2022 - APRIL - What Did You Do To Prepare This Week/Month?

Started the new thread.

We got my sister's pot garden planted. I say pot, but they're actually those big, black tubs they use for watering farm animals. She has 5 with various things in them. I think she's held off on planting some things due to frost warnings still on the horizon.

We had snow yesterday, so We're not working in the garden just yet. However, my peach tree is showing tiny nubs that will turn into flowers, so I hope it continues and I get some peaches this year. Between the raccoons and late frost, I've never harvested more than 2-3 peaches off that tree and it gets loaded with them!

We're off to grocery shop today - wonder what'll be missing off the shelves this time?

The last year has been hard with me basically being the taxi driver for health issues for everyone. This has led to a lot of sitting around in doctor's offices and hospitals, and the car. I've not only gained weight, I've lost muscle.

So, in the interest of getting back into shape, I bought a bicycle. It's a used Schwinn and I put a basket on the front and a crate on the back so when I'm riding about the neighborhood, I can haul stuff if needed.

I took my first bike ride today...dang. My leg muscles were trembling and I was all sweaty when I got back. We went about a city block (1/8 of a mile?).

Husband and I also got some freeze-dried fruit, canned ham, and a few other things for the LTS.

Been busy with the cows, had 4 new calves born in 10 days. Guess I'll have 4 of the older ones butchered this fall, already have orders for them. With the price of beef going up and up, I plan on having 6 or 8 calves next year. A lot of money there, but a lot of work to keep them too.

Only planted onions so far, will plant my potatoes this week. It's snowing out now, so the garden will wait to be fully planted after memorial day sometime. I've seen frost the 2nd week of June here.

Will start my peppers and tomatoes this week. I cut some of the grass this week,  cleaned up around the yard from winters winds, a lot of sticks and leaves that hide until it gets real windy.

Stocked up on lots of canned goods from Aldi's. The price of canned fruit has skyrocketed. They had cabbage on sale for .29/lb, so the wife and a couple of the granddaughters are making kraut over the weekend.

Wife planted 72 more varieties of tomato this morning. Hopefully all the seed will sprout..

We are going to make a lot bigger garden this year.. I am afraid food will become scarce or very expensive

We planted but kind of let the garden go the last few years. I did harvest what survived.

We plan to do a garden this year and stay on top of it. It's almost time to move the indoor winter-over plants outside.

My peach tree is in full bloom. Hope for lots of peaches.

My Dad's apple tree and cherry tree are just starting to bud.

EDIT: I bought a cheap colander and bowl it sits inside of, filled the bowl with water to the bottom of the colander, and then sowed a bunch of the corn salad seeds. It's been a week, I have a bunch of little green plants sticking up. We'll see how it goes.

At the wholesale club: bought two more 3-packs of saltines and 6 large containers of pasta sauce and topped off our chocolate supplies since it's our morale booster for stressful times.... Also got two more cases of wet food for the cats.

Bought a new fridge since the old one was having trouble maintaining temps and last thing I wanted was to have to rely on a dorm sized fridge for storing leftovers. Sure, it was pricey, but got something that was in stock and got it delivered in 5 days from purchase. And it's not likely that prices will drop anytime soon....

Husband planted potatoes, green beans, and onions in the raised beds. We are testing the haybale planting style - tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers are in the hay.

The deck garden additions are: bell peppers, jalepeno peppers, poblano peppers, banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, pink lady tomatoes, 2 cantalope plants, and 2 watermelon plants (these will be moved to the ground as soon as we prep an area).

I ordered some plants I've been wanting for quite a few years - vanilla vine, dwarf olive, elderberry, blueberry (bush), strawberry (bush), cherry (bush). They are exotics, bred to be grown in large pots. I hope I'm successful with them.

Yesterday we moved most of the tropical plants out of the cabin where they wintered over. Now the deck garden also has an avocado tree, lemon trees (2), orange tree, lime trees (2), pineapple plants (2), chocolate mint, sweet mint, sage, basil,  oregano (which may not make it), and a pot of green onions.

The larger, well maintained lilac tree died, but the little one is growing well. We planted 2 blueberry bushes on the west side of the fence, but they were pretty decrepit, so not sure if they'll make it either.  

My peach tree bloomed, and survived the frost, so there might be peaches this year. I hope I get them before the raccoons. In 4 years of bountiful peaches, I've probably only gotten 4-5...I want to build a cage over the tree to maintain my superiority over the raccoons, but we shall see. Too many other projects to get done.

The Red Delicious and the Honey Crisp apple trees are getting big - no fruit for a few years but as long as they remain strong and healthy, I'm good.

Oh man Cin, after reading everything you do, it just makes me want to lay down and take a nap