Time For Planting & Making Biochar

Hello, friends.  Last week, I planted two gingko seeds gathered last year, following these instructions.  It's a bit late to start them, but nothing ventured....  Several loads of laundry were dried on the line.  The peas are up.  Any spots that didn't come up were replanted, but it's looking quite good.  The wintersown containers are starting to germinate, including bachelor's buttons, yarrow and rudbeckia maxima.  Several new containers were planted.  I reviewed which seeds need cold stratification, brought the others in the house, and placed them on the hearth to facilitate germination.  I filled up my car before prices rose further.  J saw it .30 per gallon higher in the next day or two, and I expect it's higher now.

I read an interesting post on alternatives to using peat in gardening, which is in most potting soil mixes.  I remember stories my Irish grandmother told about gathering peat for heating, but otherwise didn't know much about it.  I helped J pull more wire for solar.  The system is working very well.  It keeps up with demand throughout the day, keeping the batteries charged at 100%.  In the morning, with what we've used since sundown, it's gotten as low as 82% charged, which isn't too shabby.   More flowers are blooming now, with forsythia, crocus and snowbells joining in.  Library books, youtube videos and a movie on Amazon were enjoyed.  I took daily walks with the pups.

  

I soaked items in a laundry stain mixture shared on The Prudent Homemaker, from The Tightwad Gazzette, which did a great job.  There's one piece I need to redo, but it took care of the rest.  J planted 325 onions and 42 potatoes, only because that's all the eyes we had cut off last year's potatoes so far.  More potatoes were eaten since, and more eyes are drying.  I got around to experimenting with reused canning lids.  All 18 jars of broth sealed, which surprised me and made me happy.  Here's hoping they remain sealed.  The first of the asparagus is up.  I weed whacked the original asparagus bed, which will be mulched when J has time to move a bale of hay with his hay spike.  Saturday was a good day to light the large brush pile we've been adding to in the pond garden.  When I caught up on chores in the house, I tended to the fire, and poured water as areas finished burning, to create biochar, which has more benefits to the soil than ashes.  Later, when J finished working in the shop, he took over.  The soil in that garden is not the best, so tilling in the biochar should be helpful.  It is long lasting, and only needs to be added to a garden once.  Biochar also sequesters greenhouse gases, an added benefit for the environment.  I hope you are able to find peace and calm this week, during these challenging times.