Un-Do Re-Do: The Fence

It's tiresome really, all this maintenance and revisiting projects that you thought you'd done right the first time.  The garden is now 11 years old, and for the past few years, a few of the fence rails had been bowing and twisting.  Tim kept saying "I'm going to replace that one" but in the end, he decided to do them all.

The one pictured above really hadn't warped until last year and then it went whole hog, actually pulling the posts out of plumb.

When Tim tried to remove it, it crumbled into a thousand shards.  He mentioned that he ought to get the receipt and take it back to the lumber yard (because we save all our receipts) and let them know that their product was not satisfactory.  But the week after the lumber yard was wiped out by a tornado.

Thank you Karma.  But that was a little extreme.

The 2x4 rails were replaced with a 2x4 topped with a 2x6 to stiffen them

All of the posts were re-plumbed and the whole thing looks fresh and new

The broccoli and cauliflower still aren't doing much yet.  We've had a few sunny 60 degree days, but today they are under a second frost cover to block the 40 mph north wind from sweeping down the tunnel and flattening them.  The temperatures are in the mid-30s and there are a few snowflakes in the air.  A good day to stay indoors.  I'm satisfied that I have my second planting of peas in, the carrots seeded, and the broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce ready to roll once the weather co-operates.  

My spring planting is all done

It will be greenhouse season soon.  I can't wait!

Looking Forward

This time of year when the weather is so changeable, and the seedlings are so small and vulnerable, and the soil looks so bare, it is hard to believe that anything will ever come of it.  To keep my gardening spirits up, I read through old blogs and look at all the pretty pictures and remind myself that there will be food and flowers in my future.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Cucumbers 2014

Nasturtiums

Cantaloupes 2014

Dunja Zucchini 2014

Lettuce 2015

2015

Lettuce and Cucumbers 2017

Blue Lake Bush Beans 2018

Toad House and Portulacac

Black Krim Tomatoes 

June

Broccoli 2008

Carrots

It Will Happen

Lettuce Babies

I have 3 trays of lettuce babies started outdoors, 

and 1 indoors to maybe give them a head start

The peas are loving this rain.  I'm going to plant my next batch 

Good Friday which will be 4 weeks instead of my usual 3

There are some Primrose blooming.  I have to keep them 

covered or the deer or rabbits will eat them

And it's Daffodil time at last!

April Showers Bring May Cauliflowers

The Cauliflower and Broccoli had been out for an hour or so a day for several days. The next step would be to put them out in the cold frame under the 50% shade cloth.  Or... I could just plant them in the ground under the shade cloth.  So that's what I did.

A row cover and a shade cloth.  They are doing well.

They had been seeded five weeks earlier so it was time.  Everything I've read about them says they get transplant shock and don't wait more than five weeks to put them out.  So out they went.

I also have teeny tiny baby pea plants

Two and a half weeks after being seeded.  Right on schedule.

This weekend I will put in the second half.

The tomato seedlings and eggplant seedlings have been put into pots.  They won't do much for about a week, but then I expect them to take off.   I don't want them to get too leggy anyway.