Where is Spring???????

The calendar says it is spring, but the weather doesn't. Snowflakes today....and COLD! I have all these seeds here staring me in the face, with more on the way, and it is just too cold to even put some of the cold tolerant seeds in yet. (I have some beans and peas just waiting.......) I will start some seeds in the kitchen and hope one of the cats don't dump the seedlings over like last year. But I have to make do for now.

A friend and I went to a honey bee program at a nearby nursery Saturday. The basics only, but enough info to get started, where to get further info and what all we need to start. I'm hoping that either this year or next I can have the bees that are in the wall of the house removed and hived. (I want to keep them...just not in the house.) So I'm taking this time to learn what I can and save for the equipment.

As New Century Homesteader and Spirit Seed and Garden Program will both be consisting of experimental and trial gardens (as well as some small stock like chickens, goats and maybe a few bees), I'm plowing through books and papers to decide how and where I'll start this year with the gardens.

Now, the weather needs to cooperate.........

Experiment for Spirit Seed and Garden

Trying some planting in a bag. Instead if taking the soil out of the bag, just made some holes and planted, then put bag outside. It is still cold out, but I want to see if the seeds will even grow in the bag and if the bag will act anything like a greenhouse, keeping the soil warm.

Spirit Seed and Garden Program

The Spirit Seed and Garden Program is an experimental program I have started to work on ways bring emergency gardens to those in disaster areas, areas where the soil might not be suitable (or so it seems) for growing or space is an issue.


There is lots of experimentation going on for alternative ways to garden for large production, but nothing that, for the most part, the average person can use. And while there have been ways, which I have seen myself, that could eventually be utilized in a realistic situation, the work is not being carried out in that direction, instead being done in highly controlled circumstances the likes of which is not possible for most people to replicate.

I will be working to find the right plants that could grow quickly in emergency circumstances, working as much as I can with heirlooms. I will also start working with selected hybrids in an effort to breed back to true breeds that might still hold some of the favourable characteristics the parent hybrid may have, (like fast growing, disease resistance) while bringing them back to a true plant where the seed can be saved to reproduce.

Within a few years (or less) I hope to be having workshops, publications, etc. with results that will be able to be put into real use.

At this point I am working to obtain major corporate sponsorships to begin full time operations and (hopefully) relocate the program to be year round, instead of seasonal. If your company is interested, please feel free to contact me.

As Spirit Seed and Garden is tied to NCH, and those who follow this blog will most likely find the experiments of use, SSG will be part of  and found on the NCH blog.

Weather Starting to Improve..?

It is finally warming up some, but still uncomfortably cold and damp in the AM. This is has gotten a bit old. The nice spring temps can come at any time now, but I won't place any bets on when. Seems like upstate/western New York has 3 seasons...winter, fall and winter. None of which are enjoyable when you're a summer person!

I have to admit, however, this has been a pretty good time to cut out all the non producing and/or unwanted berry canes. I haven't actually trimmed the good ones yet as it is still a bit early for that, but that IS one job completed.

Started doing a little weeding out of the flower and herb gardens, but not much done there yet. The barn cats have discovered the catnip coming up and have already been enjoying.

I now need to look at all my seeds and decide what I'm planting and where. I have a slew of seeds coming in the mail as well, including ghost chilies, said to be the hottest peppers on the planet. Who knows exactly what I will do with them once they grow (I like spicy but not suicidal spicy), but I've been wanting to grow them for a long time, and this year is it.

I wanted to start my garden experimentations this year, but the weather may not cooperate. Can't wait to actually be able to get out of NY for warmer weather and better/longer growing seasons.

Could It Be..?

Could spring really be on its' way? Maybe, but it is still cold. But I was out cleaning out the flower and herb garden a bit. The ground is still frozen, so I couldn't pull much. I have noticed spring flowers starting to pop up. Still low, but they are on their way. When it warms up a bit more, I'll uncover the vegetable garden. I throw old tarps over it. Helps keep the weeds down and the ground clear over the winter.

I will need to be cutting back the raspberries soon, and pull the straw out from around the strawberries. I'm also going to have to harvest horseradish this year too.

I pulled down some old bees nests and hammered in some nails that started working their way out of the siding of the house. (Slab wood siding. Love the look, but nails sure do like to pop.)

Walked back to the pond yesterday. That is still ice covered as well. Also have lots of fallen wood to pull out of the woods somewhere along the way. I need to turn the compost again too.

Ordered more seeds, including Ghost Chilies. With their heat indext, I'm not really sure what I'll do with them, but I'll think of something. Probably dry some and make some sauce to use sparingly.

One of the "best" jobs (not) to do when the snow melts is picking up doggy landmines. Did part today and will finish tomorrow, when the rest thaws. Best job of the spring.........right.........

More Seeds & Spring Stuff

I recently saw a picture of Watermelon Radishes in a magazine. I thought they looked quite interesting. Well, when I wasn't even looking for them, I found a packet of Watermelon Radish seeds today. I'm looking forward to trying them and see what they are like. They're quite nice looking when cut open, actually looking like tiny seedless watermelons.

We had almost 6" of snow yesterday. Just awful! I need solid proof that spring is here, and I'm not getting it. I'm quite afraid that real spring temps will be late this year, making it a mad rush to put the gardens in which, I have to admit takes alot of the enjoyment out of the work. I'm going to start some seeds indoors, but my kitten "Jack" has grown up quite a bit, and I have a sneaking suspicion he will eat seedlings. He's a cutie but a holy terror too.

Now, I have to decide what I will start indoors and what I will (hopefully) be able to start directly in the garden. I don't have a lot of room to have many seedlings indoors, so I hope I'm wrong about the very late spring.

I missed tapping my maples this year, as I was away during that time. Looking at the raspberries, they will need a good trimming soon and I'm going to have to, this season, start harvesting horseradish. Hopefully the strawberries will come in heavier, as this is the second year for the plants here since transplanting. What I got last year was very good.

This year will also be the first for the blueberries. I bought one bush last fall. I don't know if it will produce this year yet, however. It is a self polinating, so there is only one plant. I'd actually like to plant a variety of fruit trees in the side lawn, as I really don't use it.

So, I guess it is back to work for now. At least the sun is shining.

Back Again

Gee....guess I was gone for a while. I had to take a trip down to Florida, and ended up having to extend my stay due to getting hit hard with some allergies. I don't know what it was, as I'm not allergic to any pollens or dust or anything like that, so it remains a mystery.

While I was away, I went to the International Flower and Garden Show at Disney EPCOT. Topiaries were great and it was so nice to see plants and colour. In SW Florida, I did some weeding in my parent's vegetable garden. Their flowers were so colourful too. Key West was a blast, as always, and I would look around thinking to myself that a container garden could work great here and here and here........

Then it was back to the gloom and colourless landscape of New York in the winter. Now it is snowing. My guess it will be a late spring which doesn't make me happy one bit. Time to move, I think.

I had babysitters for my lemon tree and rosemary topiary, and they are both doing great. I may start some seeds in a few weeks and hope that I'm wrong about a late spring.  I saw some really nice container vegetable gardens at EPCOT. Some combinations that I would not have thought of, like a small banana tree with spinach and a few other veggies planted around it in a container, but it worked well. Looked nice too. I got a number of ideas. I was hoping that someone would be selling some seeds, but unless I missed something, no luck.

Well, I'll be back on regular once again. Enjoy!