Still Warm

Hit 70 deg today. Worked outside in my T-Shirt. Finished removing the weeds from the beds and am ready to start diggin'. The birds have been fooled into thinking it's spring. I know better. ha. I did clean out the bird box that Dad made. The perch had fallen off so instead of glueing it back on I nailed it on using galvanized nails driven through pre-drilled holes. It back up and ready for them to move into.

Beautiful Day

Temps around 70 deg....wow! Weeded the front iris bed. The larkspurs have migrated to the north end of that bed...should be a nice show. My broccoli seedlings are about 2 inches high and looking good. Need to get another set of lights. :)

Venturing out into the garden

We had some more 60 deg weather in January. Linda and I went to Home Depot and bought some seeds. They didn't have much. We also purchased some at Wallmart...still very little selection.

I got the hoe out and removed the winter weed growth from the main bed. If it stays dry I'll turn it tomorrow or the next day. I usually double dig a small plot at a time each year covering 1/7 the beds each year....according to 7 yr cycle rotation.

The broccoli plant are starting their second set of leaves and look stout and quite green under the lamp. When the sun shine through the window I move the plants into the sunlight, then as evening approaches I put them back under the light.

Organized my seeds and cataloged them. It's time to throw out some of the older unused seed. I hate to waste seed but most of the unused seed is from saved seed of my own and there is plenty from last year to go around.

Installed my grow lamp. 42" duel tube flourescent. My broccoli seedlings a lookin' good.

Broccoli Has Sprouted

My broccoli starts have just sprouted today and I have placed them under a fluorescent lamp. Tomorrow I will have to put the shelves up in the south facing window of the clock shop. I need to make a fixture for the lamp to be placed above the starts. The weather is beginning to cool down a bit.....40s and 50s with night time temps in the 30s. I'm still waiting for the big freeze.

It's Plant'n Time

It is the later part of January and we have not seen Winter yet. Whenever we have unseasonably warm weather in January there is a price to pay later on...usually in the form of damaging ice storms or record heavy snow fall. But ya have ta plod ahead anyway and be ready to cheat Mother Nature if she decides to be mischievous.

It is time to start the broccoli plants which will be put out in early March. We have bumped up our frost-free date in response to the warming trend. We now use the frost-free dates for southern Oklahoma. I keep a set of standby starts in the cold frame just in case there is any loss.

Started De Cicco broccoli (15 ea) today.