Whatcha Up To???

[ErnieCopp]

While sitting on the veranda planning what i am going to do in the garden this weekend, I saw another variety of Hummingbird. That makes four different kinds we have around here, and that is all the varieties listed for this part of the country.

More and more birds arriving every day, and i even saw some Ducks circling around on their way North.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Pulled more 'spent' plants from the garden & fed them to the cattle.

Line-trimmed the yard.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Small jobs. Changed drip tube to accomodate Ninebark tree we planted a couple of weeks ago, Planted a big bed of CA Poppies and Wildflowers, Reseeded Cauliflower, Beets and Carrots where the pelleted seed did not germinate, Applied Systemic Pesticide to Citrus trees to control Leaf miners, Cleaned the Garden shed and Pickup truck, and quit early for a second cup of coffee.

Ernie

 

[wolffman]

We have been lucky with the weather to let the grapefruits go as long as we have. I think they're almost in their prime now. Anyone need some? We have way too much!

 

[ErnieCopp]

Those are nice ones, for sure. Your tree looks healthy, too. It isa constant battle here with Citrus leaf miners. It takes a systemic poison to kill them as they are inside the leaves so the sprays will not hurt them, and i do not like to use the systiemics when there is fruit growing on them.
The leaf miners do not seem to hurt production, but sure make ugly trees.

Ernie

 

[wolffman]

Those are nice ones, for sure. Your tree looks healthy, too. It isa constant battle here with Citrus leaf miners. It takes a systemic poison to kill them as they are inside the leaves so the sprays will not hurt them, and i do not like to use the systiemics when there is fruit growing on them.
The leaf miners do not seem to hurt production, but sure make ugly trees.

Ernie

Ernie, I'm well familiar with leaf miners, but not the citrus type. Hopefully, we don't get them here in south TX, I have enough pests to deal with. I really don't do anything to the 2 grapefruit trees we have other than water them during drought and pick the fruit. Sorry to hear that you have to deal with them.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Wolff,
We had a different kind of leaf minners in some of the shade trees at the Nursery in Idaho, but killing pests with a commercial sprayer from a tractor seat going ten miles an hour is a different feeling entirely, I share my back yard with these, and and they feel like part of the family.,so i take it more personally here.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Watered the seed flats in the green house.

Then cut the grass (the clover was out of hand)... then cleaned the garden tractor.

 

[w_r_ranch]

As yesterday was our shopping day, the only thing garden related was that I applied a coat of wax to the garden tractor.

Today I unload the cattle feed, then feed them, put out 2 molasses tubs & another couple of rolls of hay.

Watered the seed flats in the greenhouse.

Put the bucket back on the loader & started gathering up fallen tree limbs.

Baked bread & grilled a big sirloin for supper.

 

[ErnieCopp]

It was Forty this Morning, And Ninety by Noon, Is this February, or is it June?

We are so far ahead of other years that everything is confused. I am going to gamble some money on some tomato plants and set them out this weekend. It will probably turn cold again, but ground is getting warm enough that they may grow.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Replanted all the Marigold, they didn't germinate worth a darn.

Picked up another load of cattle feed.

 

[ErnieCopp]

I just posted what i did over in Wolff's Garden, so will not repeat it here. Your marigolds are like my Nasturtiums. I had a big crop of seed last year so i harvested the seed, worked up the bed, and replanted, and only a few came up, But where i did not work the ground or replant, the nasturtiums are thick. I replanted with CA poppies and wildflowers this year so we will see if i can get something that comes back each year.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Today was kind of screwed up due to having to make a few trips to the vet... Jake, 'my' dog, had his operation today to remove the cyst as it was the size of a baseball. Everything went fine & he is home now, although he is hungover as all get out. Harley, his brother, started going berserk & I had to muzzle him before the vet could even sedate him to calm him down... they have never been apart since conception. He is normally a very laid back kind of dog...

While Jake was getting cut, we came home & I started spraying RoundUp around the home site to stay busy.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Similar thing happened to our dogs a couple of weeks ago. The male got very upset when the Vet started to take the female in the other room, so finally they let him in there with her. Dogs have lots of sensitive feelings.

I was drilling the holes in the treated posts for the rails today, and found something interesting. Treated lumber formerly was a vile brownish green color that just looked poisonous. A few years ago, i noticed it was changed to a dull, rather innocous red color. I assumed the chemicals had been changed, but i noticed today that the red is just a thin color coat and the shavings below the red paint are that same vile green. I also noticed that the 4X4s were much heavier than 2 2X4s would be so i assumed they were saturated with the chemicals, but no, the chemical color only penetrated a little way, and the inside were just soaked wet wood. It seemed to me to be wetter than fresh cut wood normally, so perhaps they soak the wood in water before putting in the pressure treatment tanks.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Yesterday, I just spent time with my buddy Jake... we made bread & did maintenance of all our computers. Then at 1840 hrs, we were on the back porch & I saw a bunch of hogs in the far back pasture (~ a 400 yard shot)... I got one of them & the rest took off.

Today I replaced the batteries in all the smoke detectors, filled the bird feeders, brought up a load of firewood, fed the cattle & unloaded the feed while Mrs. Ranch made another fine looking apple pie.

​

 

[Mr_Yan]

Yesterday was WAY to cold to go outside for any length of time - mostly because of the wind - so I started another batch of beer. Shooting for a hoppy mid-dark ale. -9 F really helps bring the wort temp down to pitch yeast. I have the copper to make a wort-chiller but need to find a pump. I plan on using a bucket of ice water as the cold side and recirculate the ice water through the chiller in the wort.

 

[45 ACP]

The kids and I worked the garden yesterday. Pulled weeds and then turned the beds over. Had the kids picking out any grub worms we saw. Must have ended up with approx. 35 - 45 grub worms. Went and got some bagged turkey compost and tilled it in. Then went and got some cattle panels and t-posts and built a fence around the garden to keep my dog out.

Going to plant my taters today or tomorrow (depending on rain). Then going to put down some SEVIN granules to try and get rid of the grubs.

 

[Mike]

Lots of snow today. They are projecting 7-12" of snow and right now we have probably about 6" or more of snow and still going.

 

[Mike]

Ended up getting 10.5" of snow Monday and another 2" last night. I'm ready for spring.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Mike,
Your and other posts, and reports on TV about deep snow reminds me of when i returned home to Idaho one winter after being in CA for Christmas, and found both the House and Barn roofs damaged from the snow load. We had fourteen feet total that winter, instead of the normal 3 or 4".

So winters like this were happening in different areas before the Planet Warming hysteria took over the news.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

The Red Pontiac' & 'Kennebec' potatoes have been 'chitting' for about 2 1/2 weeks & they now have nice fat buds on them so this morning I got them cut & coated in sulfur. I'll allow the a few days to scab over & get them planted this weekend (weather permitting).

I fertilized the potato area & will till it tomorrow morning. Also weeded the onion & garlic row.

Watered everything in the greenhouse with a weak fertilizer solution. Hopefully I can start pulling things out into the sunshine in about a month.

Continued spraying RoundUp around the home site.

Note: It's been pretty cold here the last couple of days & this morning there was ice on the surface of my water barrels.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Did the 1st till of the potato area.

Unload more cattle feed & then fed them before rotating to another pasture (in case I have to shot more hogs).

Spent the rest of the day smoking & baking (bread, bread pudding & sauce, dinosaur ribs).

Brought up another load of firewood (Sunday - Wednesday is suppose to be cold again) .

 

[ErnieCopp]

We froze some blackberry compote last summer to eat over icecream, but it seems like the seeds were breeding baby seeds like mad, and each time it felt like there were more of them.
So i ordered a Roma food strainer from Amazon, with the full set of strainers, and to day we ran some of the compote through the strainer.

It did take out the seeds, was easy to do, and the machine was much better built than i expected for the price. Lookking foward to some seedless icecream this evening. We will use it on tomatores this year, too, if i have any. I like tomato seeds left in my soup or sauce, but Linda does not, so i will gladly take them out for her.

Linda sas some Nectarines as the petals are falling off, so will start hoping we do not have anymore frost. I saw a lot of the CA poppy seed has sprouted, too, so looking forward to that.

Will probably plant some more tomato plants this weekend.

Ernie

 

[ErnieCopp]

The Early Bird Got Wormed.

I have been worried about the early Spring we are having, as it gets too warm for tomatoes here in early Summer, so i bought a half dozen tomato plants at Home Depot a week ago. 4" pots, 6 inch plants. healthy enough, just small. Cost $4.00 each.

This morning, I went to Green Thumb, a local Nursery chain, and bought 8 more plants, 4" pots, 12" tall, for $2 00 each.

So, twice as big for half as much. My helper had to work seven days this week, so, as I felt pretty good I managed to get them planted by myself. Old men my age are reluctant to get down on the ground, for fear they will never get up again. LoL.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Did the 2nd till of the potato area & formed the row. I'll try to plant them tomorrow, weather permitting (forecast is for a cold/wet week after tomorrow).

Fed the cattle.