Update on Potato planting

As you can see my friend has potatoes laying around on the ground. When we left the other day they were snug in their little hay bed. I suspect some little four legged creature came along and decided to more them. Maybe planting them in a bed of hay wasn't such a good idea.

Mine, however, are still buried in the dirt just waiting for warmer days.

Can you see the shallots? I didn't expect them to look so different from the onions. Of course, you have to look past the weeds.

We've had some rain and the garden really looks nice. Now I'm just waiting for a few more warm days to get some of my other seeds in the ground.

Potatoes in the ground. Right on time.

Yes I did get my potatoes in the ground on St. Patricks Day. It was a little overcast and windy.

I planted mine the way my grandfather planted his. My friend however, is trying a new method. We both dug a trench, hers a little than mine, and planted our potatoes eyes up. Then I covered mine up and that was that. My friend covered hers with straw. We then watered all the potatoes. Supposedly after about 6 inches of growth, my friend will put more hay on top. She will keep putting hay on top and will harvest her potatoes from the hay. She won't have to dig them, she will just reach into the hay and pull them off. We'll keep you advised.


Okay for some reason I can't add the picture. Keep checking back, I'll get it posted.

Everything changes.....

It finally happened. The old cottonwood has bit the dust. We just happened to be at the farm and heard a loud crash. The wind had sent a large branch crashing to the ground blocking the road. We moved what we could and called the county to do the rest. That was on Friday. On Monday the county came back and pushed the rest of it down.

My mom says that Papo planted that tree when she was about 17. That would have been around 1960. It was how he told people where he lived. He would say go down Wallville road until you come to the big cottonwood.

Looks pretty bare. It seems pretty silly to cry over a tree, but it was a sad day for me and my family.

A Gardeners Delight (except for the bermuda grass)

We have ladybugs and garlic! Yahoooo!!! I thrilled to see the garlic peeking its little head out from under the soil. And the lady bugs are buzzing. Take a look see.

But now what to do with the bermuda grass? I've thought about covering it with plastic, tilling it under and raking it out, spraying it (but i don't really want to do that.) Any suggestions?

Wouldn't you love to have a log cabin?

I know I would. Although this cabin is in Alaska, I've been keeping up with a log cabin in Michigan for a few months now. I love the snow they get up there. But I'm not sure I would want this much snow!

Building a Log Cabin is how I keep up with the cabin in Michigan. Shelley, Marvins pet, is a fellow blogger and is having a give away. You can check out the giveaway here.

http://logcabininmichigan.blogspot.com/2009/02/giveaway-from-log-cabin.html

I love this blog. It is usually the first one I look for in the mornings. The pictures are great!! Thanks so much Shelley! And I hope I win!

Rotation of Crops

I have always heard about crop rotation but hadn't really given it any thought until this year. I knew I had heard someone say that I should not plant my potatoes in the same place each year. But didn't realize I needed to rotate everything. Yes, everything, I think. Actually you should rotate by vegetable family. To do that you have to know who belongs to which family. So here is the list provided by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service fact sheet # HLA-6013.

Pea or Legume family - all peas and beans
Mustard family - cabbage, collards, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes
Goosefoot family - beets and spinach
Parsley family - carrots, parsley and celery
Nightshade family - Potatoes, tomatoes eggplant, and all peppers
Gourd family - (vine crops) squash, pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber
Composite family - lettuce, dandelion, artichoke
Lily family - onions, garlic, chives
Grass family - sweet corn

Don't forget. You have to rotate by family not just single vegetable.

Why rotate you ask? It is an excellent way to keep soil borne disease, soil insects and nematodes at a minimum. Each vegetable family is susceptible to the same disease and insects. They also have the same effect on the soil. Therefore rotation is very important.

Cool Season Planting

If you are wondering what you should be planting then try consulting the OSU Extension Gardening publications. The title of this post is a link to Oklahoma Garden Planting Guide. This fact sheet is awesome. It will help you decide when to plant and how much to plant. I use it all the time.

Almost every cool season vegetable should be planted this month or next. Here is a list of just a few.

Asparagus
Beet
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Lettuce
Onion
Green Peas
Radish

Early Season Veg Seminar

I attended this seminar last year. It was great! I learned so much that I'm going to try and attend again this year. I'm sure there is so much I missed. I've included a link.

Winter Wonderland of Sleet

We went sledding. Remember that is sleet not snow. We got a total of 3 inches of sleet. Weird, but still fun.







My grandmothers rose bush is in a slump.




The kids are having a great time.

No that isn't snow.

This is the view from my front porch today. No that isn't snow. It is sleet. It has been sleeting here since around 3:30 am. This morning around 7:30 it was thundering and lightening. It was the wierdest thing. We are however thankful for the moisture. My garden spot out on the farm is terribly dry.

Onions for Valentine's Day?

Yes, Onions for Valentine's Day. According to my extension agent onions should be in the ground Valentine's Day weekend. You can find your own garden planing guide here. The actual planning guide states that you have from February 15 to March 10 to get them in the ground. I guess I should start looking for my onion sets. Have you seen any?

Well it's time to get started again.

I vaguely remember my extension agent saying that "nothing says love like onions." What he means is that I have to have my onions in the ground by Valentine's Day. Take a look at the garden now. Of course it looks much better than it did this time last year. I have 22 days. Think I'll make it?