Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[jvls1942]

It takes a bit of manipulating, but I think I have it figured out to keep in touch.
If I don't get Ollie running, I will not be planting corn.. I have three smallish containers for tomatoes and squash.
I would like to try sweet potatoes again.
I can't do anything that takes a lot of weeking. neither of us can get down or back up so easily.. I can't see well enough to do delicate weeding.. I can handle corn ok..
I do feel that I will get Ollie going again. I just need one nice warm day to work on him.. afterall, I did completely tear him apart and over haul the engine, this year I will put the containers on raised platforms ..

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Container gardening is the way to go Jim. The older I get, the easier it is. I can't do much for weeding either anymore. If I get down on the ground it was all by accident.

 

[Callender Girl]

Glad to see you're able to communicate, Jim. Maybe Ollie just enjoys getting your undivided attention when you're overhauling him?

Oh, Lisa, I totally understand accidental grounding! I've done a bit of that in the snow lately. Drifts that appear completely frozen are thisclose to solid; I take a step, and down I go.

Every year, I promise myself I will do better at gardening. I bought Charles Downding's "Veg Journal" that suggests month-by-month tasks to keep from getting overwhelmed. I also have a new book on small plots with big yields. If only reading and writing alone would make my veggies grow better, I would have bumper crops.

My garden have-to's are tomatoes, both cherry and full-sized, the more the better. Last year was my best for potatoes, so I'm doing those again. I have walking onions that take care of themselves. I am an abysmal failure at carrots, both in the garden and in containers. Containers on the deck get raided by squirrels, who at least leave most of the herbs alone.

 

[jvls1942]

logging in is not so bad now. all I have to do is type "B" and the title pops up and all I have to do is click on it..
I woke up when Annie got up. 3:3o AM.
she couldn't sleep. I managed to go back to sleep until 6.
there is a rabbit showing up every day. quite unusual in this extremely cold. it must be hungry .
but it looks fat and moves around normally.
the flocks of turkeys are congregating in the harvested corn fields. hundreds of them.
haven't seen any deer for weeks..
but did see tracks yesterday .
getting bored. thinking of baking something.
I never made baking powder biscuits. my mom used to make them. I never paid attention back then..

 

[ShrekDawg]

I want to bake something now too lol

 

[Debbie292d]

I just saw this thread for the first time! Wow, I gotta scroll through and read.


I'm gearing up to plant several dozen 4 O'clock flower seeds indoors next month. The tomato and green pepper plants I used to, but now we just buy 4 plants of each in the spring.

The 4 O'clocks are annual flowers up here, but perennial in the south. They are poisonous to chickens if they'd eat them, but draw and kill Japanese beetles. They plague our young birch trees and others, and raspberries. We bought 3 Japanese beetle traps online which we'll put on the outer edge of our property, with buckets of 4 O'clocks below them for the ones that fall. The plan we got this year was to draw them buggers all to one end of our property with all of this enticement. The war continues!

 

[Callender Girl]

Best wishes for success on the battlefield!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I just saw this thread for the first time! Wow, I gotta scroll through and read.


I'm gearing up to plant several dozen 4 O'clock flower seeds indoors next month. The tomato and green pepper plants I used to, but now we just buy 4 plants of each in the spring.

The 4 O'clocks are annual flowers up here, but perennial in the south. They are poisonous to chickens if they'd eat them, but draw and kill Japanese beetles. They plague our young birch trees and others, and raspberries. We bought 3 Japanese beetle traps online which we'll put on the outer edge of our property, with buckets of 4 O'clocks below them for the ones that fall. The plan we got this year was to draw them buggers all to one end of our property with all of this enticement. The war continues!

I didn't know all that about 4 o'clock flowers. My mother has a lot of Japanese beetles. We get a few just 5 miles away, but not enough to worry about. I hope she keeps them.

Glad you found us.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Heyyyyy

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

logging in is not so bad now. all I have to do is type "B" and the title pops up and all I have to do is click on it..
I woke up when Annie got up. 3:3o AM.
she couldn't sleep. I managed to go back to sleep until 6.
there is a rabbit showing up every day. quite unusual in this extremely cold. it must be hungry .
but it looks fat and moves around normally.
the flocks of turkeys are congregating in the harvested corn fields. hundreds of them.
haven't seen any deer for weeks..
but did see tracks yesterday .
getting bored. thinking of baking something.
I never made baking powder biscuits. my mom used to make them. I never paid attention back then..

I have made baking soda biscuits quite often. I found a new easier recipe for biscuits that uses 2 ingredients. I do have to add a bit more milk to get the dough to come together, so a few splashes of milk till it's workable, otherwise I follow the recipe, hopefully it's readable.