A day off

I have the day off and actually got some sleep last night! I was scheduled to work but then they called and canceled me. So, I had some rum&cola, watched CSI online and went back to bed before MN. 

Going to get out shortly and give the well pump another try. Dropped the single pipe earlier in the week, have the well seal in place and all that. Just need to make some adjustments so the pump is sitting at the right height. Then I can give it a go. Wish me luck!

Planted some corn one morning after work. Four types, to see how each one does. Also planted some watermelon, two types but going to add a third once I dig through the seeds. Planted some giant pumpkin, hoping for a real giant this year. 

Lots of things to do today and tomorrow morning. Mostly house cleaning but also need to get out and break down more of those trees in the back. 

The new grass is coming up nicely. More and more each day. Though right now, it still looks patchy. 

Tulips are starting to bloom and several should be fully open by the time daughter gets here tomorrow afternoon. Daffodils had started off strongly, then we had frost one night and flowers were destroyed. I dead-headed them but I don't know if that works for them. I'll look it up and see.

Get moving here in a second.

No luck

No luck on the well pump so far. Got the pipe jet. It wouldn't fit. Looks like the pipes are not aligned properly and it hits a ledge which it won't sink past. Going to try straight pipe and see how it goes. If that doesn't work, I'll have to hire a professional to get it going, if that's possible. 

Got the north garden plowed yesterday. Plowed it at right angles to the south garden, so this side is facing north/south instead of east/west. Planted some strawberries, corn and pumpkin seeds in a few rows but waiting for soil to settle before planting the rest. 

A few things seem to be sprouting now. Mostly onions and broccoli. The new grass is coming up! Tulips and daffodils are blooming a little. Think I should have a few tulips in full bloom by this weekend, when daughter is here. 

The mini greenhouses don't seem to be working out too well. Weather was too cold for a while, now gets too hot. This can happen in the same 24 hour period. Can remove the covers and just use them as seed starting shelves, I guess. Glad I got them on sale.

Not a lot of time to work on things around here this week, again. My own fault. I had four days scheduled off and signed on to work two of them. That's two 60 hour weeks in a row. The money will be nice but I'm starting to feel it, especially with allergies kicking in. Not going to complain about it, just get it all done when I can.  

Oops!

Yeah, one of the reasons I want that pump going is because I tend to be forgetful. Tonight, I accidentally left the water running for some time. Not that it's likely to do much damage to the soil here but can sure get expensive. 

Still frustrated with shipping. Funny how I can order computer parts and they ship the following day, even the same day. Order a foot valve and it takes 5 days before it's boxed and sent? I've already received computer parts which I ordered on Sun or Mon. The foot valve, from date of order to delivery? Twelve days. Still no tracking number issued for the pipe jet, ordered 4-5 days ago. 

Expected delivery for most items is early next week. At that point, I'll be in the process of working five 12 hour shifts in a row. Just as well. I'll work on building a support stand for the pump. 

Still, starting to see a sprout here and there where I've been watering consistently. Lots more flowers growing up from bulbs. Daughter should be happy that her daffodils are coming up. 

Finally got some blueberry bushes today from WalMart. They're still under $5 each. Got 3 but may get more at a later date, if they're not sold out. Have to condition the soil before I plant them. 

Looks like the flowering trees should arrive in the next week or two. I still have some cutting to do on the old trees before planting the new ones.

Well pump arrived but..

The well pump arrived today. Looks like it should do the job! It's three times the size of the previous pump and over 40 lbs. 

However, I'm still waiting on a new foot valve to arrive. Old one isn't big enough. Have to get new, larger pipes and fittings. After considering it, did some financial calculations, then ordered the pipe jet today. Figure even if the pump will function without it, the jet will increase flow and pressure. 

I have to install electrical cable. Most pumps get attached to control boxes but I'm using an outdoor timer. So, I can use an outdoor extension cord, cut off one end and attach that. 

Still need to install an electrical outlet in the front of the house for the pump. Won't take long, as I have the wiring running to it in place inside. Just been putting it off until I get a pump up and working. It would somehow be depressing to see the outlet installed on the wall and no pump to plug in. 

Moved all the smaller plants/seedlings/starter seeds out into the mini greenhouses yesterday. Today, I moved the dormant tomatoes out next to them. Free up some room in the office and give the plants more sunlight. Reduce the need for hardening off later. As their transplant time grows near, I'll just leave the flaps open to let them adjust to the lower ambient humidity. 

Only a couple of the Butterfly Bush seeds are sprouting so far. That figures. Something considered invasive in some places is going to be difficult for me to grow. 

Daughter and I have been seeing bees and butterflies in the yard. Today, she saw a wasp. Got a hanger for the hummingbird feeder today. Put the feeder out tomorrow or this weekend. 

Got some more chipping done today. Harder to quantify because the downed trees at the back of the yard are lying on top of and entwined with each other. So it's more a matter of working on multiple trees at once. What I can say is that there is a visible difference.

I'm glad weather is warming up and the time has changed. Means I'll have more chance to work on things outside in the mornings, after work. 

Or inside. I hate waiting for the house to warm up before I really feel like doing much. By then, I'm tired and ready to sleep. I really need to get some insulating and solar heating projects done this summer, before cold weather returns. I want this house to be warm all next winter without breaking the bank to do it. Take some work but I can manage it.

Two trees reduced

Making this a short entry.

Got two of the downed trees reduced today. Used chain saw to cut larger pieces, loppers to trim smaller branches and then ran the smaller ones through the chipper. Cut some of the other trees into smaller pieces, so they should go a bit faster. 

It's actually rather surprising how small the wood chip pile from the two trees is. However, they are small chips. Can adjust the chipper to make larger ones but decided to keep them small for faster composting purposes. 

Larger pieces will go into a pile to cure for the time being. Once I get smaller things cleared out of the way. May just wind up giving much of it away later. Unless I get a fireplace insert or wood stove. Wait and see.

Snow

Looked out the window a short while ago and saw that it's snowing. Guess that makes it better that things haven't been sprouting yet. It shouldn't stick long once the sun comes up and the moisture should help. Least I don't have to water in the morning.

However, if not seeing some thing sprout in another week, will likely replant a few things.

Decided not to form the north garden this weekend. Do it next weekend. The plow attachment for the tiller went on sale for 50% off and I ordered one. Save my shoulders a bit of pain. 

Was looking back over some companion planting guides and seems I can reorganize a few things. Potatoes are the biggest issue at the moment and I'm not planting a lot of those. 

Think I've made a mistake in the past of planting too many high crops, maybe not enough low ones. Or at least haven't had much success with low ones. Going to work on that this year, maintain more low crops to help control soil temperature and moisture. 

Last year, my garden was a tragedy. Then again, so were most gardens and farms in this area. Hoping and trying for much better this year. I think tilling, sulfur, last year's wood chips and gypsum applications will help a lot. Combine with lower mounds and it will help maintain moisture better. Throw in the well pump soon. I'm going to let the compost sit for a while and cook. When the weather begins to heat up, then start adding that on top. Still in the process of learning in an environment which requires a steep curve. I'm sure I'm getting there but the next few weeks should tell quite a bit.

Mini greenhouses

May not help a lot of people to mention but I got a couple of mini greenhouses this past week for starting seeds and such. They were on clearance at Family Dollar. They carried them last year but apparently decided not to continue them this year, so marked them down to $9. I've seen the same things for $25 at home improvement stores. It's just a set of shelves with a clear plastic zipping cover. 

I would have built some of these if I had the time. Simple construction and would be inexpensive to make. Just too much else going on for that right now. 

Still, they will work rather well for starting warm weather seeds and such for later rotation. Can start the strawberries, tomatoes and melons in them now. The mini greenhouses are placed outside, next to the back wall of the house. That should pretty much eliminate the need for hardening off. Going to start filling them up this weekend. Then just rotate out as lettuce and spinach bolt.

Not seeing much activity in the garden as yet. I know, I'm so impatient. Only planted a week ago and weather is still cold at night. Just hoping to have some kind of cool weather crops before temps hit the 80's. Lettuce and spinach have a really narrow window to germinate here. Going to plant out the multi-colored carrots this weekend. 

Daughter and I will also form and plant the north garden this weekend. Corn, potatoes and some pumpkins, especially giants. If the pumpkins start growing, I'll have a greater chance at a real giant this year. Besides, the plants help the corn grow by acting as natural living mulch. Can plant green beans later, once the corn starts to grow. If corn doesn't grow well, I'll still have time to put up trellises. If pumpkins don't grow yet, I'll have time to replant, since normal pumpkin planting here is around June. 

Bigger pump

Finally got around to working on the well a few days ago. Added pipe which brought it to 50 ft depth. Still not deep enough. Plus, at this depth, my current pump is almost completely powerless. (For the size, I am impressed it pumps at all.) 

So, it's on to a larger, convertible pump. I ordered a Wayne CWS 100 convertible well pump. It's supposed to arrive on Monday. Least it came with free shipping from Amazon. This pump is 1 HP and can be used as shallow or deep well. For deep well, have to add a pipe jet. I'm going to give it a go without the pipe jet first, see how it does and order the pipe jet if I need it. At that depth, it's supposed to deliver somewhere around 500+ gals/hr. (Note that rating is with the jet installed.) 

The down side to all this is that this becomes much more expensive. Aside from the pump and pipe jet, I have to buy new piping of larger size. Going to have to build some kind of support structure for the pump. May go with wood but install a rubber vibration damper to reduce noise. That's okay, be a good place to mount the timer for it. 

For now, I'm driving up the water bill by having to run the sprinklers quite a bit. Happily, haven't been hit by the water police. Not the season for them yet. 

Some of the bulbs I planted in fall are already flowering and really pretty! Don't ask me to identify them, though. Other flowers are coming up but not supposed to bloom until later. 

Daughter is off school for spring break. Going to go pick her up from the ex's in a short while. Keeping her with me keeps her from having to spend so much time in daycare with children much younger. While she enjoys teaching them and is very protective of them, it's not much fun for her. Very limiting. 

Need to get the dishes done before I pick her up. Quite a stack. Haven't felt like doing them between 13 hour shifts. 

New approach

Daughter and I planted some things across the entire south garden today. Onions, 4-5 kinds of lettuce, spinach, various kinds of carrots, cucumbers, broccoli and dill. 

Used the new planter/furrower attachment for the tiller. It was a disappointment. Didn't form rows like I was expecting. More like single tiller blades instead of dual blades. Still had to use a shovel to form mounds. They will be good for cultivating between narrow rows but not so good for planting. I used them for half the south garden, then switched back to the duals for the other half. 

Along the way, decided to go with a different layout this year. Previously, I planted tall or trellised crops in groups. This year, I'm planting tall/trellised crops every other row and alternating with low crops in between. That reduces the need for wider trenches for access and allows me to fit more crops in the same space. If the taller crops grow fast enough, it should also provide some shade to the lower crops and may extend their season. As it is, I now have 21-22 mounds in the south garden, compared to 14-16 last year. 

I also made the mounds shorter in height. Taller mounds may be good for more damp environments but dry out too quickly here. Lower mounds will retain moisture at the roots zone better. Drainage isn't a problem here, when it so rarely rains. When it does rain, it can flood but ends quickly and absorbs in short order. 


Daughter also helped plant the one rose bush I got last week. It was forming leaves already. 


She also helped me run some branches through the wood chipper. Safe enough. With this chipper, you'd have to be quite determined to injure yourself to get past the guards on it. Still, I showed her how to use it safely and she has a strong sense of self-preservation. Plus I watched her closely for some time. 


Still didn't get to the pump today. Focused more on things my daughter and I could do together. Won't take long, so get back to it in the morning. If no success, hoping the used pump I saw on Amazon is still available.

Some done, some not

So, daughter and I have now planted grass and flower seed in the front and back yards. The flower beds should be quite expansive this year. Not to mention quite varied.

Haven't gotten the well going yet. Got past the obstruction to find the drilled well depth is a lot deeper than expected. Somewhere over 40 ft. Have to add another pipe and then see if this pump will handle it. If not, I'll have to order another pump for deep wells. Then go about figuring out how to set it up. At least it's not like 200 ft.

Daughter and I went swimming today, so never got around to planting vegetables or the rose bush. Get to that stuff in the morning. 

Haven't done th garden plan for the year yet. Not that my plans have worked a single time as yet. Gaining experience on that point, so shouldn't take long to do this time. Almost a bummer. Kind of enjoy the process. 

Too tired now. Get to it before planting.