Sisyphus Acres

Planting is underway ~ a little at least

Well this weekend I finally got to do it ~ I got my hands in the real dirt ~ not potting soil/seed starter, but in the GROUND!  Well it is still too early to plant a lot of things here, but I did lay in a 48-foot row of potatoes, ½ Kennebec and ½ All blue (I cannot wait to make blue mashed potatoes!).  I also planted 120 onions (from the sets we got from the extension office gardening classes)…I still have 120 more to plant and 120 leeks (I am giving away some of the leeks, cuz I just know we won’t use them all.

We have planted all the trees we got, the oaks are leafing out, the spruce have put on new growth, and the maples are too new in the ground yet.  The fruit trees are doing well, the apples (all 3) are leafing out ~ we have Haralson, macoun, and Cortland.  The pear tree is leafing out too, but we won’t get fruit from it, cuz we have to get a pollinator for it.  The plum is looking spectacular.  The peach is still lagging behind, but the ones ate local nurseries do not look any better ~ lets hope it is normal.

The blueberry and cranberry bushes have also begun to leaf out and make new growth ~ and the thornless blackberry is growing like a weed!

This coming weekend I would like to finish the onions, and to drop in seed for most of the root and cool weather crops ~ then memorial Day weekend, when we are having our yard sale, I’ll try to drop in the seedlings.

It looks like I’ll have to restart the cantaloupe, and I should start the cheddar cauliflower to get it ready for a June plant.

I am going to try my hand at dandelion wine I think too, maybe this weekend!  Sounds like a fun thing to try, and will make a neat gift at Christmas time.  I also have a friend who would like me to make some Blackberry wine or liqueur when the blackberries produce (probably not until next year), so the dandelions would be a good start.  I know I am going to try making birch root beer next year, so we’ll see.

I made a really yummy whole wheat cinnamon bread Sunday ~ set the bread maker to have it ready when I woke up ~ wow!  Nothing like the smell of baking cinnamon to wake you up…mmmmmm.

Now I am on the look out for canning jars and freezer containers to be ready when the time comes.

We tilled the spot for the herb garden.  Won’t get that entirely planted this year, but will get a good start on it.  Already have cilantro, lavender, basil, rosemary, catnip, thyme, peppermint, and dill.  Am getting wintergreen, and a few other mints for teas, I’d like to get another type of basil, and, well who knows, oh, tarragon too.

Well I’ll stop in soon to chat again…

Val