On Thursday morning I was up at 5:15AM. I had to clean up the kitchen before I could go to the gardens, so I never got out to the Big garden until 6:15AM.
The first thing I did was plant and mulch the Cortland storage onions. I was short 3 plants so I planted 2 marigolds at the end.
Next I got the rest of the garden raked and amended and laid out the cabbage row. I managed to get it broadforked but the humidity and rising temps got me by 9:15AM. So I quit, cleaned up my mess and got my notes and photos.
I had to feed the 2 trays of seedlings still in the house so I did that and set up for feeding house plants. Then I sat down to rest. He arrived at 11:30AM and got the houseplants fed and a couple chores done.
I was not working outside as it was to hit 90’sF so the job for the day was to finally finish the inventory. It was for the new cellar so it would be cool down there.
As with the previous inventories, I found so stuff I’d been looking for. The best one was the repair kit for the kitchen cabinets. When we had been doing the spring cleaning earlier this year, I’d needed it and couldn’t find it. Now I know I had dedicated a cabinet in the cellar to all things small for cabinets. Hopefully one of the projects during the summer on hot days will be to put all the cabinet stuff in one place.
It only took us a couple hours to do the inventory so I sent him on errands.
Each year since I started the wildflower area in September 2019 with Fedco’s wildflower mix, I’ve had a different primary flower bloom. I spread 3 lbs of the mix that September.
In 2020 it was Bachelor’s Buttons and the goldfinches were all over those. In 2021 it was black-eyed susans and yarrow. In 2022 it was catch-fly and yarrow. In 2023 it was black-eyed susans, asters, and yarrow. In 2024 it was coreopsis and poppies. So far this year, it’s lupines and the invasive with its yellow flowers.
The peony was so over the top with the full blown flowers, real mopheads.
I’d walked around to see how the Little Trees were doing and was struck by how healthy the Lapins cherry looked. It had been really sad last year and lost all its leaves in August.
My helper friend and I pruned it early this spring and it now has large healthy leaves. So maybe I will get cherries from it one year soon.
My helper friend left early on Thursday afternoon as there wasn’t much to do and he wanted the AC at his house.
On Friday I plan to get out really early and get a lot of things done in the Big garden: plant the lima and green beans, finish the weeding, and restart the carrots with the new seed. Once my helper friend arrives at 8AM, I hope to get the rest of the planting, except basil, done.
He leaves at 11:30AM and I have an hour to get cleaned up and eat before the senior van picks me up for an event. It’s supposed to start thunderstorming while I am gone, so I will have to close the windows.