Happy Beltane

Happy Beltane to one and all. Happy May Day to you as well. It is time to turn the cows out of the barns to search for green pasture and have the children gather wildflowers. The 'official' beginning of spring in much of Europe but not so much here in the U.S.

We really dodged the bullet here in Atlanta with respect to the recent horrific weather. I actually only measured .4 inches of rain here at the farm. Coupled with the rain from a few days ago it is plenty wet in the garden so there is not much I can do except pick a few weeds. I will haul a few more loads of wood chips to fill the aisles but that is about it.

I did re-purpose some 6x6 timbers a friend gave me. They had a porch redone and enclosed and had these 6 big posts left over. They are now a 9 foot by 4 foot asparagus bed (or will be as soon as the asparagus crowns arrive). The old asparagus bed was way too small and in a very poor location. I'll try and rescue the crowns from there in the fall but for now we are going with all new. That, of course, means a 3 year wait for asparagus. Oh well.

Everyone enjoy the first of May.

Testing Me

The weather forecast is not too good. Anywhere from 3 - 5 inches of rain over the next two days and other severe weather stuff. Going to test all of the work in the garden over the last few months. The raised beds will definitely help but it will interesting to see what happens between them where I have so carefully piled wood chips. I'll spend some time this morning trying to beef up the defenses. Just going to wait and see. I did notice this morning that the rain we had last night overwhelmed my effort to control the runoff from the driveway. All the pine bark mulch on one side of the blueberry bed is up against the fence. I put in a drain and a large flexible pipe to try and move the water around but it is evidently not up to the task. Looks like a re-engineering job for that as well. So we are off to the garden to see if everything survived and do what we can to prevent heavy storm damage. If you are in the path of this big weather system headed this way...be careful and make sure you are ready. Flashlights, extra batteries and all that stuff.

It's Cold and Getting Colder

24F right now in Atlanta and it's going to get a lot colder. The forecast low for Tuesday is 9F with a possibility of snow for Sunday night and Monday morning. I've still got broccoli, cabbage, kale and Arugula in the garden and I guess I am going to have to harvest the broccoli today and blanch and freeze it as it won't survive those temperatures. I will probably lose the cabbage. I'll pick some kale and roquette that will last for a few days in the fridge. This is supposed to be the coldest we have seen here in decades so I can't kick myself too hard. That's the deal with gardening, just like the too much rain earlier last year.
I will take the tender stuff out of the greenhouse this afternoon...citrus and peppers mostly as my little heater can't maintain above freezing if it gets that cold. About the best I can maintain is about 10 degrees above outside temperature so some of the stuff will have to spend a few days in the basement under lights.
Going to make a quick run to the store later just to get a couple of things but we've got plenty of milk, flour and beans if things get rough. I've also got charcoal if I have to get primitive.
If you are in the Midwest or Northeast bundle up and stay indoors. The forecast lows in those areas can cause frostbite after just a few minutes of exposure and for Goddess' sake make sure your pets are indoors and safe. Even if they have to poop and pee indoors just deal with it as those temperatures are just as dangerous for them.
Off to get a batch of sourdough started so I will have extra bread baked and maybe even some Scottish oatcakes for emergency rations. It is not silly to be prepared. It is only silly to panic or not be prepared.
So curl up with your seed catalogs, if you have them, and dream about spring and warmer weather. It might also be a good time to get a pot of beans simmering on the stove. I've got a ham bone and trimmings left over from Christmas that is just calling me.

Close But OK

We dodged the worst of the weather last night here in Northern Metro Atlanta. We got a good bit of rain and a little wind but nothing like what other parts of Georgia experienced and certainly not what tore through Alabama. The pictures this morning from Tuscaloosa are pretty shocking. I wouldn't be surprised if the death toll hits 200 when all is said and done. The convergence of several different weather patterns really heterodyned into some wild and dangerous weather. Let's hope we've seen the last of that kind of stuff for a while.