What did you do in the garden today?

[chickengr]

My seedlings were starting to look yellow. Not sure if I over watered or if it's from lack of nutrients in the coco coir starter medium. So I mixed up some fish fertilizer and kelp water. Stinky... Gave them all a good drink and then took the seedlings outside into the natural sunlight. I'll move them back indoors at night over the next few days and then trying to get them in the ground this weekend maybe. Hopefully being out in the sun and breeze will dry up some of the extra moisture.

I also got my garden fixed up from the flash flood damage. Well...the in-ground garden and hoop house walkway anyway. Still need to add more soil to the beds that were washed out.

Just tired today so not much getting done quickly.

my pepper seedlings didn't thrive and looked yellowish. I googled and found out they need more light. another reason can be low temperature. I use lukewarm water now and bring them inside at night. they are stunted but I can see the difference when they sit outside for a few hours.

we had frost this morning.

 

[gtaus]

15-Year Warranty on a Digging Shovel!

I went to our local Menards the other day to pick up a spare shovel. They have some wood handle spades on sale this week for $7.99, which I thought was a pretty good deal. But as I was looking at all the shovels on the rack, I noticed that they had a Yardworks fiberglass handle digging (spade) shovel that was even less expensive...

I compared the shovels, and the Yardworks shovel head metal felt more solid and heavier. I think that's an advantage. Also, I have been replacing my wood handle rakes and shovels with fiberglass handles. I'm so old that many of my wood handle tools have rotted out. Guess what, a new wood handle costs more than a new shovel!

You can't read it on the picture, but that sticker on the bottom of the shovel is a 15-year warranty! If it breaks, you just bring it back to Menards and get a free replacement. I don't think any of the other shovels had a warranty anywhere near as good as that. Be sure to keep your receipt and you should be covered.

Where I live in northern Minnesota, our ground is still frozen solid. People are still ice fishing out on the lake. But in month or so, I'll be able to use that shovel. Probably a little sooner if I need to dig in the raised beds.

Can't do much in the garden itself yet but I'm looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt soon. Hope we have a good year.

 

[gtaus]

I love my hori hori. Never fails me!

I picked up a hori hori about a year ago on clearance and love it as well. Just slide the sheath on my work belt in the spring and it stays there until fall! I ended up getting a second hori hori later that year on clearance. One is for inside the house for our plants, and the other for the outdoor gardens. A good hori hori can replace lots of other hand tools for garden work and do the jobs better.

 

[gtaus]

we had frost this morning.

Frost in Greece! I did not know that was possible. Do you live in the mountains, or something like that? I have visited Greece a couple of times in my life, and it was always as hot as Hades when I was there. It's hard for me to imagine frost in Greece.

 

[gtaus]

And I swear the quality of the birds are getting worse and worse.

Dear Wife and I have noticed that quality of our egg layers has gone down with each new flock we get. My best flock was the first one, before COVID-19. It seemed like the quality of the birds took a big hit during and post the COVID pandemic, but I thought maybe it was just the birds I got. I'll be getting a another new flock next year, so I hope to see improvement in the stock.

FYI, I was in our local Fleet store last week and they are rationing chicks. Something like only 5 per day. The hatchery that supplies our store stopped taking orders over a month ago and cannot guarantee orders will be filled this year. Stock is limited to a few breeds.

I know 5 chicks per day might not sound like a limitation to some people, but we have farmers here that buy 100 or 200 chicks at a time. I wonder what they are doing this year?

 

[jerryse]

15-Year Warranty on a Digging Shovel!

I went to our local Menards the other day to pick up a spare shovel. They have some wood handle spades on sale this week for $7.99, which I thought was a pretty good deal. But as I was looking at all the shovels on the rack, I noticed that they had a Yardworks fiberglass handle digging (spade) shovel that was even less expensive...

View attachment 4094441View attachment 4094440

I compared the shovels, and the Yardworks shovel head metal felt more solid and heavier. I think that's an advantage. Also, I have been replacing my wood handle rakes and shovels with fiberglass handles. I'm so old that many of my wood handle tools have rotted out. Guess what, a new wood handle costs more than a new shovel!

You can't read it on the picture, but that sticker on the bottom of the shovel is a 15-year warranty! If it breaks, you just bring it back to Menards and get a free replacement. I don't think any of the other shovels had a warranty anywhere near as good as that. Be sure to keep your receipt and you should be covered.

Where I live in northern Minnesota, our ground is still frozen solid. People are still ice fishing out on the lake. But in month or so, I'll be able to use that shovel. Probably a little sooner if I need to dig in the raised beds.

Can't do much in the garden itself yet but I'm looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt soon. Hope we have a good year.

Google King of spades. I modified a digging spade a few years ago. Metal handle and welded angle iron on the entire length. For tough tree digging. After I modified I learned about King of spades. I still have Grandma's tile spade and garden fork. She passed in 1972. She had those as long as I can remember. They don't make them that good anymore.

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Thanks! I'm located about halfway between Olympia and Vancouver where it shows no sightings, probably because no one's reported any. I'm pretty sure I saw/sensed one whiz by my head today so I think they're here now.

View attachment 4094148

I have Anna's year round, two stay. the rufous hummingbird showed up about the week of 3/17 , all the babies will show soon

 

[Grandmas Coop]

I did get the seeds planted I wanted to get to. Leeks and green onion and then I repotted the hyssop into a bigger pot and put these two mixed in the smaller ones.

 

[Molpet]

After I modified I learned about King of spades.

Made in USA $$$
https://kingofspadesonline.jnstools.com/index.php?cPath=2526

I have a steel handle shovel, not sure of brand, heavy...too heavy for me to use regularly

 

[gtaus]

Google King of spades.

I did. That's a $200 shovel!

That King of Spades shovel might last a lifetime, but the $6.00 YardWorks shovel that I bought at Menards has a 15-year warranty. At my age, that's probably a lifetime warranty.