Planted three rows of potatoes and my onion sets. Expecting some cold weather next week, so held off on planting onions seeds, carrots and sugar snap peas. So excited for spring!
2022 Garlic is Planted!
One of my lessons learned from last year is that Garlic needs to be planted in the fall to achieve the best growth possible. My late planted garlic had mediocre growth due to their lack of winter exposure. Purchased LEGAL garlic from Tubbs Berry Farm and Garlic Gods. Yep, legal. As in, taking store bought garlic and sticking it in the ground is Illegal in parts of Oregon, Washington and Idaho! Excited to see how these garlic do!
We’ve got potatoes!
The Red Norland and All Blue potatoes are up! The Russet and Yukon golds are still hiding. I’m hoping they are ok…getting a little worried. Aaron dug up one of each and there were no growths. So I have some homework…I need to do some research and see if they still have a shot or not. If not, I’ll have to dig them up and replace them with new seed potatoes.
Backyard Beekeeping?
Maybe…but not this year. Went to the local berry farm that also helps backyard beekeepers get started and maintain their hives. Learned a lot…
- Different bee species will live and mate together, creating cross breeds
- Bees make Propolis to seal their hives, contain contaminates and prevent fungus and microbes from growing
- Propolis is thought to lower your risk of heart disease, minimize free radicals, reduce ulcers, reduce inflammation, control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of Anemia
- Bees do NOT like to be breathed on
- You can feed your bees with a sugar water combination
There is a lot to beekeeping, so I think it best that I investigate it more and take one of the Intro to Beekeeping classes offered by the berry farm in the future. I did pick up some honey sticks while at the farm. 🙂
First Pea Breaks Through!
I can’t tell you what a relief it was to see this little guy pop up! I was so worried that none of the seeds would germinate and all my efforts would be for not. Can’t believe this little guy made it! Maybe I can do this after all! As a reminder, I planted the first batch of peas (Sugar Snap) and potatoes at the same time, 20 days ago.
First Seeds are in the Ground!
The first seeds are in the ground! Planted Sugar Snap Peas, Red Norland Potatoes, All Blue Potatoes, Burbank Russet Potatoes, Yukon Gold Potatoes and yellow onions! Can’t wait for them to germinate!!
Measured out the rows so that we got them planted in the right spots…but got so excited to plant potatoes they went in the area the peas were supposed to be. Oops. Oh well. The peas will just go after the potatoes.
Garden Excitement!
It’s almost time to plant! First in the ground will be peas and potatoes. Had to re-organize the garden layout to match row widths and new length of 60 ft. Here is the new design. I’ve noted the row spacing on one layout for the corrugator. My second design notes the individual plant spacing, so that I can follow it while planting seeds. First seeds should be in the ground by the end of the week!!
Valley Mills Winery in Waco!
Found a beautiful and amazing winery just outside Waco, TX. You may not think of Texas when people mention wine, but there are actually some amazing wines here. The main wine region is found in the Fredericksburg area. This winery is located about 30 mins from Waco, just a short detour from the airport. Their wines are super smooth and flavorful. I’ll have to leave room in my suitcase next trip through!
Black Pepper Stir Fry
I love trying new Stir Fry sauces to change up the status quo…I found a “cheat sheet” for stir frys from CookSmart.com that had chart of how to make your own stir frys with a ton of different options. They also had 6 different sauces to try. One of which was the Black Pepper sauce. It sounded good, so I have it a shot. Liz was over that night and was helping me make dinner. We got a little rushed at the end…there may have been some wine involved, too much talking and laughing. So I didn’t taste the dish before serving it up (BIG MISTAKE!!). Wow…that sauce was peppery! I know, it is inherent in the name, but we are talking so much pepper flavor your tongue started to tingle. I grabbed the sugar bowl and put it on the table to help calm it down. Liz and I double checked that we followed the directions correctly…we did. So be warned…try your dinner before you serve it!
I did add ketchup, rice vinegar and brown sugar to the left overs, which tamed the pepper drastically. Still not a dish you’ll find in the recipe section. I wouldn’t do that to you!
Is it Garden Season yet?!?
I am so excited to plant my garden, I’m like a kid asking “are we there yet?†Aaron bought me a corrugator, well not just for me. But it’ll be a huge help planting the garden. Don’t know what it is? Neither did I. But it helps to direct water through the garden, which is essential for a good crop. More information is available here.