Bee Report

Sam and I suited up and checked the bees yesterday. 

Hive #1 had brood in the top box and so I moved the bottom box to the top. I was able to see the queen. I added feeder.

Hive #2: Added feeder
Hive#3  I need to add another box of frames and then a feed. The 2nd box on this hive has a lot of hone in it.
Hive #4 Added feeder

I plan go through each frame of every hive in two weeks and do some "spring cleaning". I will replace boxes and frames that need to be replaced, look for queens and signs of problems. I also need to go to Weatherford and check Dad's bees.

Beets, Carrots and Potatoes

I got set back a week due to the wet ground from the snow but Saturday (Feb 19th), Lucas and I planted Two rows of beets and on row of carrots. I only planted the carrots at the request of my 4 yr old Shotgun Willie.  We usually pickle the beets and I hope to make stew with the carrots, onions and potatoes to can.
I also prepared the bed for the potatoes and we are planting those tonight for Family Night. I'll add a photo tomorrow.

Fruit Trees

A few weeks ago I pruned my fruit trees that I planted last year. I need to document what varieties I have planted. I have to replace two of them due to damage done by deer. The peaches grew the best last year.  I am going to fertilize with nitrogen fertilizer the first week of March. I have each tree irrigated now with a bubbler sprinkler. I didn't have my irrigation in last year so they had some rough dry spells.

Here is what I have from West to East

Row 1:  Molly Delicious Apple...Ranger Peach....Ranger Peach...Methley Plum
Row 2: Golden Delicious Apple...Red Globe Peach...Moonglow Pear
Row 3: AyersPear...Morris Plum...Denman Peach

Everything was planted in 2010 but the Golden Delicious Apple and Morris Plum will be replaced with the same varieties and replanted this year. 

When we planted the trees last year my garden buddy Lucas wrote down the varieties of what we planted where.  Here is a photo of the paper that makes me smile.



Planted Onions and Spinach

Saturday Jan 29th
I planted onions as scheduled. I planted a couple of bunches of 10-15 "the texas onion", one bunch of purple and several yellow granex. I planted a little over 300 total. Most of them I spaced about 5.5 inches apart to give them plenty of room to grow.  I planted a few few 2-3 inches apart and will thin those to use as green onions. I usually end up wasting a lot of onions when I plant them all close together because we don't use enough green onions. This year I made my bed a little different. I re-tilled a few rows and then racked up a bed raised about 4-6 inches and about 1.5' across. I planted three rows in that bed. I also planted in the same row aobut 2-3 feet of spinach seeds.  I would take a photograph but right now it is covered in snow.

Planted Blackberries

My earliest childhood memory that I can confirm actually did occur and when it happened is when I was 2 years old (1974).  Our family flew to Washington State and went to Vashon Island to vist my Great Grandmother "Grandma Hoel"  She was my paternal Grandmother's mother. As the story goes in our family...I was outside (not sure why I was left outside by myself... I need to ask about that) and rang her doorbell. My mouth was covered in blackberry stains and I said "IIIIII've been in the berries again".  Here is what I actually remember from the trip.  I remember Dad playing cards with some kids on the airplane.  I remember sitting at the skating rink with "Uncle Jack" while others iceskated. I remember my Dad picking some blackberries with me and then telling me "that is enough".  My Papa died a few years ago but he also told me that sometime after that trip, they were talking about driving to see Grandma Hoel. I told him that he couldn't drive to see Grandma Hoel because she lived up in the clouds.  I guess I didn't quite understand the whole airplane experience.

Last year I started a row of blackberries but didn't have my irrigation in yet and  I also let them compete heavily with the weeds. A few of them lived anyway. Every year we pick blackberries at http://www.duckcreekblackberries.com/ .   It is in Sanger, Texas and is a great place to take the kids, have fun and get a lot of blackberries. Our favorite thing to do with them is make blackberry jam.

I now have the irrigation in and planned to put in enough to have a total of 20 plants.  I bought a few too many and so did Dr. Henderson (also starting a patch) which he brought over to me.  I now have 40 blackberry plants. Charles Kesseler from Duck Creek showed Dr. Henderson and I how he grows them and I'm hoping that in a couple of years we will have a lot of blackberries. At the recommendation of Charles we purchased our plants from:

      Cox Berry Farm
      1081 Hwy 818
      Clarksville, AR 92830

I planted Ouchita (O), Nachez (N) and Apache (A). I left in five plants from last year and the varieties are unknown (U). They are 2 feet apart and will have wire running on either side of them off of t-post that are 1 foot apart. Here is the layout:

Row 1: West to East       N N N N N N U (water faucet) U N U N A A A U A U A A A A
Row 2: West to East       O O O O O O O          w          O O O O O N N N A A A N

I planted 39 and then found one N on the ground that I hadn't planted yet. Thus the N on the end of row 2 .

Here is my beautiful helper Jessie Grace getting ready to plant.

Feeding Bees

Checked feeder in hive number two. Bees aren't taking the syrup down. Too cold I guess and they probably are still using their reserves.

Grandpa's Garden

   I have some great memories of time that I've spent with my maternal grandfather, but gentle, tender, or nurturing are not words that I would use to describe him. In fact one of my favorite memories is when I would spend the night and he would ease back in his recliner with his coveralls on and his toothpick in his mouth and we would watch All in the Family until I fell asleep. I think he took lessons in "Gruff" from ole Archie Bunker himself. On the other hand, there may be a genetic component of which I am a recipient. Nothing beat a "grandpa breakfast".  I loved the dark toast, fresh eggs, cantaloupe, tomatoes and homemade jams or jellies.  What I didn't love was working in his garden. He and my Grandmother bought a few acres and moved to Weatherford when I was probably 6 or 7 years old.  They worked endlessly filling the property up with rows and rows of beautiful garden and fruit trees.  My mother felt compelled to teach us that working in the garden was a good thing and took the opportunity from time to time to enlist us as slave labor in Grandpa's garden (as if our own family garden at home wasn't enough).  Grandpa was not sympathetic to my lack of interest or cooperation. In retrospect, I imagine that the hours that we spent laboring under the sweltering sun were probably half hour stretches, and that we were as unproductive as my moaning children are when they are assigned to a row in our garden. This memory motivates me to keep my children actively participating in our efforts.  Every time I work in my garden or can something from the garden, I think about my grandparents and how grateful I am for their example and hard work.  The last 3 or 4 years, Grandpa has been the greatest source of assistance with my garden. There are days during the active growing season that I call him on the phone three or four times a day to ask questions. Some days he seems glad to hear from me and some days I think I can hear Edith in the background saying  "OOOhhhhh Arrrrchiee".