Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Saturday, March 16, 2013

2013 Garden Journal

raspberry canes trimmed and thinned

blueberries are starting to bud

raised beds have been lightly hoed .. I'll be using my small Stihl combi tiller

Planted and covered last fall .. I think it's spinach
Rhubarb .. always first to return
Our in ground garden
Just so you know .. the previous two posts were sporting pictures from last summer.  The real garden doesn't resemble that quite yet .. in fact it's far from it.  No .. the land has been 'scrubbed' clean from the snow and cold weather.  Perennials have turned to mush and dead plant matter .. the stuff that amends the soil to make it more fertile. In the North Woods our winters are harsh .. causing most everything to die back and go dormant.  The land sleeps for quite a while.  Well, things are just starting to wake up.  I'm going to document the 2013 garden adventure .. starting with pruning the raspberry canes.  Today turned cloudy with big banks clinging to the mountains .. every once in a while .. opening up with downpours.  There are probably a few more days of snow before summer .. but for now we are 97% snow free! 
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you'll be documenting your garden adventures this year! I will keep checking your blog for tips on what I should be doing when. You were smart to plant asparagus and rhubarb as they are both perennial and are supposed to do well in our climate. Maybe I will add those to my garden this year. Any other perennials you can recommend?

1:10 PM
Sandy Livesay said...

Mrs. Mac,

Are you doing anything special for your blueberry bushes to help them grow?

8:11 PM
Katidids said...

Your garden is looking off to a great start. Love rhubarb but have managed to kill it 2 years in a row. We were able to get cold crops planted yesterday....and it snowed to day

9:55 PM
Mrs. Mac said...

Kim .. lots of herbs come back each year .. my favorite is thyme.

Sandy .. we live in the woods so our soil is a little acidic .. I just mulch and give them my special tea I posted about a few days ago.

Katidids .. I'm hoping to get cold crops planted this week .. seems my days are full already.

10:30 PM

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