PDA

View Full Version : Spring fever



Broncosfan
01-21-2018, 01:59 PM
I think I have it now.The snow is now patchy. Its extremely muddy here now. For the last several weeks I have been bombarded with seed catalogs. Some companies have sent at least 2 and I expect 3 from most companies. I now have my seeds and onions ordered. Moved the onion ship date back to Mid April because its always to wet here to plant in March. Will be starting the super hot pepper seeds this week as some can take as long as a month to sprout. Adding lots of coffee grounds this year to build up the soil. I think I will also add some wood ash as I haven't added any in a while.

BucketBack
01-21-2018, 02:59 PM
Snow is coming Baack

RockDoc
01-21-2018, 03:16 PM
74 here in H-Town. House windows are open. Nice to get some fresh air in here.

Broncosfan
01-21-2018, 04:45 PM
Snow is coming Baack

I know its not over for sure. Snow is possible here until April and I'm sure sometime in history there have probably been a few in May. I have seen frost in June. Covered over 80 plants here one year recently and only lost 3.

Coppertop
01-22-2018, 08:34 AM
I am getting worried that we won't have much moisture here. We haven't gotten much snow at all. Wife and I are getting ready to plant our garden. After last year I am excited to put in a widely varied garden. I want to build some potato boxes to see if we can get a better crop of those. They always seem to stay really small but there are a bunch of them in a small area.

juskom95
01-22-2018, 08:42 AM
I know its not over for sure. Snow is possible here until April and I'm sure sometime in history there have probably been a few in May. I have seen frost in June. Covered over 80 plants here one year recently and only lost 3.

That almost killed my wife's favorite tree and plants last year.

I want to repair some of the damage I did to my yard last year, but I know better than to trust this deceptively good weather!

Toefoot
01-22-2018, 10:10 AM
Every year I get Spring fever for the garden here in Colorado, Growing season is a sprint with only 4.5 months of good weather if you are lucky from sow to harvest. I start canning in mid August thru mid September.

Anyone else gardening above 6500 ft? We plant the last week of May.

Broncosfan
05-26-2018, 10:17 PM
After several days of drying out I finally was able to get back in the garden to try to finish planting. I got run out of there by a fast moving thunderstorm. It has rained since 3 pm. I bet its a muddy mess. I'm really close to finishing so that sucks. Just some minor things to set out. Now just have to let it dry out again.

Broncosfan
04-06-2019, 05:51 PM
First planting of the year. The onions are now in. I sure I could taste those homemade onion rings as I planted every last plant. Thought I ordered 6 bunches when they arrived it seems I had ordered 9 bunched. Total 540 onion plants. Ended up with 650 planted and might toss the rest as there rather small and the onion bed is full. I might plant some for green onions later next week. Give my back a little rest! lol

BucketBack
04-06-2019, 06:29 PM
That's a lot of Onion Rings :beerchug:

hawgrider
04-06-2019, 06:32 PM
I've have a few onions I need to put in maybe 2 dozen or so.

BucketBack
04-06-2019, 07:05 PM
My ground just thawed yesterday

Broncosfan
04-06-2019, 07:16 PM
That's a lot of Onion Rings :beerchug:

Yes it is. Last years cropped was bad year before we made 25 1 gallon freezer bags full. We also dehydrate them and I smoke, dehydrate and then grind them in to a smoky onion spice. We also freeze diced ones also.

Innkeeper
04-06-2019, 08:03 PM
I still have snow on the ground here though I will be starting a lot of my plants inside this Monday on my day off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Broncosfan
04-06-2019, 08:07 PM
I still have snow on the ground here though I will be starting a lot of my plants inside this Monday on my day off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All of our plants have moved to the greenhouse. Still have to watch the nighttime lows but it looks like were good for about a week. I'm having trouble this year with my Hot Banana I cannot get them to germinate at all. I'm going to try another pack of seeds.

Innkeeper
04-07-2019, 07:57 PM
I would like to build a small green house maybe in a couple years still have things to do to the house. Probably in May I will be adding a pair of Peach trees though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Inor
04-07-2019, 08:09 PM
The maters are all in, as are the peppers (Jalapenos, Habaneros and Thai Hot Peppers). The lettuce, onions and garlic is also in. Mrs Inor even found the first almond on the almond tree today! The apple trees are covered with blossoms. Even the peach tree has a few blossoms.

The lemon tree, on the other had, is giving us a big fat middle finger! (If we don't get a lemon in the next 2 years, it is going to become firewood!)

Innkeeper
04-07-2019, 08:17 PM
Shit my apple trees and my cherry tree are still hibernating lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dwight55
04-07-2019, 08:33 PM
Well, . . . my 60,000 girl friends have all awakened, . . . both hives are alive and well (thank you, Lord), . . . and the other day I took out a quart of "food" for each.

It took all of about 36 hours for them to find and drain the jars.

Going to take out another batch of food for them tomorrow, . . . hope to get the wax in the frames and get them ready to go tomorrow as well. I've never put on supers this early, . . . but I'm going to try it this year, . . . see what happens.

Last year where I normally would get 20 to 22 quarts of honey, . . . I got 6 pints, . . . barely. Hope to rectify that this year.

May God bless,
Dwight

Broncosfan
04-07-2019, 08:45 PM
Near perfect weekend here in the southeastern part of the Buckeye state.Little cloudy today and had a little shower this afternoon but it was brief. Enjoyed most of the weekend outdoors. Temperatures are still on a roller coaster but maybe this year we have a real spring for a change.

Broncosfan
04-07-2019, 08:46 PM
Shit my apple trees and my cherry tree are still hibernating lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine have made a really big jump this week. I'm seeing a lot of budding after pruning. Won't be long until full bloom

Broncosfan
04-07-2019, 08:53 PM
Well, . . . my 60,000 girl friends have all awakened, . . . both hives are alive and well (thank you, Lord), . . . and the other day I took out a quart of "food" for each.

It took all of about 36 hours for them to find and drain the jars.

Going to take out another batch of food for them tomorrow, . . . hope to get the wax in the frames and get them ready to go tomorrow as well. I've never put on supers this early, . . . but I'm going to try it this year, . . . see what happens.

Last year where I normally would get 20 to 22 quarts of honey, . . . I got 6 pints, . . . barely. Hope to rectify that this year.

May God bless,
Dwight

I heard a lot of people say that there bees didn't do well last year and the honey take was a lot lower than average.

Innkeeper
04-07-2019, 10:40 PM
Was warm here today but overcast but since we got the most snow in the lower peninsula and 3rd most in the state this year we still have plenty. Hopefully the bad weather is just about over and true spring will be here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Inor
04-07-2019, 11:13 PM
Was warm here today but overcast but since we got the most snow in the lower peninsula and 3rd most in the state this year we still have plenty. Hopefully the bad weather is just about over and true spring will be here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Been watching the weather in your area all winter because of our family still stupid enough to live in Minnesota. Man, I feel for ya'll! I recall living there, this was the most depressing time of the year for me. Just when the last of the snow melts and you think it is finally over, you get that one renegade snowstorm come through and dump another foot. Man, that sucked! I always knew it would melt in a day or two, but it still made me suicidal. :exploding:

Innkeeper
04-08-2019, 05:22 PM
Been watching the weather in your area all winter because of our family still stupid enough to live in Minnesota. Man, I feel for ya'll! I recall living there, this was the most depressing time of the year for me. Just when the last of the snow melts and you think it is finally over, you get that one renegade snowstorm come through and dump another foot. Man, that sucked! I always knew it would melt in a day or two, but it still made me suicidal. :exploding:

I used to think that way but after enough deployments in the Middle East and being stationed down south, I don’t mind. Now ten years from now maybe. lol for now I relax in winter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BucketBack
04-08-2019, 05:34 PM
The maters are all in, as are the peppers (Jalapenos, Habaneros and Thai Hot Peppers). The lettuce, onions and garlic is also in. Mrs Inor even found the first almond on the almond tree today! The apple trees are covered with blossoms. Even the peach tree has a few blossoms.

The lemon tree, on the other had, is giving us a big fat middle finger! (If we don't get a lemon in the next 2 years, it is going to become firewood!)

Use the lemon wood for smoking chicken

shootbrownelk
04-08-2019, 07:25 PM
We have almost 70 degrees here today, and Wednesday we're supposed to get 10" to a foot of snow. This weather is nuts this year. I'm glad I didn't take the plow off my Rhino last weekend like I planned. Damned Groundhog.

Inor
04-08-2019, 10:39 PM
We have almost 70 degrees here today, and Wednesday we're supposed to get 10" to a foot of snow. This weather is nuts this year. I'm glad I didn't take the plow off my Rhino last weekend like I planned. Damned Groundhog.

Mmmmmm! Lemon smoked Groundhog....

shootbrownelk
04-09-2019, 04:53 AM
Mmmmmm! Lemon smoked Groundhog....

Closest I can come to that recipe would be using Prairie dogs, and they carry the plague. No Lemon wood in these parts either.

Innkeeper
04-09-2019, 07:51 AM
Yeah we are supposed to get lake effect on Saturday mind you has been warm so far and calling for warm til Thursday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Broncosfan
04-17-2019, 08:30 PM
Finally all the post holes are dug and the posts are set for the new garden fence. Located a supply of well composted horse manure to work into the new raised beds. So far things are going together well. Now for more rain. Hope the new fence comes in next week so when we get a break from the rain it can go up.

Innkeeper
04-19-2019, 10:52 PM
After a day and a half of rain and warmer temps 98% of the snow is gone things are looking up they are talk upper 60’s on Sunday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hawgrider
04-20-2019, 06:49 AM
After a day and a half of rain and warmer temps 98% of the snow is gone things are looking up they are talk upper 60’s on Sunday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shrooms will be coming soon.

Broncosfan
04-20-2019, 07:55 AM
Shrooms will be coming soon.

Step-dad is already finding them here in the Buckeye state

MountainGirl
04-20-2019, 09:18 AM
Step-dad is already finding them here in the Buckeye state

We have one lol, and one patch of ice left.
Yay Spring!!

6588

6589

Slippy
04-20-2019, 11:27 AM
FINALLY! Blueberries on my Blueberry Bushes!!!

6590

Backyard raised beds are looking good, had to buy some plants from Big Box as we only germinated some Sugar Snap Peas this year, (peas looking good out front!)

6591

Freedom Buds are Sprouting at the Range, need to feed them some Freedom Pellets! I prefer freedom pellets in calibers ranging from .17 to those starting in .4...

6592

Firewood rack at the Fire Pit is empty but Freedom Rings at Slippy Lodge!

6593

Slippy
04-20-2019, 11:34 AM
Finally all the post holes are dug and the posts are set for the new garden fence. Located a supply of well composted horse manure to work into the new raised beds. So far things are going together well. Now for more rain. Hope the new fence comes in next week so when we get a break from the rain it can go up.

Awesome! Pics if you got em!

Slippy
04-20-2019, 12:00 PM
Yeah I know there only Knockout Roses or some such nonsense but they are looking quite colorful with late April blooms!

6594

Mrs S has the front beds all planted and looking quite orderly if I do say so!

6595

Loropetulum (purple bush), Abelia (yellow bush not looking so good) Azaleas, freshly planted Lemongrass (in Pot) and of course Bottle Tree to keep all the bad spirits bottled up are being watched over by Hawkful eyes, American Flag...and plenty of 2nd Amendment Instruments! HA!!!

6596

Early morning perimeter check showed no front gate breaches, Heads on Pikes doing their jobs yet again!

6597

Inhabitants of Slippy Lodge are ready for another glorious Spring Day!

MountainGirl
04-20-2019, 01:25 PM
Wow Sir Slippy!! Your place is looking great!
Kudos to Mrs S on the front beds. :)
You don't have cats, do you. :D
What's that tank looking thing below the blueberry pic?
The blues are looking pretty good too. :thumb:

Slippy
04-20-2019, 01:39 PM
Wow Sir Slippy!! Your place is looking great!
Kudos to Mrs S on the front beds. :)
You don't have cats, do you. :D
What's that tank looking thing below the blueberry pic?
The blues are looking pretty good too. :thumb:

Thanks madam Mountain Girl!

The green tank is a 500 gallon Norwesco tank that I have as part of my water reclamation system from my metal roof. I put in a Self Flushing system on the gutter downspouts and can fill that tank in an afternoon thunder shower. We've used it a time or two to flush the toilets when we had an incoming pipe failure but most of the time we use it to water the back yard beds...even though I have 3 hose spigots nearby, I like to rotate the water in the tank as much as possible.

I've been busting my ass the last couple of weeks as I am between work gigs.

EDIT...I just got the Cat Joke! HA! Mrs Slippy says that if she dies first, I have the potential to become the Crazy Cat Lady! At 6'4" and somewhere close to 250lbs that would be a helluva sight me in a Tie-Dyed Moo Moo smoking a doobie decorating the yard with metal garden gnomes! However, You should see all of my crazy shit decorations I got hidden around Slippy Lodge...maybe one day I'll post!

MountainGirl
04-20-2019, 02:52 PM
Thanks madam Mountain Girl!

The green tank is a 500 gallon Norwesco tank that I have as part of my water reclamation system from my metal roof. I put in a Self Flushing system on the gutter downspouts and can fill that tank in an afternoon thunder shower. We've used it a time or two to flush the toilets when we had an incoming pipe failure but most of the time we use it to water the back yard beds...even though I have 3 hose spigots nearby, I like to rotate the water in the tank as much as possible.

Ah okay, very cool. So the cord is to a pump then?



EDIT...I just got the Cat Joke! HA! Mrs Slippy says that if she dies first, I have the potential to become the Crazy Cat Lady! At 6'4" and somewhere close to 250lbs that would be a helluva sight me in a Tie-Dyed Moo Moo smoking a doobie decorating the yard with metal garden gnomes! However, You should see all of my crazy shit decorations I got hidden around Slippy Lodge...maybe one day I'll post!

LOLOL Now there's an image! :D My question about cats was because ours would first 'unplant' everything your Mrs did...and then 'plant' their own crop...but I kinda like your take on the question better. It's nice to finally know how you secretly imagine yourself! Love ya, bro. :)

6598

Broncosfan
04-26-2019, 12:53 PM
Awesome! Pics if you got em!

Slippy
Can you post a close up pic of your first flush setup? I'm thinking of adding one to my set up and could you a little more input. Thanks
I will post some pics later as right now everything is a mess

Broncosfan
04-26-2019, 02:39 PM
Daughter started wildflowers to plant around the garden. This was the first to bloom today. 6698

Slippy
04-26-2019, 06:00 PM
Slippy
Can you post a close up pic of your first flush setup? I'm thinking of adding one to my set up and could you a little more input. Thanks
I will post some pics later as right now everything is a mess

Bronc,
The concept is that after a rain, all of the stuff on the roof is flushed out before the Catchment System starts to catch water.

You can build your own, but since I already had the aluminum gutter I bought a Pre-Made First Flush that seems to work pretty well.

Photo 1 below shows the gutter downspout that flows into a Screened Section of the catchment system. There is a valve that you can Press or Release that starts the First Flush System or allows it to flow freely. In photo 1 it is in the first Flush position.
6708

Photo 2 shows the valve in a position that allows the water to flow freely.
6710

The tube is a clear plastic tube that goes into my tank. I wrap it in duct tape every couple of years but as you can tell it erodes from the sun and weather.

Hope this helps!