Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[jvls1942]

Maybe no mosquitos, Jim. but it's been warm enough that I'm wearing out the swatter killing flies. I can't convince the dogs to hurry through the back door fast enough to prevent the nasty things from coming in.

We were under wind advisory again this week. I don't really need the weather folks to tell me that things are blowing all over the place and branches are falling.

Tomorrow, the wind is supposed to let up, and it's allegedly going to be both warm and sunny. We'll see.

the wind has let up quite a bit .
IDK if we are going to get any sun.
we have no chickens, and the flies are
not a problem,,,,,,,yet..
we did have asian beetles all winter, though,
haven't seen any for a little while..

 

[jvls1942]

Good Wednesday morning,
Yesterday I went out and measured the 6" jointer.
Now I have a pretty good idea of how I am going to attack
the wheels.
today it is supposed to be warm enough by noon to
go out and do something outside. I will be in the shop.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hopefully you attach those wheels Jim. Attacking them seems a bit harsh. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Today was a pretty good day compared to all the recent days. Have a lot to do. Hope to fill my tiny pond tomorrow.

 

[Callender Girl]

Looks like another day of good weather. Spent most of yesterday tackling the overgrown blackberry bushes. Good thing they are thornless or I would have been more than a little battle scarred.

Hoping to get all my bargain Menards veggie plants into the ground today.

Winter was so long, spring has been so weird. Feels like I need to do all the outdoor projects as fast as I can before more wild weather comes my way.

Good luck with the wheels, Jim -- where you attach or attack them!

And, Lisa, I hope you get the pond filled.

 

[jvls1942]

Let's say I attacked the job of attaching the wheels ..
as it turned out, the 6" jointer had wheels on it.
they were just not turning so good. I blasted them
with liquid wrench and then oiled them. they are
working just fine, now.. so I don't have to put new
wheels on..
I wet down all the work surfaces of the table saw,
jointer and planer with liquid wrench. Letting it soak
overnight. then a little rubbing with a scotch pad and
most of the light rust should come off..
after I get them cleaned up, I will apply Minwax paste
wax to them, . that will make them slick and help
prevent further rust..
I hope you all get a lot of things accomplished.
just don't over do it.. I do whatever I can sitting
on a chair.. saves my back..

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wisconsin seems to have only 2 seasons these days. Winter and summer. If you blink you will miss the sliver of spring and fall.

Yesterday we discovered one of my garden boxes has rotten corner posts. We decided to remove the blueberry shrubs out of them and put them back into pots. We will take those two boxes down, and use the soil to top off the rest of the boxes.

The side lumber can be used elsewhere. The shrubs had a lot of die back on the tops. So it's probably for the best to be able to move them into the shed for the winter again. My guess is we won't get too many blueberries yet again. I keep trying.

The good news is my little plum tree is covered in blossoms. Hopefully we get a good crop of those.

 

[jvls1942]

our plum tree is just starting to bud out.
I hope the bees find it this year. It is a very
young tree.
Annie is raking up black walnuts. She doesn't want
send any through a window with the lawn mower. btdt..
I spent quite a bit of time rubbing anti rust solution
on the machinery. I went through a dozen shop rags.
we both are not accustomed to this warm weather.
it beat us down. I am not complaining, mind you..
just have to acclimate.
it was nice to sit in the shade of the tree trunk, though..
had a nice surprise,. Asplund dumped two more loads
of wood chips here for me. I never heard their truck.
I am going to use some of it for fill to slope a steep
bank along the driveway.. in about a year it will be
covered with grass..
I used to have blueberries. the black walnuts killed them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Jim we had a black walnut tree at our last farm. It sure made a mess. I did try to harvest the nuts one year, but found it easier to buy walnuts at Fleet Farm. They do say nothing grows around a black walnut tree. Probably because it pelts them with nuts every fall. I never knew walnuts had a fleshy covering like an ugly peach, and how labor intensive harvesting them is.

I got my water walls filled and my poor tomatoes in the ground. Husband helped. I'm mostly good at pointing. We also got some pots filled but I didn't get them all planted. I'm proceeding like we are done with frost, but know we probably have one more at least. I guess today I become a gambler.

 

[jvls1942]

It is true, black walnuts kill most other plants near them
there is a substance in their roots that is poisonous to
other plants,, especially trees.
GS helped me lift the small jointer off of the table.
I have some Blaster soaking on it's work surface.
I am trying different rust removers to see which is best.
I remember one year back in the 70's when we started
pouring concrete on March 1st and never looked back..

 

[Callender Girl]

Lisa, I think pointing is a valuable skill in the planting process! I got my tomato plants in the ground yesterday and put herbs in the pots on the deck. Should we get another frost (and, like you, I'm betting we will), I have row covers ready to protect my garden babies.

Frank came over after he got off work yesterday and took care of my mower. The tire assemblies were sold in a two pack, and I asked him to replace both front tires so they would match. They are made as replacements for Husqvarna mowers but weren't identical to the originals, so it made sense to do both.

So, I rode around the yard today at top speed so I could finish before the rain. It's been spitting off and on all afternoon.

Sounds like you're making progress, Jim. Good luck getting rid of that rust!