Oh, my, look what followed me home! Honest!
It must be all the green grass that is coming up all over, it’s given me spring fever–I bought two calves.
I don’t know what possessed me to do it, nor am I quite sure why I invested in a heifer and a bull! They have a much longer investment return time frame than steers would be.
The price was good enough, and if the bull calf grows into his good looks, I will have made a good investment. They are both tame and I can scratch them behind their ears already.
I am hoping that my niece, Stephanie will be interested in helping raise these two cuties.
He is pure Beefmaster, look at that stretch! and she looks like Hereford/Beefmaster cross.
I have been agonizing over the water situation, and I have decided to grow a bare minimum garden this summer, and will heavily mulch the rest of the garden to condition the soil. This fall, I will see about planting a modest winter garden. I have so many things that pull at my attention right now, so perhaps a minimal of vegetable gardening will be best. I really want to try to preserve my ornamentals as much as possible.
I have put in my four tomato varieties, since I have already started them, here they are going in to the garden. Last fall this bed was dug down about 18 inches and backfilled with a mix of compost, limestone sand, charcoal from our burn pile, fertilmulch and organic fertilizer. Lets see if that helps the cracking and blossom end rot.
The cauliflower seedlings are doing much better after their little styrofoam cup protectors went on, as you can see.
My potatoes are coming up through their thick compost layer. They’ve been frost bit a few times, even just a couple of nights ago, but they’ll be back. I am going to grow them under cloth insect barrier this summer as an experiment.
Keep an eye on your tender plants, we could still have a frost that will damage them.
————WASPS ARE YOUR FRIENDS! (honest, they are!)———————
The wasps are starting to come out as the air warms. Unless they are right by your door or areas that you frequent, leave as many of the nests as you can. They eat a great amount of softbodied insects that damage your garden plants. This one has a chewed up caterpillar in her mandibles.
Did you know that almost all the wasps, bees, ants and hornets you see are female? There are few males and they usually die after mating with a queen. (sorry fellas!)
They will also help pollinate some of your plants, although they are not as likely to visit all blossoms like honey bees.
Enjoy spring while its here. The heady fragrance of lilacs and pinks fills the garden, and all green sprouts poke their sleepy heads out of the ground.
Psalms 28:&7 “Blessed is YHWH, Because He has heard the voice of my prayers! YHWH is my strength, and my shield; My heart has trusted in Him, and I have been helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I thank Him.
