Whatcha Up To???

[w_r_ranch]

It was cold last night, although it was no where near what was forecast. The temperature is now up to 40, so as least it trending in the right direction. The next cold front is forecast for late Sunday & Monday.

On the plus side. the 'Jersey Knight' asparagus crowns arrived today!!! I'll get them planted as soon as it warms up into the 50s (hopefully tomorrow or Sunday).

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Still waiting on the onions...

Ventured out just long enough to feed the cattle & stoke up the stump that I'm burning out (this one is persistent)...

 

[Mr_Yan]

Yup down in the 20's here too. The news yesterday was showing temps in Alaska and it's warmer there (in the 40s) than it is here in Kentucky!

What cities in Alaska were they referencing?

I grew up in Traverse City MI which is home to the main Coast Guard base for the Great Lakes. At the time the typical rotation for career Coast Guard members was Kodiak Alaska, to Traverse City Michigan, to Miami Florida. Most of the newer transfers from Kodiak would comment that the northern Michigan winters were far harder than what they were used to in Kodiak. Much more snow and generally colder than in Alaska. When I moved here I found that winters were far colder but we don't get snow. If this city gets 70 inches of snow in a season people start talking about how close we are to the seasonal record snow fall.

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I finished bailing water out of the water pigs then tipped them over so anything that melts will flow out. Tomorrow, with luck, I will move them to where the sun will hit them and flip them such that they're standing upside down. The ice walls are between an inch and two thick.

 

[Mike]

What cities in Alaska were they referencing?

More along the coast. In fact I just checked Kodiak and it's 46 degrees there now and it's 36 here in Lexington.

They are calling for chance of snow tomorrow and highs of 24 on Tuesday.

 

[Mr_Yan]

We got about two inches last night. Today's high forecast to be 36 F. I won't bother shoveling.

I should harvest my leeks and parsnips. Brussles sprouts are fine left out right now. My greens are a lost cause I think.

 

[Mr_Yan]

8 degrees F outside here.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Sam,
Those are beautiful Asparagus crowns. I wish there was some way i could get rid of the mess i have and replace them with some like yours.
It is so much easier to let other people make mistakes than to make your own.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Thanks Ernie, they are nicely developed... I just wish it would warm up a little so I can get them planted (if it isn't the temp, it's raining). It's 44 & sunny right now, but the wind is still out of the north @ 16 MPH, so the wind chill is in the 30s. I don't want to get sick.

I just got back from the feed store & the onion sets still haven't arrived... Good news is the 'Lorz' garlic is starting to come up!

 

[ErnieCopp]

I have not heard from Dixon yet that my onions have been shipped, but hopefully that was done today, or i am going to be squeezed next Spring.
We used to call the small dried onions for planting "sets" . The ones i get from Dixon are small green onions. Are they also called 'sets"?

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Yes, the small onions that are sold in bundles of 100 are called 'sets' here as well. The only place I've ever seen the small dried ones are in seed catalogs.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Replace the batteries the receiver & transmitter in the greenhouse's temp/humidity unit.

Looks like tomorrow's weather may be good for asparagus planting!

 

[Mr_Yan]

So 6 degrees F this morning.

Any hopes for the leeks, brussles sprouts, and parsnips I have yet to harvest? Highs supposed to be in the 40s this weekend.

15 F and dog did get a walk today after the kids were in bed.

 

[Mike]

Had about 2 inches of snow yesterday and a high of 20. Good thing is the high today is predicted to be 40.

 

[w_r_ranch]

It was a beautiful day here , 70 & sunny... a perfect day for planting the asparagus & the remaining garlic. I will pick up 6 bags of shredded pine bark mulch the next time I go to town & get it finished.

Spread the remaining dirt in a low spot in the hay trap.

Did some more shredding in the middle pasture.

Filled in all the armadillo holes/burrows in the front pasture & the cattle pen. From the number, I guess I will have to start making a concerted effort to reduce their population...

 

[w_r_ranch]

Worked on retensioning the barb wire fence around the cattle pen up until the rain started...

 

[ErnieCopp]

I picked the next to the next to the last hand full of raspberries. I thought they were done a couple of months ago, but the warm dry weather has kept them going. I found some ripe ones today, and picked and ate about a handful, and left what i thought was the last bunch for Linda.
She went down and picked a handful, and came back and said there was till another left on the bush, so I will try to finish and get that job done before Sam gets his asparagus patch completed.

Ernie

 

[Mike]

It got as high as 60 today and I was stuck indoors for most of it with a sick baby. Though I did manage to take the dogs out and get the Christmas lights up.

 

[w_r_ranch]

It was in the 70s here. It has been raining raining the last 3 days (2.21" thus far), so I've been piddling in the house for the most part. As it is suppose to get into the upper 70s this afternoon, the dogs are going to get their baths.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Picked up mulch to finish the asparagus bed. Also, picked up the onion sets (4 bundles)... I was told that the supplier was so late due to it being too wet to harvest them. I will get them planted tomorrow.

 

[ErnieCopp]

My onions came today, too. Three weeks late, but for the same reason, too much rain.

Ernie

 

[Mr_Yan]

I'll shovel the snow tonight...

Still need to harvest my parsnips and leeks. Oh well

 

[w_r_ranch]

Planted the onion sets & mulched the asparagus bed (& then set the weeper hose in place for irrigation).

Trimmed all the lower leaves off the brussel sprouts & fed them to the cattle.

Harvested some more kohlrabi as Mrs. Ranch is going to make a bowl of kohl-slaw.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Continued working on retensioning the barb wire around the cattle pen.

 

[ErnieCopp]

I finally got my onions planted a couple of days ago. Sets not as big and healthy as last year so the wet season apparently was not to their liking.
Learned some good information about one of my Tangerine trees. it is a small one, that was here when i came, so do not know the variety, but large friuit, and too sweet for my taste last year. Picked one the other day with some green skin still on it, yellow but not orange yet, and it had a lot of flavor, so have been picking them and enjoying. Other tree is Dancy, tart sweet, small, lots of flavor and always been my favorite, but will enjoy both this year,as Dancy is a month later.

Also starting to get all the small Mexican Limes i need from my tree. When i chose the tree, i could not locate a thornless variety of the Mexican Lime, so went through all they had and chose the one with the fewest thorns on it, and that has held as the tree has grown. A few on it but nothing like on a regular Lime tree.

Happy Thankgiving to Everyone,
Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Watered the garden.

Been spending as much time as I can hunting down in the woods & also working on giving the garage a through cleaning.

Mrs. Ranch started dragging Christmas stuff out yesterday... I was trying to pretend that I didn't notice... until she said something today. This is my contribution thus far...

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I only hope that she doesn't make me put up the big tree as it takes days to decorate it (& days to take it down)...

 

[w_r_ranch]

Killed the fire ant mounds in the backyard (will do the front yard tomorrow.

Put gopher bait in their tunnels as they have been busy since the recent rains.

Watered everything in the greenhouse.