Strawberries? Seriously???? in April??? and the new Combs' vineyard --Dianne

Okay, people,  this weather thing has made life very interesting.  Yesterday, just before church, on April 29,  my daughter comes to me and says, "Hey, Mom, red strawberries in the garden!"  So we had to investigate, and sure enough, there were some!!  Alas, some of these have already become one with my insides, and so no longer appear as such.....

I also cut iris at church yesterday, in April!!  Just seems weird!.

I plunked some tomatoes into the garden yesterday from their in/out-the garage wheelbarrow.  I moved the white hooped row cover over some of them.  I am thinking that this year I will use posts for support, instead of my old fencing material.  I never seem to find just that perfect tomato support system. By the end of the summer, I always have a jungle. 

A list of tomatoes I have planted:  Park Whoppers,  Better Girl , Golden.  I still have some more to get into the ground.  I'm not putting so many in this year, I still have boxes of jarred juice in the basement, and canning time will hit right when I start up fall semester.  May hit the Amish auction in Guion, Park County, if I feel the need for large amounts at one time.  I usually get canner tomatoes for $2 a box.   I'm sure that this week they must be selling hanging baskets for about a dollar.   Sounds great until you have to cram a lot of 25 into your car!  Also, bedding plants should be going for very cheap.

Bill's brother, Bob, the engineer, and his family have lived on the family farm since they got married.  Bob decided a few years ago that he was not going to farm any more, and someone else rents the land from him.  However, he and his wife, Debbie, along with lots of friends and family, have been  put in about 600 grape vines for their new vineyard!  They live near the Wild Cat Creek Winery in Clinton County, east of Lafayette, and have decided to become grape growers.  I'm not sure what kind they are growing, but it sounds really ambitious.  We're about to get a bunch of rain this week, which should help with their just-planted vines.

I'm hoping that this on/off spring weather doesn't affect what they already had in the ground.  My big grape arbor looks like someone took a blowtorch to it.  I heard Welch's people on TV last week bemoaning the big freeze in the midwest, and how it will affect their crop this year.   We keep running out with tarps to throw over the potatoes, but I think for at least this week, we should be fine.  I keep my eye on the nightly low temps, and for this week, we seem to be staying in the 50's, hence the tomatoes have gone out.  I put canning jars over some of them for mini- greenhouses.

I am slowly getting control over the weeds that also came up early.  That stinkin' $%#$@# ground ivy  that is the bane of my gardening life has made a grand appearance this year, we have had some vicious wars in the front garden, I can tell you! 

AND, he's Ba-a-a-a-a-a-ck!! yes, that annoying groundhog has shown his face around here again,  having spent the winter rent-free under my barn floor. 
   Sure, eat up, fuzzball, I'm gunning for you, my furry little munching friend.  May you be sprinkled with the pellets from my son's gun so much that you go live somewhere else.  No sweet potatoes for you  to snack on this year, my fine friend!

Oh, and I've been very cautious in the garden, since Oh, Shi===, the snake, has progeny lurking about.  Robbie saw one first,  I could hear him yelling over the noise of the tiller!! 

Just had a wonderful rain, so weeding should be better tomorrow.

Now get out there and get dirty, folks!!


Dianne, Dirt and all!