It's wonderful weather! Warm, not hot, and no frost for the past two or three nights, just great gardening weather! Yesterday I finished the hands and knees job of weeding the garlic. I also watered all of the rhubarb one plant at a time giving them a slow soaking. I lay the hose down and let the hand held sprinkler give the roots a good soak. A baby bunny popped out from under one plant, it seemed dazed by the bright sun and had taken a good spray of water so wasn't a happy bunny. When I moved to the next plant another one popped out! And I flushed a mouse out of the next one. No shortage of places to hide and they'd better be careful or they will be owl food! The bird nest I mentioned in the last blog post now has 4 eggs. As the stalks and leaves have grown it is now way down in the plant and looking like a failed construction project. It probably won't hold together much longer.
The ten day forecast doesn't show any temperatures near freezing. It has me wondering if it might be safe to plant tender things like tomatoes outside. The tomatoes I started from cuttings off last year's plants are tall and spindly despite being in full sunlight in the greenhouse. They have had plenty of blossoms and not one tomato! The air circulation is good because there is a small fan running 24/7 so I think I will buy some new plants. It was an experiment anyway.
My seed starting efforts have been a bust this year. Operator error. I put the pots on a heat mat and I think it was too hot. Nothing came up. I was trying to make up for the days we were away when I should have had them growing already. I will be buying cabbages, tomatoes, and squash. Maybe some broccoli. With our short season those are the things I always start from seed and set out six weeks later. I'll direct seed some beets, bush beans and ? How much depends of space available. Potatoes are already planted next to the peas.
My garden will be smaller this year anyhow because I am only planting the part where I didn't put so much of the cow manure compost. The rest of it will get a generous application of the bagged leaves I brought home last fall. Our son is coming for a bit of visiting and work while he is between jobs. He will use our big old Troy Built tiller and get them all underground. Meanwhile, I will mow the grass that has come up and use the smaller tiller to try to get it underground. I might need to do some raking before I stir up the soil to remove the grass clippings. Last year we used the weed eater on the grass and I raked it into piles before he could do the tilling. It's looking very shaggy already!
So far I have only seen one fledgling owl. After his wild sojourn into the grassy pasture (probably aided by a gust of wind) he was on the nest tree the next day and the day after that. I try to spy on him from a distance so I don't scare him, but I think he probably doesn't like the riding lawn mower even at 40 feet away. He did stay put on mowing day. Good little owl, now listen to your parents! Actually I have no knowledge about what owl parents tell their youngsters but it is fun to guess!
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