Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, April 27

I love it when Sharon (Willow's Apprentice) goes on a photo excursion and sends us great images of plants. Perhaps we would pay more attention to the beauty around us if we focused like she does.

How is your weather? We have had a touch of an April Shower, while the cherries are ripening (not the best for the orchardists, but we have gone through so much drought).

Anything going on where you are?

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

I sent a picture last fall of my tiny fignomenal fig tree. The little discolored leaf is the last of the leaves that lasted over winter. Maybe three weeks ago it suddenly took off and looks pretty healthy now.

The second is my baby tomato, it's a little leggy because I've just started being able to set it outside in the sun recently. When it's warm enough to plant outside I'll bury it some. It's a GMO purple tomato (has two purple snapdragon genes) from Norfolk Healthy Produce. They passed USDA and FDA regulatory requirements last year and offered seeds for sale. It's an indeterminate cherry tomato. I just checked the website and they've closed sales for this year but plan on selling again in Nov/Dec. Supposedly the two genes are intended to increase the amount of anthocyanins in the fruit. The seeds were pretty expensive so I hope the price will come done then!

Lirio100

Love that little fig tree!

The plant is coming right along. Let us know how the tomatoes taste! This is what they look like:

Art

A Daily Dose of History, April 26

By the time he was in his 40's, John James Audubon was prosperous and world famous. But not before having to overcome lots of adversity.

Born Jean Jacques Audubon in the French colony of Sainte Domingue (now Haiti), he was the illegitimate child of a chambermaid and a French sea captain/plantation-owner. His mother died when he was only a few months old and at age 6 Jean was taken to France, where he was adopted and raised by his father's wife.

Jean's father had hoped the boy would become a naval officer, following in his footsteps, but Jean was a failure at military and naval training. So, to keep him from being conscripted into Napoleon's army, Jean's father acquired forged identity papers for the boy and sent him to America. On the way over Jean adopted the anglicized version of his name: John James Audubon.

In America, after surviving a bout of yellow fever, John met and fell in love with Lucy Bakewell, eventually marrying her.

John was a brilliant and gifted man, but he failed repeatedly in business. By 1819 he was bankrupt and in debtor's prison. Lucy supported the family by working as a teacher.

As we all know now, John's true calling was as an artist and a naturalist. For nearly 15 years he had traveled around America, collecting and painting birds, while trying in vain to establish himself professionally.

Finally, in 1826, when John was 41 years old, his wife encouraged (and paid for) him to go to Europe to try to find a publisher for his collection of drawings. And there he became a sensation. His work was immensely popular, he had audiences with royalty, and his book The Birds of America became a smash hit. He is remembered today as one the greatest naturalists and nature artists in history. . .

The photo is of his drawing "Marsh Wren," which is in the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Ah, Nature

Lots of these guys around today. Not very appetizing.

- fd

Google disagreed. Recommended that I respond that they were great!

Puttering

Flower arranging: Form, color, variety

Adventure

Recognize the flower?

Gardens of The Horde

A couple of weeks ago, we featured a photo of the front yard of a long time lurker in Washington State:

Thanks! That was fun!

You're welcome to stop by and visit if you ever find yourself in Kirkland. The picture I sent was the front yard. I recently added flower beds, patio, trees and pathways on my backyard hill.

More greatness on the way!

Here's a detail from the photo of the front yard, in case you don't remember:

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, April 20

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good afternoon Greenthumbs

Posted by: Skip at April 27, 2024 01:22 PM (fwDg9)

2 One should turn in any new compost material into the pile to keep out scavengers.
Started sifting 2021 compost pile to get out sticks, roots rocks and stuff but realized I should turn over soil in garden to put sifted compost on top.
So turning over soil now. Won't finish in one day but it's a start

Posted by: Skip at April 27, 2024 01:26 PM (fwDg9)

3 Lots of these guys around today. Not very appetizing.
- fd

bluebell the hen and her coop mates would love to take those things off your hands.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at April 27, 2024 01:27 PM (llON8)

4 I don’t know why but delivering flowers was one of my most enjoyable part time jobs when I was in college.

Posted by: polynikes at April 27, 2024 01:28 PM (MNhXM)

5 hiya

Posted by: JT at April 27, 2024 01:30 PM (T4tVD)

6 Some interesting (willowable?) composting notes and elephant analysis toward the end of previous thread.

Local scavengers will vary of course, but when I was putting vegetable parts in the compost, my groundhogs were willing to go several feet deep to get to the good stuff. For my 'biome' I had to make the command decision to deprive them of it.

It was a sharp winter that year; they found a home and had two litters. In the spring, I had to replant beans three times. That ended my long honeymoon with the local groundhogs.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at April 27, 2024 01:32 PM (zdLoL)

7
My spinach is outdoors and very happy. Lettuce and arugula (have you seen the price?) doing just okay. Corn and zucchini in the ground and happy. Hey, it's a little early, but global warming*. Cucumbers will wait another week, maybe two. Same with tomatoes. I planted some cherry tomatoes in a warm location about two weeks ago and they've done nothing. Definitely too soon on them.

(South East Pennsylvania)

* Interesting thing on video I saw recently about temperatures is highs are not as high, and lows are not as low. Our climate is actually becoming more moderate. Which means earlier planting season - for me anyway. I'll chance it.

Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 01:33 PM (RKVpM)

8
We had a handyman come in and do a spring clean-out of our bird-bee-butterfly garden. Removing weeds, cutting back dead branches, laying down mulch, doing some trimming. $500 well spent.

He also planted four new trees we purchased. Two peach and two crape myrtles. Things look lovely again.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 27, 2024 01:34 PM (MoZTd)

9 Oregano is going gang busters, chives are started and already used them twice

Posted by: Skip at April 27, 2024 01:35 PM (fwDg9)

10
I don’t know why but delivering flowers was one of my most enjoyable part time jobs when I was in college.
Posted by: polynikes at April 27, 2024 01:28 PM (MNhXM)

____________

Beats being a process server.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 27, 2024 01:35 PM (MoZTd)

11 How is your weather?

Well now. It's snowing here on my mountain. I was gonna get out this weekend to get some seeds in....
At least a foot now, and still piling up. Yay.
On the plus side, it'll hold fires back.
At least for a month or two....🤔

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 27, 2024 01:36 PM (4luFu)

12 Thanks KT.

The palo verde trees are starting to turn yellow, the stink weed is now more of a brownish yellow rather than a vivid yellow, the desert cacti are really starting to put on a show (saguaros are starting to bloom), the iron wood trees are starting to turn either purple or white, and our desert willow is blooming.

A very pretty time in the desert.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 27, 2024 01:38 PM (70LVe)

13 Apparently, bees do *not* like that new hive smell, as they rejected my offering and flew off to somewhere else.

However, they did leave behind some honeycomb stubs and I guess bee poop and/or pollen on the tree they had clumped on to, and maybe I will remember to send pictures.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at April 27, 2024 01:44 PM (llON8)

14 Skip, you were burning charcoal, are you putting any into the garden as bio-char?

Posted by: Kindltot at April 27, 2024 01:44 PM (D7oie)

15
I see a groundhog, he gets a BB shot to the backside. I've had them strip a tomato plant of every tomato, take one bite, then toss it to the ground until they're all gone.

Nasty little beasts. That's not even the half of it. After the mother bears a child and nurtures it to a certain level, she helps it to dig its own burrow off in the distance, then abandons it, never to see it again.

Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 01:44 PM (RKVpM)

16 Howdy, green-thumbed Morons!

Hordesourcing here: I grow veggies in raised beds. This means I need soil to fill the beds.

Do y'all know if a cost-effective way to do this? I've been using bags of spaghnum peat-based stuff (Sunshine mix, Miracle Gro mix) that has become hard to find, expensive, and/or low quality.

I use all the compost and yard clippings I produce. Also, it seems like the entire yard loses soil in spite of the fact that rain runoff is basically clear. I think the moles are stealing my dirt.

Anyway, I need more soil, especially light, moisture-retaining yet well-draining stuff for my veggie beds. What option have I missed?

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 01:45 PM (Sf2cq)

17 Aubudon has always been one of my favorites. Thanks, KT

Posted by: Eromero at April 27, 2024 01:46 PM (o2ZRX)

18 I bought one of those figs, also have a Chicago Hardy fig to plant in the ground. And berry bushes. What I don't have is motivation. I bought a Mantis to help with this but need to finish putting it together. I also need to cut the grasd, which will mean putting oil and gas in it for the first time. I wanted to do some of this last weekend, as I took two extra days off. Colder than normal with 25mph winds. I'll try and finish the Mantis today.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at April 27, 2024 01:48 PM (yeEu9)

19 >>> 16 Howdy, green-thumbed Morons!

Hordesourcing here: I grow veggies in raised beds. This means I need soil to fill the beds.

Do y'all know if a cost-effective way to do this? I've been using bags of spaghnum peat-based stuff (Sunshine mix, Miracle Gro mix) that has become hard to find, expensive, and/or low quality.

I use all the compost and yard clippings I produce. Also, it seems like the entire yard loses soil in spite of the fact that rain runoff is basically clear. I think the moles are stealing my dirt.

Anyway, I need more soil, especially light, moisture-retaining yet well-draining stuff for my veggie beds. What option have I missed?
Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 01:45 PM (Sf2cq)

I've seen a couple suggestions for hugelkulture (sp???) which is basically using tree branches as filler to be covered by finer soil and mulch. I may try this in a little section of my property that stays damp.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at April 27, 2024 01:48 PM (llON8)

20 4 I don’t know why but delivering flowers was one of my most enjoyable part time jobs when I was in college.
Posted by: polynikes at April 27, 2024 01:28 PM (MNhXM)
‘This one time, in the hothouse….’

Posted by: Eromero at April 27, 2024 01:49 PM (o2ZRX)

21 Here in CenTex we are getting all the rain we didn't get last year, and are very grateful.

Driving on the highways, the wildflowers are beautiful and bountiful. Haven't seen them this pretty in years.
Everything that went dormant during the drought has sprouted, it seems.

Everything in the garden is mostly thriving- I keep reminding myself it's only the end of April.
Doing three types of tomatoes, some cowpeas and eggplant.
Everything else is herbs, or flowers for the pollinators.

Posted by: sal: tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum at April 27, 2024 01:50 PM (IZjwR)

22 Thought winter was over here in the mountains with 70 degree weather all last week. Woke up to 2 inches of snow. Gees.

A amended the soil in our garden but planting will wait.

Posted by: Just sayin at April 27, 2024 01:52 PM (E4Z4G)

23
Anyway, I need more soil, especially light, moisture-retaining yet well-draining stuff for my veggie beds. What option have I missed?

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 01:45 PM

Not cheap, but I bought a bag of Miracle Grow raised bed soil recently. The picture on the bag of a single tomato plant with 1000 tomatoes may have been the source of my impulse buy.

Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 01:54 PM (RKVpM)

24 I've seen a couple suggestions for hugelkulture (sp???) which is basically using tree branches as filler to be covered by finer soil and mulch. I may try this in a little section of my property that stays damp.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at April 27, 2024 01:48 PM (llON

Wife is at a gardening class now. Bugs and Weeds. Lol. She sent a text. "3 words hay bale gardening". Oy.

Posted by: Just sayin at April 27, 2024 01:54 PM (E4Z4G)

25 I have two 8x4 raised beds that I set up as demi-Hugelkultur when we moved in, and had the trees trimmed. Just medium sized branches and twigs in the bottom, covered with leaves and dirt.

It worked well, and I usually re-do one bed a year with the blow-down from the trees, and miscellaneous woody stems (Pro tip- no sunflowers!). It's excellent for aeration.

Posted by: sal: tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum at April 27, 2024 01:57 PM (IZjwR)

26 Tilled the peat moss into the garden on Tuesday. The potatoes went in on Thursday; some variety of yellow and red (they're my wife's so I've no idea of the variety.) We'll probably put in the tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc. in the next two weeks.

It's not totally unheard of to have frost in early May around here.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at April 27, 2024 01:58 PM (Q4IgG)

27 Not cheap, but I bought a bag of Miracle Grow raised bed soil recently. The picture on the bag of a single tomato plant with 1000 tomatoes may have been the source of my impulse buy.
Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 01:54 PM (RKVpM)

Has their quality recovered? It used to be pretty good stuff. That's what I switched to when I could no longer find Sunshine. But ever since about 2021, Miracle Gro devolved into a bunch of wood chips and something that smelled like sewage, colored with charcoal to make it look rich and reduce the stench. It's been really bad stuff for at least two seasons.

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 02:00 PM (Sf2cq)

28 Thread back compost was a topic. Keyhole garden; you don't have to bend over, the compost in the center keeps everything fertilized.
There are some that are terraced, tri level.

https://insteading.com/blog/keyhole-garden/

Posted by: Braenyard at April 27, 2024 02:01 PM (lCWOD)

29 >>>We had a handyman come in and do a spring clean-out of our bird-bee-butterfly garden.

>Be wary of those handymen. The last handyman I knew was 66 year old Chuck, and he went from job to job, commando, in his bibbed overalls with his old-man balls hanging in plain sight.

He also liked boys and small men.

Posted by: Mr. Bone at April 27, 2024 02:04 PM (pDQ/8)

30
I bought some huge 30 gallon paper lawn waste bags at Amazon to store leaves from last fall. When leaves break down they make some truly excellent soil - as a local farmer told me who offered to take my entire towns supply of leaf waste off their hands and plow it under. At $1.77 each for probably 15 gallons of soil, it seems to make $ense.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009O7P61S

Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 02:06 PM (RKVpM)

31 The Monument Valley flower looks like a species of Phacelia. In a week or two there should be a different species, the very blue P. campanularia, in bloom in my yard

Posted by: Don at April 27, 2024 02:08 PM (e4XTG)

32 I got my potatoes in last week, and I am already getting tiny leaves in a few spots. The potatoes were really leggy though. This year I am planting in a block and I may not mound up over them.
I also got the first of my corn in, and today I planted cabbages.
In my overwintered bed, the green onions and the garlic I planted last fall are coming in strong.
I did the garlic bed because I got given a bag of sprouting garlic last fall and I figured I just needed somewhere to plant it. I also used the bed to dump a lot of my maple leaves for mulch. It does seem to work, and hopefully it didn't delay the garlic sprouting much

Posted by: Kindltot at April 27, 2024 02:10 PM (D7oie)

33
Has their quality recovered? It used to be pretty good stuff. That's what I switched to when I could no longer find Sunshine. But ever since about 2021, Miracle Gro devolved into a bunch of wood chips and something that smelled like sewage, colored with charcoal to make it look rich and reduce the stench. It's been really bad stuff for at least two seasons.

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 02:00 PM

No discernible stench, but it seems to me as if it could be decayed to a much much higher level. I tried growing some seeds in it and nothing sprouted. But my corn and zucchini seem to like it, mixed with my natural heavy clay soil.

Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 02:11 PM (RKVpM)

34 I am trying to root some Korean black grapes, I keep getting cuttings from a friend of my wife, and it seems like I am succeeding. One pot has wonderful starts in it, but the one I planted in the arbor with the other grape vines this spring is not doing well at all.
I am thinking there is some pest eating the buds.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 27, 2024 02:16 PM (D7oie)

35 No discernible stench, but it seems to me as if it could be decayed to a much much higher level. I tried growing some seeds in it and nothing sprouted. But my corn and zucchini seem to like it, mixed with my natural heavy clay soil.
Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 02:11 PM (RKVpM)

Thank you for the report.

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 02:18 PM (Sf2cq)

36 No, I only been using my charcoal to cook with, I know one can put charcoal or at least the wood ashes in compost but never have

Posted by: Skip at April 27, 2024 02:18 PM (fwDg9)

37 My puttering today is mowing the dog
I am in dire need of new clippers - the blade on this one is being held on with a rubber band
I have my eye on.a new one - hoping for a Mother's day sale

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at April 27, 2024 02:19 PM (n/1xr)

38 She sent a text. "3 words hay bale gardening". Oy.
Posted by: Just sayin

Horde mind.
I was going to suggest checking out hay-bale gardening.
It seemed to add a bunch of bulk and broke down to nice mulch.

I like finding someone that makes wood chips (tree service) and checking out what they do with the chips. Some are fine and some are coarse. I used 2 tons of the fine, mulched, to fille 4x2x8 foot planters, that was work.
The vegetables loved those raised beds.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 27, 2024 02:25 PM (70LVe)

39 I used 2 tons of the fine, mulched, to fille 4x2x8 foot planters, that was work.
The vegetables loved those raised beds.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 27, 2024 02:25 PM (70LVe)

The main type of tree in our area is black walnut. Juglone is a gardening challenge.

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 02:29 PM (Sf2cq)

40 I planted my surplus tomato seedlings in my community garden plot. Yeah, it's too early, but I've got backups. I can cloche those suckers if we are due for frost. But for now, rain and temps in the 70's.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at April 27, 2024 02:33 PM (FkUwd)

41
Thank you for the report.

Posted by: Emmie at April 27, 2024 02:18 PM

You're welcome. To me, if you wait and bought at the end of the growing season, with a discount, then used next year, they would be fine.

But as is, not quite ready for prime time. Close, but no cigar. When it comes to soil I ask myself, 'Would I find worms in this soil?'

If yes, great! If not, gotta work on it some. You would not find worms in that raised bed soil as it is now.

Posted by: Divide by Zero at April 27, 2024 02:36 PM (RKVpM)

42 Juglone is a gardening challenge.
Posted by: Emmie

That is unfortunate. I think I've seen a black walnut tree. Once.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 27, 2024 02:37 PM (70LVe)

43 We had strong winds here at the wind swept outpost, as we usually do every afternoon, but this was all day for the last 2 days. Got a bunch of debris to pick up. The wind was strong enough to topple a concrete bird bath that I had thought was secured.
On the bright side, everything is starting to bloom!

Posted by: gourmand du jour at April 27, 2024 02:39 PM (MeG8a)

44 Those cicadas are everywhere. It's a bumper crop. There's a unusual whrrrrr coming from the woods. Not really loud, but I can see how it could be confused with space aliens.

Posted by: fd at April 27, 2024 02:42 PM (vFG9F)

45 Rain/snow mix all night. Still snowing. Over an inch of moisture so far. Much appreciated.

Posted by: Ronster at April 27, 2024 02:48 PM (55m9d)

46 We are finally past nighttime freezes so I've put the elephant ears back out on the deck. Irises are blooming along with many of the dogwoods. Apparently, there are dozens of types of dogwoods - this I did not know as my previous local only seemed to support one.

My clematis is over 7 ft tall already and throwing blossoms. It's just beautiful. The elderly (and invalid) neighbors had their lawn mowed yesterday for the first time this year. Now they really should bring in a baler.

I would have gladly mown it for them but a man's pride is a fragile thing some times. Oh well.

Posted by: Tonypete at April 27, 2024 02:55 PM (WXNFJ)

47 take one bite, then toss it to the ground until they're all gone.

I have a lot of English walnut trees, and a few peaches. We learned years ago that the squirrels were going to get all the walnuts. They work the area in a gang. It's the peaches that make me irked. Squirrels think the young peach looks like a walnut with the outer husk still on, so they pick it, take a bite, realize it's only a peach, and throw it down. Over and over.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at April 27, 2024 02:55 PM (zdLoL)

48 I have lots of Black Walnut trees on the property. Pretty much a PITA to deal with. Messy trees.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at April 27, 2024 03:00 PM (Q4IgG)

49 I wasn't planning to try any veggies this year, just a few herbs. But at a local hardware store, the kind that sells all sorts of really useful stuff, they had some fantastic looking summer squash, cherry tomato and cuke plants as seedlings. This week I'm going to try revitalizing our grow boxes which are sitting on a table. (The ground is too far away for the moment.) The temptation to try our own veggies is just too strong. Probably throw in some leaf lettuce.

Posted by: JTB at April 27, 2024 03:03 PM (zudum)

50 Soil acid testing is important. Typically, leaves and grass breaking down will be somewhat acid, so adding wood and charcoal ash is great -- but you should do test mixes. About five years ago, we had several big maples and a couple of smaller evergreens cut down, and I got a discount for letting the sawyer leave the chips mixed with soil. I filled in a couple of holes, and mixed the rest with the leaf material working in the pile. For some reason those wood chips were highly caustic, and it took a couple of seasons of mixing it down to make it safe to work into the garden. Could have been the bark? Some caution is called for.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at April 27, 2024 03:05 PM (zdLoL)

51 Have 3/4 of garden turned over, been lighty spritzing

Posted by: Skip at April 27, 2024 03:07 PM (fwDg9)

52 Thanks for the info about Audubon. Although I have books with his paintings I didn't know his background. Interesting.

Posted by: JTB at April 27, 2024 03:07 PM (zudum)

53 If you're ever in Monument Valley take a quick side trip to see Mexican hat rock.

https://tinyurl.com/49waaeuz

Posted by: Maj. Healey at April 27, 2024 03:13 PM (aFNOf)

54 John Audubon home can be visited, actually saw it with my aunt when I was in high school. They had lots of original drawings if I remember correctly from nearly 50 years ago
Obviously its in Audubon Pa. For a year and half lived up against the grounds.

Posted by: Skip at April 27, 2024 03:16 PM (fwDg9)

55 If you're ever in Monument Valley take a quick side trip to see Mexican hat rock.

https://tinyurl.com/49waaeuz
Posted by: Maj. Healey

And if you're ever in Mexican Hat UT go have a steak at the steak house.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 27, 2024 03:17 PM (70LVe)

56 The Monument Valley picture was obviously taken by an acolyte of the Ansel Adams f/64 school. Very bright sun and use a tiny aperture to get everything from the dirt granules all the way to the monolith in sharp focus.
The cell tower in the disguise of a saguaro looks like it'll work, at least better than than thing that looks like a giant artificial Christmas tree from the '50s setting on the south side of I80 east of Sacramento.
My wife grew the black tomatoes the first year they came out (from either Oregon State or Washinton State). They tasted pretty much like a tomato except the skin was tough. I think they were supposed to be higher in some vitamins, but she never grew them again, because they were small and the yield per plant was low.

Posted by: buddhaha at April 27, 2024 03:20 PM (HbfV9)

57 And if you're ever in Mexican Hat UT go have a steak at the steak house.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron [/i

I'm unfamiliar with the steak house. Our next trip down I'll keep an eye out for it. We always stay at Devil's Canyon campground in Monticello, UT on 191(the most gawd awful road in America) on our way to northern AZ.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at April 27, 2024 03:24 PM (aFNOf)

58

Posted by: Maj. Healey at April 27, 2024 03:26 PM (aFNOf)

59 The Navaho area pic is some variety of phacelia.

Last we tried, Miracle Gro was pretty wretched stuff. We use a mixture of our homemade compost and commercial sourced from a local nursery - which is itself not as good as when it was apparently decayed sawdust from defunct mills. Speaking of which, I'm off to fetch a yard of same, for tomato pot filling/lawn patching/improving tree planting soil...

Posted by: Pat*'s Hubbie at April 27, 2024 03:37 PM (ffcdl)

60 Don at April 27, 2024 02:08 PM

I love P. campanularia.

A fuzzy-flowered phacelia is native here. Sometimes planted for the bees.

Posted by: KT at April 27, 2024 03:59 PM (rrtZS)

61 Are talking about the restaurant at the Mexican Hat Lodge, or the one at the Hat Rock Inn?
US191 is not bad through Utah, except for the last 5 or so miles before the AZ border, probably to get you used to how bad the AZ section is. And if you think that's bad, take the shortcut to Holbrook of Indian 15 from Burnside to AZ 77. Since you said northern AZ, I assume your not referring to the stretch which used to be US666, which is terrible in a car, but a hell of a kick on a motorcycle.

Posted by: buddhaha at April 27, 2024 04:10 PM (ujBrk)

62 Lurker's winding pathway is an incredible amount of work. We've got a path to the front door that's tricky enough, what with drainage and all.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at April 27, 2024 04:32 PM (w6EFb)

63 Tripadvisor says the Swinging Steak House is no longer worth the effort or money.

Sorry.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 27, 2024 04:34 PM (70LVe)

64 I am away for the weekend so just saw this. I love getting to share with all of you. It is nice to get away from all the turmoil in the world and just stop and smell the roses.
❤️

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 27, 2024 05:31 PM (n/3Pf)

65 From Boise area: Lows 37-50 F, highs 63-72. Husband has been working on irrigation startup, then aerating the lawns.

In the outside garden: re-planted part of orange carrot row. Ditto lettuce (zero sprouts from 1st batch). Added 2 more spinach seeds and more radish seeds. Planted 20 green beans in a raised bed. Added more potatoes to potato bags. Planted out 2 of the 4 broccolini starts. Took 2 strawberry plants I had captured in trays under the lilacs, and put them in their new bed (3rd tray left under the lilacs - it's a backup, if one of the others fails).

In the mini-greenhouse: Took indoor starts away from their grow-light and out to the greenhouse. Took heating pad off starts already in greenhouse. We're trying to open the door flaps every day to keep hardening off the tomatoes, etc.

Bearded iris is budding, under the flowering redbud, next to the flowering white dogwood. Lilies of the valley are budding. Lilacs are blooming - sparsely, this year.

We spent this afternoon planting a new 'Autumn Blaze' maple we bought yesterday. We moved some of the removed sod to dead spots. Husband went out to get compost earlier, so we could do this project.

Posted by: Pat* at April 27, 2024 10:03 PM (ffcdl)

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