February in the Garden

Daffodils are pushing through the mulch and there are a couple brave blooms.  We haven’t had any rain all month and that is very, very bad.  In the past six February’s that we have lived here, we have averaged a bit more than 9 inches for the month.  So far, we’ve had zippo this year.

In my Master Gardener classes, we’ve been learning a lot about water management and irrigation.  As you can imagine, in California water management is huge.  In class we learned all the math behind calculating how much water a particular soil holds, how quickly it moves through the soil and how climate affects it as well.  Oh, boy.  Math.  Ugh.  We also had a lab where we learned, hands-on, how to install drip lines.  I’ll admit I was feeling pretty good before the lab; I put all of our landscape on drip — planters, fruit trees, and veggies — when I planted our gardens.

So, bonus points (maybe) for being on drip.  But I learned that my lines were not configured correctly.  I had lines that look like this in my flower and herb beds.

See all the lines coming out with different types and sizes of emitters?  Not good.  The line went across the bed and ended.  That’s not good either.  If the line ends, water doesn’t flow evenly so some plants get a lot and some not enough.  That would explain why some plants in the planter do fine and others struggle.  Overall, it doesn’t perform great.  So, I ripped it out and re-did it.

I am also redoing the drip lines around the fruit trees so that they are a continuous loop.  I have 20 fruit trees.  This is going to take a while.

Sometimes, I sit in the greenhouse and think.  I ponder my next project; what to tackle first; how to lay out the lines.  I love sitting in the greenhouse.

I also made up a big batch of seed starting mix and planted some seeds.

Meanwhile, my lettuce, arugula and pansies are doing well.

When my arms and shoulders ache, I tell myself that the flower beds will be awesome and that I’ll have lots of fruit; that all this work will be worth it.  Stay tuned for future installments...

I’m In!

The two passions of my life have been horses and gardening.  I’ve never had as much time as I would like for either, and its something I intend to remedy now that I am retired.

I started gardening, oh, about 25 years ago when my kids were small.  I experimented with flowers and vegetables and trees.  Some lived, some didn’t.  I read a lot and I went to classes offered at various locations.  Often, the classes were taught by Master Gardeners.  I was impressed with, and envied, their knowledge.

After we moved up here, I learned that UC Davis offers a certification course to become a Master Gardener.  I inquired.  At the time, there was no way that I could make the time commitment and so I, sadly, put certification on my bucket list for retirement.

Guess what?  I’m retired now.   And the first thing I did?  Even before my retirement date?  You know it.  I called UC Davis to see if there would be a program in 2020.  The answer was yes.  So, after attending an orientation class, submitting an application, and enduring an interview by a panel of ten Master Gardeners (yikes), I found out today that I have been accepted into the program.

Champagne and pizza for dinner tonight.

Certification is a lot of work.  I will be attending lectures one day a week, all day.  There will be homework, and reading, and exams.  There will be labs.  And, when I finish in late spring, I will be a rookie Master Gardener.

As a Master Gardener, I will provide education to the public — backyard gardeners — through teaching classes, writing articles, going to Farmers Markets and the County Fair, giving demonstrations, and manning the help line.  I can’t wait!!!

Classes start in January.  In the meantime, I need to get my books and get fingerprinted and all that jazz.

Random 5 Friday

1. Lytha wondered why I was planting in October. It is best time of year to plant perennials -- at least in California. The days are warm but the nights are cold. The soil is still nice and warm. When you nestle a new plant into the ground the roots reach and stretch, getting a strong presence before the cold and sleep set in. Meanwhile, the upper part of the plant doesn't do anything because all the energy is being used underground. In the spring, the plant wakes up with its running shoes already on and gets to work. With its root system well established, the above ground part thrives. Of course, this doesn't work with annuals or summer vegetables but it is the best way to plant steady-Eddy shrubs.

2. Spaghetti frittata -- so easy, so good, so many requests for the recipe. Click here to go to My Carolina Kitchen where I found the recipe. I used basil instead of parsley since that is what I had on hand. The trick is to have everything ready to go: the cheese grated, the eggs beaten, the herbs chopped because it goes fast. The recipe directs you to tilt the pan over the burner flame to brown the edges. I have a flat top cooktop so I just left it on the burner until it was nicely browned. It worked fine.

3. Feral Janice suggested that I do a work night recipe series. I'm thinking about it; maybe not a full-on series but a weekly post... Its a possibility.

4. This morning when I left for work, I heard on the traffic report that there was an accident that had one of the freeway lanes (there are only two) closed. I decided to take back roads and bypass the inevitable congestion. Now that the nights are consistently in the 30s, the trees are brilliant orange, red and gold. I might have to take the scenic route more often.

5. The fence is coming apart in the oak pasture. Brett figures 40 posts need to be replaced plus cross rails and wire. He was awake all night worrying about how to get that done -- who to hire, and how to pay for it. Ranch life... a never-ending money pit.

Dreaming of Tomatoes

Yesterday, my tomato seeds and starting mix arrived in the mail.  This morning, I grabbed the box and headed for my greenhouse.

It's been many years since the kids called me "Mommy" but I'll keep Camille's editing job on my sign forever.

The snow is gone and the sun is out, but the wind is blowing hard - and it's a cold wind.  Instead of riding, I got busy in the greenhouse where it was nice and warm.

I had three kinds of tomato seeds to sow: slicing, sauce and grape varieties.  Last year I had enough tomatoes to make and freeze a whole bunch of sauce and roasted tomatoes.  I intend to do the same this summer.  We have really enjoyed our spaghetti dinners this winter.

In the summer, our nights remain cold so I need early varieties of tomatoes.  Legend was a winner last year.

I use this heating pad to keep the soil warm and germinate the seeds.  That way, I don't have to heat the greehouse.

I sow the seeds in this plant tray. 

...which has a soil temperature sensor buried in the dirt.

I plug it in and set the temperature to about 65F.

I keep the tray covered until the seeds germinate.  This creates a warm moist environment for the seeds.

Somehow, I have ended up with volunteer poppies growing in the gravel of the greenhouse floor.  I love coming out here with a book and relaxing with all the baby plants perfuming the air around me. 

Back in the house, I immediately recorded my activities in my new obsession -- a gardening network called Folia.  You can click on the badge on my sidebar and it will take you there if you want to check it out.  I've tried other gardening websites before and they were awkward to use and I wasn't impressed.  Someone recommended this one to me in a comment and I love it!  I can follow other gardeners all around the world, I can read (and contribute) to forums on all aspects of gardening, and I can track my plants.  What fun! 

Spic and Span

I love the gardens when the winter pruning is finished.  Everything looks neat and tidy, clean and bright.  I finished the orchard pruning a few days ago and Brett helped me spread compost under the trees.  The peach tree is ready to burst into bloom already, the buds are swelling on the branches.

After lunch today, I tackled the arbor rose.  The arbor is starting to fall apart.  I cut off all the old canes so Brett can reinforce the structure.  With the arbor cleaned of any canes and the espaliered apples pruned, the garden entrance looks neat and tidy.

Inside the garden, the artichokes are green as are the strawberry plants.  I have garlic and beets poking through the soil in one of the planter beds.  Tarragon and mint are starting to green up as well.  I even have flowers -- my carnation doesn't seem to realize that it is January. 

In the corner of the garden is a large stock tank.  It's been sitting there empty for years.  Ideas?  I'm thinking about filling it with water in the spring, adding some lilies and gold fish and making it into a water garden. 

It's cloudy and overcast today, although not particularly cold.  There is a chance of rain tomorrow but it will be a light warm rain, from Mexico, if we get any precipitation at all. 

I won't know.  I'll be in Fresno riding Winston!!  Fortunately, the rain isn't forcast to get that far north.

A quiet rest of the afternoon on tap; Camille and a friend coming up later for dinner and to spend the night; a warm fire; a pot of chili and cornbread for dinner... 

A good day.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Brett built me a beautiful flower bed as a gift last year.  I promptly filled it with flowers and have enjoyed it immensely.   There was just one problem.  We changed out the bubbler sprinklers for soaker hose and when we hooked them up to the existing line it just didn't work well.  Soaker hoses run infrequently for a long, long time.  The other sprinklers on the line were bubblers .  Either my flower bed was dry or the rest of the line was flooded.  It's been on the to-do list for quite awhile.

My flowers started dying.  The only plants left standing after enduring the heat of summer were the rose bushes (well established), the alyssum and the lambs ears.  When Brett initially installed sprinklers, he put in many lines.  There are not all being used so "all" he needed to do was tap into one of the inactive ones. 

He started digging and voila! there they were.  But.... which one was which?  Fortunately, he had labeled them when he put them in originally.

He dug up the lines all the way to the planter.  Bella supervised.  Of course. 

The weather was hot and muggy today.  Brett was exhausted by the time he finished.  But he did it!  And they work perfectly.  (of course)

 

I think he deserves a big steak for dinner.  And a big glass of wine.

A Beautiful, Busy, Bathing Day

Today was warm, in the upper 70s, with just the barest of a breeze.   Jackson was (dare I say it) walking really well.  A few people have asked what the diagnosis was and I'm happy to relay that he does NOT have laminitis.  The wet weather softened the thin soles of his feet and he just got sore and bruised.  No insulin resistance, no metabolic anything, no laminitis.  I'm keeping his feet dry and painting them daily with either turpentine or thrush meds to toughen up the soles.  In the meantime, I'm burning my calories working in the garden.

I pulled all the poppies, bulbs and potatoes out of the big planter box in my vegetable garden.

I tossed the potatoes and poppies but kept all the bulbs.

I added a thick layer of compost -- eight trips down to the compost pile and back.

I stopped in the barn feed room to quench my thirst.

Then I transplanted tomato plants and a pumpkin plant from the greenhouse. 

I sorted the bulbs.  On the left, are Easter lilies.  Brett buys me some every Easter and I transplant them into the garden.  I planted the tulip bulbs, on the right, down by the arena.

Katy came up and worked with Kalvin.  Then she gave him a bath.

I gave Jackson a bath and then let him graze while he dried. 

I lay on my back and looked up through the twinkling Cottonwood trees.

Next!  Flash got a bath too.

Passage kept me and Jackson company

The chickens were taking dust baths.  The one on the left scooted herself into a hole...

...and proceeded to roll around. 

The roses are starting to bloom.