yesterday's dry winds would have been hard on them, but I guess the cooler temps and deep watering helped them. Of course, I took pictures yesterday. Need to add them to my database.

2006

• DONE - See how deep rain penetrated into the ground – not much; 6” only
• DONE – Buy dirt – 2006-10-21
• DONE – Take a nap
• DONE – Remove clothes pins from fruit trees – 2006-10-04 [used with string to keep young branches spread apart]
• How do I put diesel and oil in the tractor?
• [Plant] more peas, please
• Fall cleanup
• More soap making
• Remove Christmas décor from last year
• Wire fence fruit trees [I have no idea what that means now]
• Cut back viburnums
• DONE- Trees? 2006-10-07 none at HD [Home Depot, probably Carson City] [Black Austrian] pines

So much to do before D leave for trainin in South Carolina – and then a blink of an eye and he's of to Iraq.

Strange, but I think I won't have to water this week.

2007

[Accomplished]

• Watered all houseplantsHaven't been in the garden in 24 hours – miss that contact with the Earth
• Filled bird feeders
• Played with dogs
• Dreaming of Garlic
• Put dead lettuce in compost pile

One place I saw said 12 -15 bulbs of garlic per person per year – seems like our family could eat more than than
Garlic Use – Crush, add to butter, put in molds, freeze, pop out of molds, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Instant garlic butter for cooking. I love it!

I am taking a class on jumpstarting your creativity by studying Leonardo da Vinci – It's been a year or more since I've kept a non-garden journal. I wonder if now is the time to start one again?
A year ago D was contemplating spending a year in Iraq – and now, now what are his plans? I am so blessed to have him home. He planted a tree this weekend.

2010

Big fat drops of rain accompanied by the usual winds. Cooled things down nicely. Still, one should not mistake this little rain as actually watering anything. It has barely wet the surface [of the ground]. Had to run to put dog food and chicken food out of the rain, but other than that, not a big deal. Even when there is lots of it, I've always loved the rain.