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| Rainwater still standing after 24 hours! |
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| They may be ugly, but they were cheap and they keep my feet dry! |
It's sunny and soggy today on the farm, which means I'll be pulling on my muck boots before going outside. I have several "must do" tasks on my list for the day:
- Send off soil samples to extension service lab
Actually, I'll be digging the samples today, then allowing them to dry for several days before I send them off.
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| Goodies from the extension office! |
I cannot emphasize enough how helpful extension service people and publications are! Forget the bumbling county agent on Green Acres; these professionals are essential sources of information for the casual gardener, hobby farmer, and career farmer. Even my tiny, tiny county has its very own extension office! Search for your state's extension service web site!
- Apply milky spore around roses
My roses really exploded last year. Both Mrs. B. R. Cant and Duchesse de Brabant were in their third year and bloomed profusely! Unfortunately, they were also big enough for the Japanese beetles to notice, and the pests soon stripped the bottom third of the bushes. I'm ashamed to say I resorted to Sevin dust as a stopgap measure, but this year, and at the wrong time of the year, I'm applying milky spore disease. It won't help much this year, but it should help for next.
Milky spore is a beneficial bacteria which interrupts the Japanese beetle life cycle by killing the grubs. Once the soil is inoculated, it can last up to 15 years. It's safe for beneficial insects, too.
Since I'm too cheap thrifty to actually purchase an applicator, I'll make one from a stick and a salvaged can.
- Apply milky spore on my in-laws' yard
The voles have returned with a vengeance and, I'm told, that can be a sign of Japanese beetle grub infestation. We're going to give it a try.
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| Soon it will be able to ring the doorbell! |
- Speaking of roses, I really need to trim back one which is creeping dangerously close to the front door!
The best source I've found for roses is Chamblee's Rose Nursery in Tyler, Texas. I'll give you the full run-down one day, but, I will only order roses from them. Wide varieties, healthy stock, professionally packed, just the best!
- Set out salvaged daylilies
Way back in December and January, I dug out a bed for my aunt. It had been overrun with assorted daylilies, Siberian/Dutch iris, and "pink ladies" (a variety of amaryllis). Since then, they've remained piled in the back of my faithful pickup truck. I've finally decided where I want them at my house and it will be warm enough today to work outside.
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| Salvaged daylilies |
To help in the task of planting the "pink ladies," I'm trying a bulb auger which I recently picked up. It requires the use of a drill, and, since our drill actually belongs to my resident dragon, he is driving a hard bargain for its use. We'll see how the negotiations turn out.
- Start remaining tomatoes and all of the peppers
I ordered in inserts for my trays and I'm ready to get these started. While it may seem late to be starting plants, I usually cannot get into my garden before late May. I've made to choice not to use raised beds so that I can do a rough till with the tractor, and the plots are not dry until then.
Whew! That will be a day, won't it?
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