Come on spring! Where are you?

Had to get the Xmas lights out of the maple in front as the arborist is coming this week. Inspired me to do a little more winter pruning myself. Dan helped give the chestnut a major cut back. It was starting to grow over the front of Virginia’s house. It’s not in a good spot, but it is a volunteer that has been here longer than I have.

Cut back the figs as well. They are a good two inch thick trunk, but with this winter, and no covering, all I hope is that the roots are still alive and it will grow back.

Pretty much still four inches of snow on the ground and a lot of ice. Just breaking one degree in the heat of the sun.

Made my usual winter pruning gamble. Pruned the grapevines nearest the house on the north and south sides of the fence. To give you an idea here are the before and after photos.

A straw bale garden that is. Here’s the plan so far.

They say, close, only counts in horse shoes and handgrenades.

I’m hoping it applies to fertilizer as well!

The closest fertilizer I could find with high nitrogen and high potassium is a Vigoro lawn product at Home Depot.

Spread a handful around each apple tree. A light spread over most of the veg garden and some along the easterly bed on the Badgerow side near, not, on the lilac. Covered about a third of the recommended coverage. I’m hoping with the upcoming melt of six inches of snow and rain forecast for the end of the week it will be well diluted but won’t run-off to far.

Even with all the horrible weather, it looks a lot like it did last year. Funny that.

Oh, and started a small tray of mesclun lettuce.

We broke zero. Two days in a row!

Transplanted the bedroom fig today. It started to break buds just before the full moon.

Lots of early signs of spring. The hazels, willows and lilac all are just beginning to swell.

Have to move boxwoods this spring.

Booked Bartlett Tree Company to remove the second leader from the Sycamore, top the cedars and remove a limb from the Norway Maple in the front yard ($500).

30 day count down to staring seeds indoors. Planning to start some salad greens in vermiculite this weekend. Still a few of those damn little black flies.

My least favourite month!

I’m Canadian so I can rant on about the weather. Freezing, solid cold. Just about unbearable. Glad I didn’t fret about wrapping the figs this year. Would have been a total waste of time. Have to admit I’ve been negligent not getting to the snow on the boxwoods. In part as they are frozen together.

Brown paper boxes arrived yesterday. Ontario Seed Company order. $60.

Perfect day (-8 and light flurries) to order strawberries and asparagus and a couple more blueberries bushes from Strawberry Thyme in Simcoe.

Not such a great day for the orange tree standard. It went outside. The little black fly infestation was continuing even after two weeks of quarantine in the middle bedroom. Could not risk them spreading especially now that it is almost seed starting time.

Speaking of which, started the Wintergreen seeds from last year. The seed pack has been in the fridge for a year or so, so they may have already lost their vitality. Anyhow giving them the damp paper towel treatment.

Not having luck with finding the high potassium fertilizer I need. But there is a high nitrogen, high potash lawn fertilizer I might go with.

After weeks of bitter cold from an Arctic vortex, complete with ice storm and major power outages, today it is 5C today. Everything is melting fast with a light rain.

A little panoramic.

The shortest day of the year and it is just above zero. The 15 or more cm of snow are melting and footprints in the snow are showing hints of the green grass below. Just ninety days until I can start seedlings under lights inside. The only thing fresh and easy to pick is the sage.

  Wow – really interesting results!  Organic matter is good, total salts are low, my phosphorus is over the top and I have to add nitrogen and potash.  pH is good at  7.3/7.2