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We'll see

Hi all, just finished walking the dogs, Deb's off to work, and the cat is chasing a cat toy up and down the hall.  While walking the dogs I was put in a mood for James Taylor's Sweet Baby James.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXVg07t1HCE The line in the song "the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting" matched the mood of a gentle walk after the snow.  Green Mountain (the hill just to our west) looked like you could ski it, and the real mountains further to the west were well...dreamlike on account of that frosting.  It was brisk and sunny with all the promise of spring in the smell of the air.
 Just snuck away for a moment to take the frost blankets off of the new cherry tree and concord grape.  I had taken the covers off the strawberry plants early this morning but the cherry and grape are shaded a bit so it seemed to make sense to wait till the sun warmed things up a bit. I'll put the tomatoes out in another hour to continue hardening them off.
  Speaking of tomatoes the Mothers Day sale of the extras was a success in every aspect.  The money is truly secondary as 2 bucks x 8 plants isn't going to change our tax bracket.  The delight is that it makes my neighborhood one of those neighborhoods where people put tomato plants out for sale on a little table with an honor jar.  Up the street some folks have put out a 'little library' two years back.  I've never borrowed a book from it but it still warms my heart.  I notice a second little library appeared last fall.  The second one is quite cool.  It's an old fridge painted turquoise with some book related quotes painted in black all over it. It is a sign that our neighborhood is changing, slowly but certainly.
  The neighborhood was for a while more a retirement home with folks who bought in the 60's and 70's trying hard to hold on before that final big move.  They were a quiet lot and that has it's pleasures but hearing Sarah's (our neighbors) youngest one pitch a fit that's the good life! I certainly am apocalyptic regarding our financial and political system but having the next generation around is life affirming.  Perhaps just perhaps this next generation will figure out how to get through. Towards that positive note I would offer this link about a young couple I've followed a bit on youtube.    https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=xaB925nylow 
  Some friends and family are sure that Deb and I are planning to live a post apocalyptic fantasy life in our little cabin.  Not! Off grid living is tough!  I enjoy a few weekends in the mountains during the heat of the summer.  Living there would be virtually impossible.  I might not be more than a knuckle dragging Luddite in the digital world but I wouldn't last long in a throwback one.  Whenever I drive the back-roads of Colorado or even just the highways through the mountains I am awestruck.  Think back a hundred or so years.  Imagine living the rural life. A hail storm turning your garden into chopped salad isn't simply tough it might mean well, I can't imagine.
  YouTube has moved off of James Taylor on to a rather upbeat Eagles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYGJEbrsG5g  I would have liked to link to the song that was in the young yurt couples video but I don't know the artist.  Clearly YouTube's algorithms have decided I should not enter this century musically.  Ageist algorithms suck! Ah but they do know me, Seven Bridges Road just came on sublime! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-q7Mih69KE
  The snow from the most recent storm is mostly melted as I look out on our lawn.  The freeze will certainly have had some things it beat up in the garden.   The worst effect of the storm has to be I bought more seeds.  I've mentioned one of my self control strategies to avoid doing stupid things like planting before Mother Day is peruse seed catalogs and dreaming a bit.  On-line catalogs are way too easy to "add to cart" things I always wanted to try.  Damn you! http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/ My garden will once again be crowded in spite of adding new beds. 
  The seeds came yesterday (along with a box of kitty litter the mailman kindly allowed me to carry from the truck!) I'm going to be trying to grow Purple Asparagus from seed.  I've avoided planting asparagus crowns for years because everyone says you really should prepare the bed first and I'm always just a bit behind on having a prepared spot.  I've heard also that growing from seed is very tough.  So this could be me killing some seeds or well... let's not jinx it.  I'm going back and forth as to where to plant them.  I've heard they make good companions for fruit trees. The new bed with the strawberries isn't really composted down yet so I wonder about the 'soil'.  I've been thinking I need to incorporate perennials into my veggie beds to work with the mycorrhizal fungi and Asparagus would be a likely choice.  So we'll see where I kill these seeds!
  Among the other seeds I wanted to get some Blacktail Mtn Watermelon.  Randy who ran the Mennonite garden last year had shared some Black Mtn seeds with me but I hadn't been able to get them started this spring.  (the other seeds all popped up thanks Randy!)  The Sustainable Seed company doesn't carry that variety so I switched over to an orange fleshed short season variety.  These will get a spot in with some blue corn in a variation on 3 sisters.  Any advice on any of this is of course more than appreciated in the comments section as my 'we'll see approach' has wins and losses.
  The Tedeschi Trucks Band has just started playing a beautiful version of Angel from Montgomery  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrSK-0-MQ8s so I'll be ending here.  If this blog didn't have a crossover thread between gardens and politics as per usual I guess sometimes I rather just garden. And these are certainly gardening times 'cause the politics... well we'll see. Doug A.

Comments

  1. Kelly WintertonMay 22, 2017 at 7:54 PM

    Sweet Baby James and Seven Bridges Road is my kind of music. I and I've done Asparagus from seed three different times, and didn't find it very difficult at all. I started the seeds indoors under grow lights way early in the spring (late winter, actually) and transplanted them out during the early summer. They're tiny little things when you transplant them out, but they lived for me. I takes an additional year or two longer over planting them from crowns, but it has always worked for me.

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    Replies
    1. Doug A.May 23, 2017 at 9:46 AM

      Kelly, thanks for the encouragement on the asparagus seeds. I just finished planting half the pack in small rows around my nectarine tree (treelets). The soil was a bit richer than any other open spot I could think of and I've heard the are good companions. I'm holding back half the pack and will try your indoor start method next St Pats Day. The plan would be to add them to the strawberry bed, once the soil has broken down a bit more, next spring.

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