Plants in the Ground!

Yesterday mom and dad braved the heat to plant lettuce and cabbage.  The white plastic is to reflect summer heat for these cool-loving crops.  Dad was able to adjust the tractor speed so slowly that mom could plant both sides at once without stopping or getting off and going back to redo them!

This morning I was off work and helped to plant the "vine crops" : zucchini, cucumbers, melons.  We also added a few (about 30 plants--that's a few) acorn squash and small butternut squash at the end. They will come in earlier than the rest of the winter squash, which is still in the greenhouse.

Things are being planted in the Flat Field.  You know it's western PA when we can specify which field it is by calling it the flat one.  It's a ways from the house, so for irrigation water dad has the plastic hose running from the house.  It snakes down the hill and around to the fields he will be planting this year.  In this picture, trees obscure it, but the farmhouse would be at the extreme right side, up the hill.

Speaking of snakes, do you see what I saw in the lane on the way back from taking these pictures?

There he is!

Getting into the swing of spring

The peppers, eggplant, cabbage, and early tomatoes have been transplanted.

The next set of tomatoes will soon be ready to go.

Dad has been getting his tractors and equipment ready, and ordering supplies.  He has already plowed a field for the first planting of corn.

Growing in the greenhouse

The first set of peppers have sprouted and are beginning to grow their true leaves.  Four flats of onions are standing like blades of grass, 244  per flat (less a few misses).  In the germination chamber, the rest of the peppers are sprouting, plus early tomatoes and some cole crops.  A flat of lettuce and one row of basil are growing also.

GREEN in the woods

Walking up an old logging trail in the spice woods 

Evergreen Hemlocks

Ferns stayed green all winter

Shelf fungus highlighted by green algae

Green grass in a wet valley

Large cushion of haircap moss

Lycopodium or ground pine has spread throughout our woods

Lichens beneath woodpecker hole

Lichens growing on downed tree

New holes by woodpeckers

Well the old man can embed a video too!

This one is  better quality than the other and made about 2 weeks later.  I'm learning all this high tech stuff slowly (not so sure about surely).
We had some rain last night, finally enough to wet the ground!

Just about 2 inches!  I've been waiting for the ground to pick up some moisture before laying plastic mulch so this should help a lot.  Have to get to work now.

Phil

Greenhouse video

Dad is getting high-tech.

Dry spring

Mid April and still very little rain this spring. It has made it nice to get field work done but is starting to get a little scary. We are forecast to get some rain today and the next few days also. Hope we do,the ground is pretty dry. Also with this 'good' weather I don't have any excuse for being behind.

In the greenhouse the peppers are all transplanted and growing. The tomatoes are all seeded and in the germination chamber. If you go to the garden centers you can see plants big enough to set out but I prefer to "plant after my neighbors rather than replant with them". That being said this mild spring it would have been nice to have a high tunnel. I know the greenhouse heat bill will be less than usual.

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