In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

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Lynlee
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In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Lynlee » Sun Feb 02, 2020 11:48 pm

Its hot or its cold. Sun is shining or not.
Enough rain is welcome.
Violent storms or the too much of anything can be a bother.
There can be fire, floods or drought.
A plague of eating, or sap sucking pests perhaps?
Maybe its a chance to be glad of what isn't happening, if its just the regular tasks needing attention before nature takes on a will of its own, and a jungle appears.

If you have a wish to share your stories,
your parade of adventures in your own back and front yard, courtyard, terrace or balcony are welcome here.
Perhaps you are able to dream into being, a parkland or garden to enjoy.
Just begin.
Living this day, today
Take a reality check; Remember to breathe; Do what I am able to do.
Look for the good in all.

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Lynlee
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Lynlee » Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:25 am

Green bin took 3 lots of palm flower and seed stems away. I needed to chop them a bit to fit them in there.
At one stage a neighbour helped out with mowing, and another helps with my driveway.
We've been having rain so it all needs attention again.
Just begin.
Living this day, today
Take a reality check; Remember to breathe; Do what I am able to do.
Look for the good in all.

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Nancy
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Nancy » Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:40 am

It was raining a lot today, but I just put on a hooded sweat shirt and windbreaker & got out my umbrella and walked the dog.
Loved the fresh air so I went back outside and worked on decluttering the plant cage, and small shed
Doing several rounds. It was great for my mental out look. It helped me to remember
Why I garden because I enjoy it not necessarly for all the organic food. Because it helps my outlook on life.

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Lynlee
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Lynlee » Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:58 am

Nancy wrote:It was raining a lot today, but I just put on a hooded sweat shirt and windbreaker & got out my umbrella and walked the dog.
Loved the fresh air so I went back outside and worked on decluttering the plant cage, and small shed
Doing several rounds. It was great for my mental out look. It helped me to remember
Why I garden because I enjoy it not necessarly for all the organic food. Because it helps my outlook on life.

I must remember this.
And act on it.
Just begin.
Living this day, today
Take a reality check; Remember to breathe; Do what I am able to do.
Look for the good in all.

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Harriet
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Harriet » Mon Mar 02, 2020 10:33 am

Yes, that was well said, Nancy.

Your opening was inspiring, Lynlee.

Wanted to document here that Octavia went into lay over the weekend. An egg fit for a second-year hen. I would have expected more suspicion of early spring in her little hen brainwaves, especially at her age. Ophelia is having none of it, btw. A fellow at church says his have started back in earnest, too.

Our very absent winter has caused an early spring (or is it?) and I fear for many vulnerable buds here. Without a reasonably cold winter, my late dfirstmil used to say that the insect problems of the coming year would be especially bad. Of course, we have had some 1-foot snows in March before. We'll just have to see. Our low temps haven't impressed at all so far.

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Nancy
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Nancy » Mon Mar 02, 2020 7:07 pm

I have been clearing leaves out of flower beds and doing yard clean up this past week.
Started Thursday and had to rest Fri.
Sat. & Sun. Continued on the East property border done for the most part with that.
Mon. Nearl t finiushed the flower bed by the road, doing rounds apx. 20 - 40 min. Is really adding up.
Counting this as part of my exercise after lunch.

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Harriet
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Harriet » Mon Apr 06, 2020 3:33 pm

Gearing up here. Getting at least an egg a day in the henhouse if not 2 a day. Two eggs went into lasagne yesterday - rare that I eat eggs anymore. It's usually dd. But nice to see the yolks are deep yellow and stand up so well. The hens are way too brave, wandering too far when they are allowed. They are rejuvenated, think they are younger. Combs are vivid red.

The seed-starting has been a success with overall great germination. The Early Girl Tomatoes were the most temperamental and could have used two seeds per little pot, but I felt it was more important to let dd40 share. Finally, the California Wonder Pepper is reaching good germination. If I get brave, I could move one tiny seedling out of a stand of two to a naked pot. The SpaceSaver Cucumber and Petite Marigolds are sprouting up like crazy. The old tried-and-true Jiffy Pots are again coming through for me - glad I found them this year.

Okinawa sweet potato slips will arrive by about May 1, a little late but close enough to the right planting time that it'll be fine. I wish they could have a good season and I could maybe make a lavender-colored pie to amuse the children. I would call it a "Morning Glory Pie" and teach them that sweet potatoes are part of the Morning Glory flower family. Of course, I'll have to nurse them through a difficult sprout-hood that includes shipping, so no counting chickens before they hatch.

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Lynlee
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Lynlee » Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:44 pm

Loving the wander through your garden Harriet.
Somehow I'd imagined the purple sweet potato were more white inside.

I'm attempting to get into my yard each day. I missed yesterday as I did a 'bus' to and fro town for supplies instead of local walk and garden, and it was late dusk when I got home.

recent gains:-

driveway - I'm pulling grass and ferns out back to the tree trunks - starting with the 1st tree, that is just the stump. It died and I had cut it off where it was thinner. That's where I've gotten too there.

by the gate - I've started am around the palm tree and heading along the fence. Possibly a good meter. There is a branch on the ground there. I've been using loppers to cut off what I can into green bin. The rest will need to go hide under a tree somewhere.

east middle tree w buttressing - weeded around that.

Took out a weed, common name tobacco plant, in the wilds beyond that.
Just begin.
Living this day, today
Take a reality check; Remember to breathe; Do what I am able to do.
Look for the good in all.

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Harriet
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Harriet » Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:47 pm

You're right, Lynlee, there is a purple potato that is white inside and one that is darker purple inside than this one, Stokes Purple. The Stokes turns very dark when cooked and has the reputation of great nutrition, antioxidants - I think the white-fleshed one has the reputation for the best taste. (I like the taste better than the Stokes, plus it's softer) This medium-purple fleshed one holds interest for me because it is actually called the Okinawa and is from there. It's historically a staple of the traditional Okinawan diet, one of the foods that gave them such a reputation for longevity. Also, I've never eaten one before so I am extra interested, lol. I really enjoy trying new things. The "parents" of these have spent at least one season with a fellow in Hawaii who grew them on to slips.

This evening dd and I took a grow-bag with handles into the woods and got some woods earth for the plants. That's never easy work. We each had a handle on a side so we could share the weight, and the bag doesn't add any. I may plant only in grow-bags and containers this year - not sure.

Sprayed some snake repellent (clove, cinnamon and peppermint) around the henhouse.

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Harriet
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Re: In the year 2020 - The Outdoors Beccon

Postby Harriet » Fri Jul 03, 2020 11:11 pm

Hope you continued to make gains, Lynlee, and manage more claiming and reclaiming.

So far, no snakes here. I sprayed again tonight, and have started zeroing in on just the place I'm sure they've entered the henhouse before, at the hen-door, trying to keep from running out of the spray. I hope it's working. Egg production has slowed way down and I imagine the hens are reacting to summer weather.

The grow-bags seem to be fine. No particular problems. Picked a slug off one but have never seen any more. I'm still using the stakes into which you upturn a filled bottle of water and it drips there all night long. So far, so good, with 2-liter disposable bottles. Not perfect - a few have needed to be adjusted multiple times to get them dripping. But still, a drip method that makes my life easier and gives more consistent, slow water, and of course, it's cheap.

To say the Okinawa sweet potatoes have had a slow start would be an understatement. They are putting on new growth, at least. Of 4 slips that arrived, only 3 made it. I don't use the drip watering for them, but use a watering can instead, because I just can't see how water constantly dripping at one place would work well for a root vegetable. Maybe I'm overthinking that. Even if nothing comes of it, it's interesting to me to be growing something from so far away and so different.


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