Whatcha Up To???

[w_r_ranch]

Made bread.

Picked up 10 bags of Miracle-Gro seed starting mix at Walmart, then did the grocery shopping & fueled up my Jeep.

Picked 5 head of cauliflower as we need to start blanching/freezing it tomorrow morning. Also picked some lettuce & broccoli florets to go with our supper tonight

Fed the cattle & put out another couple of rolls of hay as it is suppose to get pretty cold tomorrow (25 for the low).

Brought up more firewood.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Got everything covered for tonight's first freeze - 29 degrees. Houston is supposed to really get slammed this Weds. night/Thursday morning with an arctic freeze.

Sorry, just had to laugh at your arctic freeze. Currently 5 F out. Don't think I'll wear a coat to shovel in a few minutes

 

[Mr_Yan]

Man just checked the local news station website and 28 school districts have already canceled school for tomorrow because the forecast is too cold.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Yan, if it gets too warm where you are,. take a quick trip to Chicago. Windchill was -26 an hour ago. There are lots of places i do not want to be, but Chicago is near the top of that list.

There is nothing worse than getting out of a warm bed to go check on some new born lambs in weather like that.

Ernie

 

[Mr_Yan]

radio station about 10 blocks away is reporting +7 F and 12 mph winds = -8 windchill and the dewpoint is -1 F. Forecast is calling for winds to start around midnight. Tomorrow's high is -3 F with windchills consistently -20 to -30 F.

 

[ErnieCopp]

That is cold, for sure. It was okay when i lived in it, but i am glad i am out of it now.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Filled all the 3" pots with the starter mix.

Start applying leather conditioner to the seats & door panels in the truck. I'll do another pass tomorrow.

Blanched & froze the cauliflower. We'll vacuum pack it tomorrow & see about doing another batch.

 

[Rahab222]

WR; Do you move them to a larger container than the 3" pots with a different mix when they reach some size? Or do they stay there until they're ready to plant? Do you put them on a heating mat or under lights?

We had beautiful weather in Houston today with a high of 57. Our arctic front must be coming in because I just came in from outside and it's FREEZING! We're about to find out if my peppers will make it through temps. of 26 degrees. Thankfully, there's just a slight wind blowing outside so far.

I went to my favorite nursery today and bought (3) large bags of manure/humus compost and (3) large bags of Revitalizer that has an assortment of composts in it. I now need my leaves to dry out from all the rain we've been having so I can shred them and mix with all of the above to start my onion bed. My onions from Dixondale Farms were also delivered today, so I need to get them in the ground.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Yesterday's high was zero F. Currently -9 F actual temp with -26 F windchill.

 

[w_r_ranch]

WR; Do you move them to a larger container than the 3" pots with a different mix when they reach some size? Or do they stay there until they're ready to plant? Do you put them on a heating mat or under lights?

The seedlings will stay in the 3" pots until they are transplanted into the garden around mid-March. I have no need for heating mats or grow lights as I have the greenhouse.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Did another batch of cauliflower after vacuum packing the batch from yesterday. I believe that should be enough frozen to last us till next season. I'll make the rest into cauliflower soup after I'm done making the vegetable stock for it.

I also made a batch of dough for 'Filoncino' which are rustic Italian bread sticks, which I'll bake tomorrow to go along with the cauliflower soup.

Applied the 2nd application of leather conditioner to the seats in the truck so we're good for another year.

Brought up another load of firewood as tomorrow is suppose to be even colder that today (it hit a low of 23 last night ... 10 hours below freezing)!!!

 

[Mr_Yan]

Shovel more snow. Never got to more than 40 mph on my drive home today.

 

[Rahab222]

WR; So you don't need any heat or lights in the greenhouse to grow your seedlings? Houston is supposed to have freezing rain and ice by morning.

Mr. Yan; When I was 10 years old, my Dad almost moved us to Alaska. We would have died. I have experienced winters in N. and S. Dakota and Wyoming while working in the oil patch. All my work was done outdoors - photographing and interviewing rig hands. -22 F the first morning I woke up and I could hardly open my highway motel door as there was a huge pile of snow taller than the door frame that appeared overnight. I was SO HAPPY to get home to Texas!

 

[w_r_ranch]

Both greenhouses are heated with 19.3K BTU units, I have no need for heating mats or lights.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Finished detailing the interior of the truck.

Vacuum packed the blanched cauliflower from yesterday & froze 3 containers worth of the cauliflower soup for later usage.

Baked the 'Filoncino' bread sticks.

 

[w_r_ranch]

The 'Filoncino' came out very good, so good that Mrs. Ranch request another batch yesterday. The crust is real chewy & went well with the 'Italian Oil' that we dipped it in.

All our seed orders have been shipped.

Still pretty cold & rainy here, so we're still hunkered down.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Saw that farm and fleet had seed racks out already.

 

[Rahab222]

I need to run by and check Home Depot's seed display from Burpee. I ordered via catalogs big time last year, but when all was said and done I found that I could get many of the seeds I ordered at Home Depot A LOT cheaper and they are by Burpee's. You just have to hit the displays early and check the expiration dates. We're still hunkered down in Houston, too, following two solid weeks of rain and temps in the 30s - 40's. We're supposed to get a glimpse of the sun in a couple of days and then the rain and cold come back in. Hopefully this will give me a day to go out a prepare a couple of my beds for planting.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Harvested some more broccoli & cauliflower to accompany tonight's meatloaf.

Brought up another load of firewood as it is/has been barely in the 40s.

The last seed order arrived today. Spring must be getting closer, we've had flocks of robins & meadowlarks in the yard the last few days!!!

Made bread.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Picked some lettuce, spinach & radishes for tonight's salad.

Finished detailing the truck's bed & bed cover. All that I have left is the tailgate & the rear bumper...

 

[w_r_ranch]

Harvested the 'Red Pontiac' potatoes as the soil is finally dry enough... Ended with 2 tubs worth.

Also picked some more broccoli & cauliflower for supper tonight.

Started trimming up the 'Long Island' Brussel Sprouts, but had to quit when my back said it had enough. Fed all the leaves to the cattle as they love fresh greens..

Finished detailing the truck... It hasn't been this clean since it was built, LOL!

​

 

[w_r_ranch]

Finished trimming up the Brussel Sprouts.

Harvested the last of the cauliflower & made more soup that will be put up for later... Fed all the resulting greens to the cattle.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Start pruning the Crape Myrtles.

Filled the bird feeders & put out another suet block.

 

[ErnieCopp]

We got a lot done in four hours this morning. Planted two Nine bark trees. One will be grown as a tree form, replacing a Jap Maple that does not like the micro climate here, Hurts on both ends, Too Hot and Too Cold. I feel its pain, too.

Then i mowed the lawn while Vincente rotoilled and cleaned up old plants and tree ferns.

Also planted a Concord and Himrod grape vines that i started from cuttings last Spring.

Created a lot of extra work for myself, Started the Ninebark trees from small bare roots last Spring in 1 gallon pots. Not enough root ball to plant out last fall, so i sat the 1 gallon pots in some 15 gallon pots half full of potting soil so i could drip water and drain. Roots grew like crazy since last fall, and roots filled the potting soil between the 1 gallon and 15 gallon pots. I could not leave the 1 gallons on it, for fear of root binding, so i had to extract the entire 1 gallon pots from the root mass without damaging the main roots that came through the drain holes. So i am continuing my old custom of learning things the hard way, by experience.

Picked some limes and Kumquats for my daughter and gave her some marmalade.

Then while my Grandson was here this PM we shifted a 200 pound fire resistant locking 2 drawer file cabinet lifting with a sling and an 8 foot 2X4 and a fulcrum. Worked okay but moved it too far, so was easier the second time.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Finished pruning the Crape Myrtles. Picked up & burned all the 'trash'.

If the weather holds, I'll start pruning the trees... fruit trees first, then the oaks.