The S word

It was cold and windy all weekend, but then it snowed. Snow on May 9. We were lucky that it came down for a couple of hours, but it didn’t stick. My friend to the north in ME watched 10+” fall at her home – not fair Mother Nature.

Last fall, I potted up two containers of tulip bulbs, covered them with hardware cloth and stored them in the barn. When I pulled them out the first of April, there were shoots everywhere, but they were white and anemic looking from growing in the dark. I am happy to report that they recovered and are now blooming.

I was gifted with six Dahlias last year. In the fall, I decided to ‘try’ and divide and store according to the many YouTube videos I watched. Everything depends upon seeing the ‘eye.’ I can’t see the eye, not in the fall, and not in the spring. Back to YouTube, and I found a UK gardener who suggested laying them out flat in a shallow black plant tray, covering them with potting soil, and seeing what happens. What happened here was they sprouted roots and shoots. At this point, I have 19 potted up, and I still have a full tray that have roots but not shoots yet. Now, I’m wondering where I’m going to put all these plants. 🙂

 

We tackled last week’s outdoor project which was working on a garage side door entry area and walkway. We took up, regraded, and replaced the entire entry area but decided to replace broken pavers and realign the current walkway. Stone work was not intended for two ‘mature’ folks, and it made me think of that old song – know when to hold them, and know when to fold them. 🙂

Ever buy something you really wanted, but it didn’t quite meet all your needs? I bought a Wyze Cam Pan and tried it out over the weekend. It is a great little camera, very easy to hook up, but it has about a 10-15 second lag in pushing notifications. I wanted it for security, but I could walk by it and get upstairs several seconds before I received the notice that a person/motion had been detected. If you were wanting one for just surveillance, it would work but not if you want to know immediately.

There are a few places opening up this week in New Hampshire including our library to a certain extent. Books on hold can be picked up by making a reservation and then stopping at a table in the parking lot. Not ideal, but the mere thought of reading a real page turner of a book causes my pulse to quicken.

Today’s weather is not going to be great, but the rest of the week will allow working outside so I’m hoping to get some things planted but covered just in case Mother Nature knocks again.

Happy gardening, friends, and stay well.

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If you are looking for gardening webinars while at home, here are a few I found that are coming up.

●  All About Moles and Voles, May 13, 12 noon, sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension. Link for more info and registration.

●  Vegetable Garden Planning with Ron Christie. May 13, 7-8 p.m., sponsored by NOFA-NH.  Link for more info and registration.

●  Cooking and Gardening with Herbs. May 18, 6 p.m., sponsored by NorthEast Seacoast Unit – Herb Society of America.  Link for more info and registration.

●  Oh Rats! Dealing with non-native Rodents in the Garden. May 28, 10-11 a.m., sponsored by the Oregon State MGs. Link for more info and registration.

●  Join Emma Erler, UNH Extension Education Center Program Coordinator, for upcoming Ask UNH Extension Facebook Live sessions where she’ll discuss gardening in the Granite State.  3 P.M.  Sessions take place on the Ask UNH Extension and UNH Extension Facebook pages.

May 11 – Vegetable Gardening with Becky Sideman
May 14 – Food Preservation – Canning Basics with Ann Hamilton
May 18 – Landscaping for Wildlife with Matt Tarr
May 21 – Food Preservation – Canning, Pickling, Jams and Jellies with Ann Hamilton
May 28 – Food Preservation – Freezing, Drying and other Food Preservation Techniques with Ann Hamilton
June 4 – Backyard Chickens with Elaina Enzien
June 8 – Rock Gardens with Emma Erler
June 11 – Xeriscaping with Emma Erler
June 15 – Landscaping for Water Quality with Julia Peterson
June 18 – Beekeeping Basics with Olivia Saunders
June 22 – Hobby Greenhouses with Jonathan Ebba
June 25 – Poisonous Plants with Emma Erler
June 29 – Composting with Emma Erler