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

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't mind watering, I sit on a lawn chair and do the watering late afternoon. I use the time to think about other projects , or to think of nothing at all..
I quit the regular garden. last summer I tried container planting. I had pretty good luck with it. I did plant too many tomato plants, though.
My daughter brought me four different varieties , Rutgers, Roma, Big Boy and Early Girl and one cherry tomato. I got 150 cherry tomatoes off of that one plant.
In all, I had 60 tomato plants. That is way too many. I turned out to be a chore rather than pleasurable.
green bell peppers did great in the buckets.
I mixed 5 gallon batches of dirt and Tomato Tone organic fertilizer in my cement mixer.
Picked out any weed or roots before putting the dirt into buckets. I used 5 gallon plastic buckets. there were very few weeds grow in the buckets.
My plum trees are the wild variety that grow along the ditches around here. They send up shoots from the roots like strawberries do. I just mow down most the shoots and mow around one or two of the shoots that come up in a decent place..
........jiminwaUSAu......

It's not the watering I mind, it's the heat. I cannot tolerate temperatures over 75 degrees due to various health problems, and apparently having ice running through my veins. So when we get that hot and humid weather I cannot stay outside long in the beating sun. Gardening is enjoyable until it gets warm. Than I hate it.

I have switched to container gardening too. My vegetable garden is basically big containers.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not the best picture, but here's my boxes.

 

[jvls1942]

that is a lot of boxes to fill with dirt.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

that is a lot of boxes to fill with dirt.

Before the boxes I did raised beds on the ground, and amended by adding stuff by top dressing organic matter. I did no till for a long time, so when it came to fill the boxes I had a bunch of extra soil my husband scraped off the top and filled them with.

He built them for me back in 2016 right after my first knee replacement. I remember wandering out there with my walker, and not lasting too long before making my way back to the house.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Here's that construction of them.

 

[jvls1942]

eight weeks ago I had my first hip replaced.
the second one is due in Jan 2021.
maybe after that I will be able to kneel down and get back up ??..'
.......jiminwisc.......

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

eight weeks ago I had my first hip replaced.
the second one is due in Jan 2021.
maybe after that I will be able to kneel down and get back up ??..'
.......jiminwisc.......

I've had both shoulders and both knees done. My hips are good yet except for the bursitis, and a slight impingement. I can't kneel anymore, nor bend at the waist for very long. I'm only 53.

My younger brother got both hips replaced. One a few years ago and the other recently. He's more active than me, and more agile. Once your knees are done kneeling is uncomfortable. I think with hips you can still kneel, but I'm not sure.

I have another brother who recently got his hips done. He should have done it a decade ago. We all did hard farm labor as kids.

 

[jvls1942]

my wife had both hips redone. Farm girl. She was her father's right hand man. He didn't have any sons old enough to work.
I had the hard farm work plus too many years of building construction and roofing.
......jiminwausa.......

 

[jvls1942]

T Day is almost here. We are staying home and having no company. There are five of us .
We are going to get a "meal for six" from the
County market deli. Just heat and eat.
I suppose I will have to tweak the sweet potatoes to my liking ..
we butchered a rooster yesterday. decided to wait to do the last four when we get a day up in the 40F range.
.....jiminwaUSAu.......

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Just me and my husband, plus 7 dogs. Bought a smaller turkey breast for husband and those dogs. Mac and cheese for me. Probably some corn from the garden, maybe a squash, and whatever else looks good for the day.

I enjoy staying home. It's the first time in 33 years. It took a pandemic so I could get a holiday that makes me happy.