I have returned all the Christmas and holiday decor to storage in the attic and have added banners to the porch as my neighborhood association has adopted the holiday season of "Carnival" or "Mardi Gras" here in my part of town as our official association holiday! So I have festooned the porch with banners in colors of green, gold, purple and red in honor of this time of year to again participate and show support of my neighborhood.
I have been the receiver of a gleaning project of some picket fence panels for the wonderful price of just going to get them from the property where they are stored, along with enough 4" x 4" post to set them with. I am implementing my revamped garden plan and instead of using some temporary fencing I re-install every year to keep "Max" from chasing his squirrels into the garden and tearing up young plants or spoiling my garden areas with his daily "yard art", I am going to make a permanent separation between the turf areas and the veggie patch. I have already asked my middle brother, who is a wonderful wood burning/carving artist, to make me a nice sign for the gate that says something about "GARDEN DADDY'S HOME" or something along those lines. I also plan to put some kind of arch or some kind of main entrance that will be eye-catching as well as usable vertical gardening space at the entrance. I am working on the rest of the plan as time and weather will allow. I know that often in February, just after Valentine's Day, we often have some very mild weather and that is less than a month away now so I hope by mid or late February I have the fence laid out and some real idea and solid plans put to test/use for the newly designed vegetable garden here in the garden home.
But with mostly rain and wet and cold here that is my thought for you today. Keep your eyes on the mail for those garden and seed catalogs and start your list now to get supplies ordered early or mid February, no later than early March. I have decided this year to NOT make any mail orders for seeds or plants but to either buy locally or at least in my own area or at least my own state of Tennessee. Also, you veggie gardeners be sure to remember that any calcium you need to add to your garden in the way of lime needs to be worked into your garden soil or at least applied to the area some 3-4 months in advance. Most lime comes in a pelleted form and it takes several months for it to break down into a usable, soluble compound that can be taken up by your future tomatoes, eggplants, etc. So really February is none too early make this application with those ideas in mind. You know that often what is known as "blossom end rot" especially on tomatoes is caused mainly from a LACK of calcium (lime). Other causes are there but this is the most prevalent.
So I leave you this day with your gardening affirmation in mind and hope you stay warm and dry and dream of your blooms and fruits in the near future: "If you want to be happy for a lifetime, plant a garden!"...Anonymous
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