I felt like I had to.

It reached 52 today. Standing outside in longsleeves, jeans, and a hat, it didn't feel like it. It's still cold to me. That didn't stop me from feeling like I just had to do something outside today.

So I moved all the big pieces of wood to the end of the driveway where they'll reside over the summer, no doubt collecting all sorts of critters and vermin. I brought the smaller pieces inside and split some as well. The next few weeks, I'll use it up overnight hopefully ending up with none by the time the weather finally warms.



All of my unsprouted 2-liters went into the garden bed that's not currently being used. They'll get more sunlight here, especially in the morning. I hope to see some activity in these soon.



The camellia that just won't quit. On the sunny side, all the blooms are brown and mushy. In the shade, they're huge. This one is nearly 4" across.



More color. Finally.



It wasn't much, but it did feel like I accomplished something. And I have my driveway back. One day next week, I plan to start a new bed. I'm going to need the planting space.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled weather.

One month til Spring, 31 days. I just can't get excited yet, but I do have hope. It can all change in the blink of an eye. Just four days ago, there was snow in this forecast.



Today, I've got plans to split the firewood my parents brought up last weekend. They're coming up with another small load taken from their own property on Monday. Something about the end of a row, the tractor's muffler, and a low hanging branch prompted my dad to remove a couple trees. It shouldn't take more than a couple hours.

After noon, I hope to finally get my peas, cabbage, and carrots in the ground. They've been holding their own in the hoophouse in a flat that's way too small for them. I checked last week and gave everything a fine spray of water from the garden hose. Lots of wintersown seeds have germinated, dianthus, rudbeckia, and others.

I'm itching to sow more seeds. I have lots of agastache and salvias I want to get out soon. Farmers Almanac says no. I'll be sowing these seeds in another week when conditions are more favorable.

At the end of the driveway, there are so many sprouts. I'll be sorting the containers today. I'm curious just how many have survived the near-arctic temperatures of the past two weeks. I know I've lost some hardy hibiscus seedlings. I just hope there are ungerminated seeds that knew better.

It's 28 degrees this morning. The sky is clear, the sun is shining. I'm on my second cup of coffee, waiting for the mercury to rise above freezing.

Culling

The indoor plant rack is still suffering from the attack of the spider mites. There are tiny webs on nearly everything including the lantana, pineapple sage, and especially the brugs. One day this coming week, I need to take everything to the shower and give them a good bath. A jet of water should remove most of the mites and their webs. Spring can't get here soon enough for my Honeycomb cuttings. Only two have survived the winter, slowly turning yellow and dying under lights. I took cuttings from the largest to see if they can root in the cloner. Stressed plants don't usually fare too well.

I culled a bunch of things this morning including my 5 largest pineapple sage plants. I had stuck them last fall in terrible soil. I'm surprised they made it this far. I used the tops to stick more cuttings in the cloner. I've got another 12 and plenty of seeds. I'm not worried. It had to be done to make room for the plants that have rooted and need to be potted soon.

Valuable real estate has been gained on two shelves.



The cloner is getting used again.



Last night, I arrived home from work to find that my parents had made an unscheduled visit. They were supposed to bring this up on Thursday. It burns better than my wood. I'll move some inside today and maybe split some of the larger pieces if I have time.



On the agenda today: Move the compost bin to a less visible area behind the dead oak tree. Rake and shred all the leaves in the meadow. I'll scatter the finely chopped pieces back over the area. The large leaves are making it difficult for the warm sun to reach the soil. It should warm up quickly beginning next week. I'd like to see it dry out a bit as well. The perennial bed needs the same treatment, but there is still snow on those leaves this morning, although less than yesterday.

I'm only on my third cup of coffee. It's 28 degrees and sunny. The overnight low was 25. By Friday, we should be back to more normal February temperatures. I hope.

10:37am - The compost bin has been moved to behind the tree trunk.



The pitchfork didn't survive the move.



The hoophouse has lots of moisture on the plastic. That's a good sign that things inside are warming up again.



On the North side of the house, there's still plenty of snow.



The ground here is frozen solid. It's been a hard winter with no sunshine on this soil. It will be June before the soil is really warm again.



It's 36 degrees. Still sunny. Heading outside to rake some leaves if the ground isn't too wet from thawing.

12:53pm - It feels good to be working outside again. It's only 41 degrees, a heatwave!

A better shot of the compost bin's new location.



I dig a lot of digging this morning for enough rocks to finish the shrub island's edging. Everywhere I put my mattock, there was another pile of stone. The Farmers Almanac suggested today would be a good day to dig.



Two large stones in the gully need to find their way into the yard. If only I could levitate them. I'm going to wait for help on these.



I finished the edging on the shrub border. It took 6 wheelbarrow loads of stone.



And I raked the leaves off the meadow. I might wait a few days before putting them back. The ground is soaked.



Lunch - Leftover ziti that Carla made and a store bought pizza.

Rooting Figs - Step Two.

The first step in my latest effort to root figs was completed on January 22 and February 2. I had cleaned, wrapped and stored 7 fig cuttings between those two days. The process is simple. Wash the cuttings with antibacterial dish soap, dip in a 10% bleach solution, allow the cuttings to air dry, then wrap with damp newspaper and store in a zip lock bag at room temperature. I kept mine in the basement where it's warmer and the temperature more consistent.

Four Marseilles VS cuttings were done on February 2 with the Black Missions receiving the same treatment on January 22. The Black Mission cuttings have suffered a bit over that time. Roots began to grow, and I'd do something stupid and break them off. I figured it was better to get to the next step before I sap their energy reserves completely.



First, I needed my supplies. The basic premise to rooting figs is simple. Maintain temperature and humidity, provide plenty of moisture and air to the root zone, and wait. I have a storage container, a wire rack built from hardware cloth, clear plastic cups with holes poked for drainage, and the rooting medium. I'm using an orchid mix. It's not what is suggested, but it meets the basic requirements. It holds moisture and allows plenty of air to circulate through the cups. It will also be easy to remove when I'm ready to transplant to a potting mix composed of 60% perlite and 40% peat.



The Black Mission cuttings have plenty of initials.



The Marseilles VS cuttings have a few as well. These are the white bumps on the ends of the cuttings.



This is what a preferred cutting looks like, plenty of nodes and a good 8-10" length.



The Marseilles are a bit shorter and have only two nodes each, but it's what I was given, so I will not complain. It just makes it a bit more challenging to root.



Each cutting is inserted into a plastic cup with the orchid mix. The cups are placed on a wire rack. The purpose of the rack is to keep the cuttings from contacting a cold surface such as a table top. This should help regulate temperature swings in the basement and reduce the chances of condensation which increases mold growth.



When it's finished, I used a white garbage bag to cover the top and placed the lid back on. This is a recycled container that was previously used to build my very first cloner which I haven't shown on the blog before. It worked, so I moved on to the current iteration.



Now, all I have to do is wait. It should take 4-6 weeks for enough roots to form to pot them up in the next step. I'll need to remove the lid once a day while doing my best not to disturb the roots. The cuttings still need air to survive. Once leaves are visible, they'll need light as well. I can handle that with a CFL spot light above this container. I don't have room on the plant rack for these. By the time they've rooted, the cotoneaster and other hardier cuttings will be in the hoophouse, I hope.

Speaking of the plant rack, I've got a bad case of spider mites and aphids. I trimmed the foliage from all the brug cuttings yesterday. It was destroyed in the wood stove. I treated everything with a spray made for spider mites from Spectracide. I'm hoping one more treatment will get rid of them for good.



It's 28 degrees outside, up from 23 overnight. We should reach the upper 40s today. Snow is in the forecast for Saturday morning and possibly Monday. Really. Haven't we had enough rain/sleet/snow this year? Come on!

11:42am - Third cup of coffee. All the usable firewood from the dead oak tree out back is now stacked in the basement. The last load was a good feeling.



Depending on the weather, this will probably last a week, maybe 10 days. At least it will be drier than if I left it in the gully where the water still flows freely through the stream.



It's an absolutely stunning day, if it weren't so cold.



It's 39 degrees.

Dust

It's 30 degrees and sunny. It's going to be a beautiful day. There was a light frost.

I woke up this morning with an urge to clean the rest of the house. The kitchen, as far as it can be done, is spotless. I've spent the morning dusting, mopping, sweeping, and am about to start laundry. There's a lot of dust.



This afternoon, once the neighbors have risen, I'll be back outside splitting the last of the usable wood from the oak tree. My dad is coming to get his chainsaw. There are three trees he knows of back home that need to come down. He's going to have help doing it Friday. On Saturday, they plan to bring the wood to me. I guess I'll have a nice stack somewhere all summer long. I wonder where I can hide it.

I've got plans to head down to the basement in the meantime. I still need to take cuttings from my overwintering pineapple sage and stick them in the cloner. I've got to do something about all the dirt in the basement. Half of it is on the floor, the other half is still sitting in penny pansy containers. Some of them will be tossed into the two lower veggie beds and tilled in, whenever the soil dries out a bit.

Somewhat related to the video, I'm back down to 215lbs as of yesterday morning. By the end of summer, I'd like to be back to a 34" waist hovering somewhere around 200lbs. Time to shed my winter fat.

12:34pm - Lunch, tuna on toast.

I've done very little of what I set out to do this morning. Pineapple sage has not been stuck. The pansies are almost gone. Last night I started with the very dry 6" containers. I used 1/2" screens to remove the root clumps and any remaining top growth. I'll use this soil to fill the wintersowing containers my mom is bringing this afternoon.



The 6-packs and some of the moldy 6" containers were run through the leaf shredder. I used that soil to fill the two lower garden beds.



I turned in all the leaves that have been out there since the fall, tossed out some 10-10-10 to speed decomposition, and layered the shredded pansies and soil on top. I used the pitchfork to aerate the soil as I watered. It seemed very odd to be watering after 3" of rain fell just a day ago.



I'm thinking of using this space as a place to grow herbs in the summer. Basil, dill, and cilantro are my favorites. It depends on where I plant my tomatoes.



Behind those beds, there's new growth on the 15cent asters. I got 10 of them this past fall. There were supposed to be 15 10cent asters, but someone swiped a few after I had paid for them. It's a buck fifty, I won't complain.



On the front slope, I counted about a dozen daffs pushing through the soil. 188 more to come.



Unfortunately, inconsiderate neighbors made me do it. I like dogs. I just don't like some dog owners. I've got enough trouble with the feral cats that live around here. Walk your dog somewhere else.



It's 41 degrees. Heading back outside in a bit to split the firewood.

What a day.

I spent an hour this morning laying down more paint in the kitchen. I still have to do the wall behind the fridge. I guess I can mark my calender on Saturday for that. It's supposed to be nasty with freezing rain, again.

Once the mail came, I had the new piece I needed for my dad's chainsaw. This thing is a monster. It cuts through 12" diameter logs like butter. Twigs just get in the way. I got a lot done. I even split enough to last through the weekend if I need it, but I'll probably do more tomorrow. It's supposed to be a little cooler and maybe cloudy. The tree is slowly disappearing.



During one of my several breaks, I planted the Giant Green Arborvitae. It's placed strategically to block several houses from my bedroom window view. It's slated to reach 70' tall and 20' wide. It's got lots of room.



A rotting log across the stream out back provides a larger puddle of clean water for the birds. Whenever I walk away, they swarm. I want to line the bank of this area with pussywillow and swamp mallow.



My weeping willow is rooting well.



There's still a little snow on the ground from this weekend.



But the sky turned out to be that famous Carolina Blue.



In the shrub island, I found one of the 100 daffodils I planted here. The robins uncovered it yesterday. They've stripped the neighbor's holly tree and have moved on to more fertile feeding grounds.



Peonies are coming up too. These came from Trevor's house in Virginia last March. I know it can take years to reestablish a clump after moving or dividing. I'm hoping for 4 blooms this year instead of two.



The camellia next to the perennial bed looks great. When I moved in, it was several large trunks with leaves at the very top. I hacked it to the ground. I'd say it's forgiven me.



With a couple day's wood in the basement, I sat for a spell. Terrible picture, yes. So much for a swing built for two.



It's 50 degrees and sunny.

Hunkering Down

Today, 62 and sunny. Tomorrow, ice and snow. Welcome to North Carolina. The weathermen are predicting all sorts of nasty stuff for Friday and Saturday. It should start about 3pm tomorrow afternoon and continue through the night and into Saturday evening. My parents will not be coming up to bring me the 2-liter containers they've collected. Maybe they can make it the next weekend. I need more soil anyway.

Carla came by this morning to drop off two pots of brugmansias from her yard. She had rooted them in water, but had some problems once they were moved to soil. I'm going to babysit them for a couple months until they can be moved outside. Hers are pink. Once they settle in, I might have to "prune" them a bit and stick the cuttings in the cloner to make more. She also helped split a week's worth of firewood. It only took us just over an hour. I'll spend some time today moving it into the basement.



The compost is coming along nicely. A few weeks ago I took Janie's advice and tossed a half bag of 34-0-0 fertilizer into the bin. It seems that jumpstarted the decomposition process. I need to stir it. I want to move it. When I placed the bin here, you couldn't see it from the house. Now it's in plain view thanks to a crape myrtle that's gone dormant for the winter. I should know these simple things. Funny how I forget about deciduous trees and shrubs when placing things in the yard in summer.



Down the street, a cherry tree in front of the old stone church is in full bloom. My peach tree is threatening to start soon. Hopefully I won't lose these buds with the low teen temperatures in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday nights.



The rest of the day is mine. No real plans aside from a trip to the grocery store and another errand or three. I do intend to spend most of the day outside. It's 46 degrees and sunny. It's going to be strange waking up to cold and miserable conditions tomorrow.

1:36pm - Back from my errands. On the way home, I saw a landscape company committing crape murder on a beautiful dark red specimen that blooms fantastically all summer. I had to stop. I brought back a few limbs. Some have seed in the seed pods still.

I moved 4 barrows of wood inside. I'll do 4 more before dark. I'm heading outside now to play with my crape myrtles. I believe they're Dynamite.

2:00pm - Before and after.





I love my truck.

Simmering on the stove is a pot of black bean chili. I take 1lb of ground beef, browned and drained. I sautee half an onion, finely chopped. Drop the beef, two cans of black beans, and a large can of whole tomatoes that have been chopped and squished into a pot and let simmer for at least an hour, probably two. Salt and pepper to taste. Chili powder for flavor. Red pepper flakes for heat. Quick and dirty.



I'm going to relax a bit.

4:33pm - Done relaxing, I hauled another load of wood into the basement. I'd like to have enough to last through Sunday. I'll probably do another two in the morning.

It's 63 degrees with a touch of chill in the air.