Posted on 04/01/2024 6:23:19 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Yes it’s one those rare years when red buds and dogwoods still blooming AND all the smaller trees are leafed out and grass is green. Very pretty.
I don't know what has happened, but after watching the chickadees hard at work with the nest box, they have disappeared. I haven't seen them for the past two days.........
As a side note, I have a garden window over my kitchen sink and I have placed two vanity mirrors on either side, overlooking either nest box on each side of garden window.
For whatever reason, the chickadees have left.
I don't know if they were chased off by the cowbirds, which I have been shooting, or the constant arrival of red wing blackbirds..........
Hmmm… that’s a mystery to me. I have chickadees, but only at my feeder. They haven’t used my nest box in several years.
Just layer ripe avocado, eggs cooked your way, thin-sliced ham, your favorite greens,
some mayo. I add red pepper relish for heat. Make a triple decker if you're hungry.
Two items of note:
1. NO pecking on the house shortly after sunrise the last 2 mornings. I think I got the right bird.
2. Weed eating the huge bank & culverts in front of the new house this afternoon. First time this season so the grass is/was long - taking several passes to get it shorter & shorter until mowed grass height. A 20-something young guy stopped & offered to cut the bank for me - just happened to have his weed eater in his Jeep. He told me later he went home & got it after seeing me working & came back to help. I offered gas money, but he wouldn’t take it. He got about 3/4 (& the worst part) of the the bank done before he ran out of gas. I had run through the 3 batteries for the old weed eater soon after he started. A new weed eater is on order & I should have it May 3-6.
My Christmas cactus has been blooming every week or two since Christmas this season, like yours! It takes maybe a week or so off, and then I find little buds on it, and soon enough they’ve opened. Usually covers about a third of the plant. Like you said, it’s been unusual activity, and I just thought it was because we’ve had such a weird winter.
When I make avocado toast, I like to add cherry tomatoes cut up on top of the avocado. Mayonnaise, avocado, tomatoes, garlic powder, tiny bit of salt, pepper, and a drizzle of sriracha aioli.
One time I saw a recipe that used sun dried tomatoes in addition to the regular tomatoes, and finely chopped pistachio nuts mixed with dukkah (a Mediterranean spice). Add chopped Kalamata olives to taste. That’s a change up, but also very good.
Your avocado breakfast sammich looks amazing.
Yummy.....adding chp pistachios.
I’m starting the plant purchasing time of year. I found some nice ferns to hang on the front porch, and I love impatiens scattered around here and there. For the first time I’ve ever seen it, the garden section at Meijer had some items on clearance that looked just fine. So I bought one “instant planter” that had a fern in the center with pink begonia and pink spotted plant (can’t remember what that’s called) on the outer edges.
On a whim I bought one broccolini plant to see if I can have any success with it. Any suggestions for size of container vs in ground and how large a space. I know nothing about them except that we love to eat them. Not sure what to expect.
I’m always looking for new ways to make old favorites and the pistachios were a huge hit with my husband. He loved it that way. Used a really nice sourdough bread for the toast.
Whew. The last of the nights in the 20’s seems to be over.
Got the garden uncovered and thankfully (and hopefully) will not have to do it again.
Pistachio is one of my fave flavors.
General question about cross-pollination...
If I plant two different varieties of squash (both Cucurbita Maxima, for example) and they cross-pollinate, and I then plant the seeds of the resulting squash the next year, I’ll get something different from either of the parent plants.
But, if I considered both parent plant varieties to be “good”, shouldn’t I expect the resultant offspring to be generally “good” also, even if not identical to either parent?
In the ground on the broccoli. We grow Lieutenant and Calabrese. Ours will be caged with circular mesh cages to foil any deer. They like rich well drained soil compost a plus. After you cut the main head you should get lots on smaller side growth. Homegrown broccoli is positively sweet.
I’m presuming broccolini will be similar enough to broccoli then? When should I cut the main head?
My Cactus, ‘Miss Peach’ is nearly in FULL bloom once again. I have never seen anything like it!
It has got to be the wild swings in temperature. We’ve been going from using the heat to running the house fan, so she’s getting some temperature fluctuation.
I don’t know what else to attribute it to! I haven’t moved her - she’s in the same window, and watering schedule hasn’t changed. So lucky to have this ‘problem.’ ;)
Re: Broccoli. When I grow it in the garden beds, I give each plant a square foot. In a pot, I would imagine that would translate to a 5-gallon sized pot, but you could probably get away with a slightly smaller pot. Be sure to fertilize it often, if in a pot. A basic 10-10-10 would do the trick.
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