Technically it’s week three lol. I think Amy was trying to rush the month when she posted last week. I’m looking forward to this week. I have several days, but I will be able to work in the garden. I did a garden project for a friend today and planted two greenstalks. It was a lot of fun and was a beautiful drive.

Kim, I really am impressed with how my Greenstalk held up to that crazy wind. It is near the house, but even so.

My neighbors (the ones I was caring for their animals for a few days) have a couple of Greenstalks too. They didn't blow over either.

I do want to get two more, but probably will not this year. I would like one for June bearing strawberries, which seems like a waste of a Greenstalk, but any bed that I would use for them would be only for them, which does seem like a waste, but not when you love strawberries. Same thing with my 2 asparagus beds. I also would like to use the GS that I have now for everbearing berries....and get another one for greens, lettuces, and then bush beans and then the lettuces/greens again in the fall.

My Mom likes to give us Christmas gifts, so maybe I'll ask for one this year.

I would like for HER to have one too. I do think she would enjoy it. Maybe a shorter one for Mom's Day. Hmmm.....

I didn't realize how close a fire was to us until we drove down Air Depot yesterday. Between Indian Hills and 164, a big chuck is burned.

So, you WS people. Do you wait until a seedling has 2 sets of leaves before you plant into the garden? I pulled a few beets out, but their 2nd set of leaves is barely developing. They looked okay this morning when I checked them, but I'll wait a few more days to plant out the rest.

I also put in carrot seed yesterday afternoon. Need to do the salad turnips next.

I have a cat who is very happy that I'm staying home today. I'm sitting on my couch with the laptop on my lap....she is lying in my right arm as I'm typing. Not convenient at all.

I think that I would like to try a Greenstalk, maybe Madge would like it.

Madge is still not walking well, and is in a lot of pain. I took her in to walkin this morning, but they were too busy, and ask that we come back at 3:15. It seem as tho Madge, or I have to see the doctor every week.

I will try to up pot some peppers between now and time to take Madge back to the doctor.

Some of you were talking about the Red Buds starting to bud out. We noticed on the return trip from the doctor, that ours was starting to bud also, it does not look too well, I am not sure if that is because it is just starting to bud of if the 29 degree frost last night may have bit it a little. Please don't get on to me about my nasty lawn, I have not even started on it yet, and my lawn is like everything else I have, it stays junked up.

Some more sources of wild fires from the Natl Weather Service

I have a code for greenstalk if you buy one go through this link https://oken.do/xlic78y8
Pictures of my friend we planted on Sunday

She put the supports on them so she can put the insect netting over it. She bought the insect netting and frost cloth.

I'm 3 miles east of Will Rogers airport, and the NWS at Will Rogers is forecasting 32* Wednesday night. Mesonet near me says 35*. Nothing else close to a freeze on the 7 day forecast.

I've been setting my peppers and tomatoes outside, until this wind hit. I wish it would die down. Though local TV weather is calling for gusts up to 45 mph, I'm not recording that. My highest gust has been 32 mph.

The bradford pears are now blooming here. They're always the first to bloom because they're not native and they don't know any better.

The neighbor's redbud is starting to bloom. I miss mine. My sand cherries have small buds. As does my Korean Spice Vibernum. I like to plant annuals that bloom early in the spring. Its a sign that winter is over.

It also makes me think about those that ran the Land Run of 1889 saw in the spring of 1890. The blooming of the native redbud and dogwood had to be a great site after a hard winter. They did not have long to prepare for their first winter and did not know what to expect.

I need to be set my peppers and tomatoes out also, but it took me so long to get them potted up that they got leggy on me, and this wind would even be rough on a stocky plant. I have up potted as far as I can go for now. I am still pulling sweet potato slips, I am always afraid hat I wont get them ready on time, and it looks like I am over 1 month early.

Glenda, I think that I like my led shop light better that the grow lights that I bought, but with anything new, there is always a learning curve to deal with.

I guess my next step is getting the garden cleaned.

I'm tilling one day this week. Tilling in this wind, I might lose half my soil to the next county .

If my ground is dry, I try to wet it down with a garden hose, but my soil stays wet a lot this time of the year. The tilling I plan on doing today will be done with the tractor. My rear tine tiller wont start, and I have not had time to work on it, I am expecting bad gas.

I need to pull some "T" post first, I want to modify my sweet potato area a little. Lynn, I want to make a mound something like what you showed in your garden a week or two ago.

I wish I had some kind of furrowing device that would attach to the back of my tiller. That would make the raking job a lot easier. Raking up those rows is an upper body workout.

I've got a 48" Farm Jack ordered from Home Depot. My wooden fence posts are broken at ground level. Either they've rotted or termites have weakened them. And I'm gonna try to get the part of the post that's down in the ground, out with the Farm Jack.

IDK if it'll work or not. I see a lot of YT vids where it works great for the whole post.

Here's a hiller/furrower that attaches to a rear tyne tiller.

Hiller/furrower

Lynn, those post are hard to get out, if it has concrete around it you will most likely will have to did down and make 2 loops with a chain to hole it. If the post is just in the soil it should pull pretty easy, if you can hook on to it. I straightened out the bucket on my John Deere with a 4' farm jack. I had to do a lot of rigging, and use a cheater pipe. I was using my tractor as a bulldozer, it did not go as planned.

Anyway, be careful with that jack, if a guy tries hard enough he can really get hurt with one.

They're in concrete. I expect it to not go smooth. But I'm gonna give it a go.

Larry, you're so right. This wind is terrible on little plants. The hoop house keeps mine somewhat sheltered, but they still get some hardening off....just not as brutally. The lettuces that I put in the Greenstalk are really damaged from the wind. The Greenstalk remained standing, but the plants look sad.

Something to note: The Muir lettuce and even the Winter Density look only very slightly damaged. But, the Mesclun blend, not so much. I'm not sure exactly what varieties were used in this free pack of Mesclun. The kale looks okay too.

Last night, I got one of the asparagus beds cleaned up and was planning on doing the other tonight. But, might not...

The wind is just awful.

The outside onions look good. It's surprising they didn't blow away. The ones in the hoop house look great. Some have 5 leaves now.

Yesterday, I was able to finally get my office room cleaned up. About a year ago, we had new carpet put in. We put everything back into the room and mostly just forgot it. It was nice to get the pictures hung. And my desk usable and cleaned up. The dried herbs are now in my new cabinet/hutch in the kitchen (did that last month).

The light shelf is in that room and I really wish there was another place for it. But, I got it cleaned up too and organized. The only plants on it now are the one tray of peppers and a pot of Hillbilly tomatoes that Rick wanted me start for him on Saturday. The peppers will need to be up-potted soon. Maybe next week.

Looks like I'll need to haul in the tomato plants from the hoop house tomorrow night just in case. The other things I'll just cover with a frost cloth. Most things can handle a light frost except a few of the flowers. They'll get a frost cloth tho. Of course Thursday morning is the one day I have to be at work early. And it's a late work day for me.

So...I think my sourdough is looking good. It's bubbling and I'm pretty sure it's doubled in size. I really don't need another things to care for and feed, but here I am.

Larry, are the slips/stems of the Covington reddish?

I'm really confused. The sweet potato is orange fleshed. Covington is the only orange fleshed one I had (I think). The others I had were Red Velvet and a purple one.

By the way, we ate one of the purple ones last week in a dish. It was really good too.

Jennifer, here is a side by side picture of my mother plants. For the past few years I have only grown Covington, and purple sweet potatoes. I get purple from both plants, but much more so from the purple. The purple sweet potatoes are a deep dark purple inside and out, the Covington look pretty much like any other orange sweet potato. All my starts were given to me some years ago, so I really don't know how correct my info is.

I am getting close to my 100 count on my Covington slips, and I am sure I have past 100 count on the purple. I need to start moving some of my plants out side to make room for flowers to be potted up. I think that I up potted 175+ peppers, and 150 plus tomatoes. I tried to set my light shelves up to hole 576 plants, and I am overflowing.

My purple plant may be a little darker than yours. When Madge's grand daughter said that she would like to have some purple potatoes for this year, I had no potatoes to save, and we had already had 4 killing frost. I dug around in the garden till I found some roots that look like I might be able to save them. I have kept these plants alive all winter, and that may have made them a little darker, I have no Idea.

The soil in the purple potato tray seems to be rising, there may be some potatoes forming under the soil.

Larry, I didn't mark the varieties very well, but am assuming the orange flesh ones are Covington. They are the ones storing the best, but they're starting to make slips. And they were the most productive. Did you bring one called Red Velvet last year? Maybe my neighbor gave that one to me and I don't think I got anything from it.

A person behind me decided to burn some brush this morning. She lost her trailer house when it got out of control.

She has drug problems. I'm pretty sure she was the one that ran through one of my fences. Of course no one came forward and offered to fix it.

Jennifer, I may have brought a Red Wine Velvet, they don't keep very well for me. The Red Wine Velvet look like they have vericose veins, and now that you mention it I may have had some last year, they taste very well, but I can't get them to keep like the Covington. If you want, I can bring you some Covington, and purple slips. I gave away, or threw away everything except the Covington last year. I still have Covington under the bed in our bedroom.

I have plenty Red Pimento, may have a few Ashe County, lots of Black Cherry tomato, and Black Krim. I have a lot of peppers and tomatoes to share, if I am able to come. Madge and I both are having a hard time staying away from the doctors.

I've got so much work to get done and this crazy wind is getting in the way.

Lynn, I had a hiller like you linked to that went behind a Troybilt Horse. The Horse got too heavy for me to use, and I gave it away. My Poulan Pro is too light to pull a hiller like that. I have a middle buster that fits behind my tractor, and I have been kicking around the Idea about using it, but it is so hard for to get around well enough to change emplements on the tractor. I have laid out some treated 2x6, thinking that I might make a "V" type drag ( like some you see on youtube ) that I can drag behind my tiller on the small tractor. I think a small raised mound is much better to plant on, but if you don't have the right equipment, making the bed can be a lot of work.

Robert, I am sorry that your neighbor lost her home. The windy weather we have been having is no time to be burning anything.

Oh the wind

Channel 9 predicting freeze for OKC tonight. NWS says 34* at Will Rogers. Mesonet OKC East and Norman says 37* .

Our last freeze in OKC was Feb 23.

Hi Nancy. Painting sounds so relaxing. Is it?

I did a little artsy/crafty project this morning. I save feathers from my chickens when they die and have a metal arrow--so, attached the feathers to the arrow and it looks really cute in my office with my rocks and shells and butterfly wings and whatnot.

It is not like painting tho. I admire your talent.

Are you planning on coming to the SF this year? If so, we can set you up with veggie plants.

Your FB posts don't show on my feed. So every once in awhile, I'll go to your page and see what you're up to.

It's been a productive spring break. The office room and Ethan's room are both now organized. E's room wasn't bad, but we had dropped stuff in it when painting the main living areas of the house back in January. I'm getting so close to being very organized--a place for everything. I function better that way. Not everyone does (I would like to be this person).

It's not been productive regarding outside chores. The plan is always to clean the coop, but the past few years the plan hasn't worked out. And the wind. Wow. I can work in the wind, but not this wind. I just heard something rolling around and banging on the house, so I'm about to see what broke loose.

And feed the chickens and shop cats. And bring in the tomatoes and roselle for the evening.

I'm finishing a cup of hot tea first, tho. To warm up. Last night I was hot and used the ceiling fan and wore a short sleeved shirt during the day.

This tea tho...it's really good. It's not from my garden. It's a tea from Magic Hour. She has really tasty teas, but they're pricey. Mom got all of the girls a bag of Mercury Retro Remedy. It is minty and delish. My sister messaged me a few days ago and said that we could start drinking the tea that Mom got us for Christmas. We were sorta laughing that she chose that one for us.

Usually I'm all over the moon phases and plan for Mercury Retrograde, but this year my brain has been off.

Maybe tomorrow after work, I'll get that other asparagus bed cleaned up. It can probably happen if we eat leftovers for dinner.

Then, there's the task of feeding the sourdough starter. My SCOBY is watching me feed the starter while it's sitting completely neglected.

Anyway, I'm sitting here rambling to avoid going outside. But the tea is gone and it's time.

My last freeze was just a couple of nights ago. The temp is dropping now, and the wind feels like it is coming from the north pole. I would like to start moving plants outside, but its too cold and windy.

Nancy, its nice to see you post, I hope you and Gary are doing well.

Lynn, you must have tilled your garden, when we dropped of of Rye Hill, going into Fort Smith, I ask Madge, Is something on fire? Madge said, no, the Oklahoma dust is supposed to be here today. I thought, Oh, No, that's Lynn's garden.

Larry, LOL ! , I'm afraid that's what it would be if I broke the ground.

I think tomorrow, I till .

Not even close to a freeze here , 38* for the low. And there's nothing close to a freeze on all the 7 day forecasts.

The Weather Channel says we will have a warm April and May. This is double edged sword. Yeah, maybe my tomato plants get an early start, but I'd rather have normal temps in May and June. And it probably means a more active storm season. Storms like heat.

In 2022, we had a stretch in May that was above 90*. June was even hotter. And that was my worst tomato year ever. Tomatoes don't like temps over 90* , or night time lows above 70* .

Here's The Weather Channel long term forecast

Spring, Early Summer Outlook: West, Plains Heat Builds, But Not As Much Into Northeast

I see the web worms are already popping up in the peach trees.

Me and the wife went to ft Smith yesterday for eye exams and new glasses. Their computers went down so we didn't get our appointments. Wasted time for nothing.

I did stop by the co-op in poteau and picked up a couple bales of straw. I can only find it there but I hardly ever go to poteau. Most of the time we go to mcMcAlestermcMcAlester.

I don't have a lot of worry with web worms, mainly, because I don't have ans fruit. I am going to mix up some spray to use in the house. I think I have some ants, and I think fungus gnats in my plant trays. I need to get after them before Madge sees them, of she will kick my whole operation outside.

I go to Poteau co-op more often than I go to any other co-op, other than Greenwood, but Greenwood does not have much, but that co-op is only about 8 miles away. When I go to Ft. Smith, I like to stop at Atwoods, they have pretty good plants, at a better price.

I had just set the mother tray of my purple sweet potato plants on the cabinet, planning on how to split it up and get rid of all the purple sweet potatoes. I came in to check on garden web and rest a while. When I went back into the kitchen, there were ants going everywhere. I grabbed the tray and dumped it on the tailgate of the pickup, there must have been 1000's of ants there, running around carrying their babies. I ran back into the house and got a can of spray and sprayed the cabinet and the root ball of the sweet potatoes. I then clipped off enough slips to make 2 more pots of potatoes.

When I dug up those sweet potato roots last fall, I must have dug up a pregnant female, and she has been happily making babies all winter long on my light shelf

I am flat dab out of room, and I still have these two tray to up pot. Many of these are flowers. I have Spanish habanero peppers, Dark Opal basil, Beefsteak tomatoes, Two Taste hybrid tomato and Large Cherry tomato, Golden Jubilee tomato, and a few napa cabbage. The flowers are Giant Hollyhock, Joseph's Coat amaranth, Cracker Jack marigold, Dwarf French Double marigold, Magic Carpet portulaca, King Coral celosia, and Arctic Fire dianthus

Got ur done ........... will have trouble getting out of bed in the morning.

We didn't frost afterall. So, I hauled those trays to the house for nothing, and in the process of opening the hoop house door in the crazy wind, it nearly ripped the door off the structure. It's come apart on one hinge and maybe two. I didn't take the time to inspect it because I was worried the wind would rip the trays from my arms. I did go back out and wrap a rope around it. This morning, I went out to open it and yep, the door is barely hanging on. I was running late to work so didn't have time to deal with it. I'll probably have Tom just take it off completely tonight. It's been a real pain for the past few weeks but necessary when it frosts.

And it looks like we're clear for frost on the 9 day forecast.

Not looking forward to an overly hot spring. How about just nice days in the 60's for a month or so. Without wind, of course.

Lynn, the "not as much into northeast"--I'll just stay with my son in Oregon.

I wish I could spend the summers there. We'll be there for a week in June. The Oregon coast is really pretty. I'll get my nice sunny days in the 60's then, when I'm at the coast.

The window on the hoop house had blown open at some point during the day (yesterday). We have a fan on that window and when the wind is blowing, it doesn't need to be turned on (not that we would have a fan on it at this point. lol). The fan was going crazy from the wind and the sweet potatoes and tiny roselles were in front of the fan/window. They were limp and I thought they were goners, but they perked up. The sweet potatoes for sure. The Roselle, well, we'll see when I get home from work.

Hopefully tonight I'll be outside cleaning up some garden beds. The cabbage is nearly ready to plant, as well as the kale.

Today is really nice and I'm stuck in an office. Is everyone outside enjoying it? I hope so.

David Payne's forecast for the spring, short concise version = warmer than average, average tornado year.

He starts by talking about record number of tornadoes last year and it makes me cringe. They count tornadoes today, that 50 years ago we did not even know happened. They've got so much more radar and weather technology today. The F0 that took out my redbud tree was one of those.

And they've got an army of storm chasers out in the field that can record any little dust up and it gets counted as a tornado. None of that existed until at least the 1990's.

They've got no idea what happened 1925 or 1825. I just wish before they start using the terms " record " or " historical " that they would put it into context. But hey, that's not nearly as sensational as getting excited about " record " weather.

David Paynes 4 minutes here

More of his forecast ................

Warm Temperatures and Rainfall Outlook

Here’s what I’m seeing in terms of temperatures and rainfall:

1. Temperatures: Expect a warmer-than-average spring, especially west of I-35, extending out into western Oklahoma.
2. Rainfall:Eastern Oklahoma: Above-average rainfall.
3. Central Oklahoma: Near average rainfall.
4. Western Oklahoma and Panhandle: Below-average rainfall.

Jennifer this wind is so awful. I really need a low tunnel to raise these seedlings. Don’t laugh but they are going to take a trip with me this weekend to Lubbock. I don’t have anyone I trust to take care of them. My son will lose it when I start unloading flats of plants

Kim, your comment made me think, I have an old camper shell over at the old house, if someone has not got it. Maybe I should go over and get it, and place a stall mat, or sheet of plywood on the ground to place the trays on, and just slide the aluminum camper shell over them when the plants need protection. That would get enough of my plants out of the way for me to up pot the rest of them.

Hi! Hazel, I wish we could go to SF--but we have a grandson's wedding that day. Also, serious aging in this house--GDW's knees give him a lot of trouble, and we're moving pretty slow. Sitting or standing painting isn't much exercise, on top of that! :)

I'd not use the word "relaxing" for painting. Sort of like gardening--the vision and excitement in one's mind before one starts, the initial excitement (like watching seedlings emerge), then a bit later the "weeds" show up and it's a lot of hard work then. Sometimes a great "crop" (finished product), most of the time not as much!

That wind was so nasty! But thankfully only hit us a couple days. I'm paranoid about drought after the past couple years, so look forward to some rain this spring, as it's really dry right now, too. Maybe kale. . . . glad you mentioned it, HJ. I still think of you as HJ--isn't that funny!

Likewise, Larry, hope you and Madge are hanging in there. And glad you mentioned basil! I usually grow it for it's ornamental value as much as anything. I best get to planting and finding plants to buy!

That would definitely keep the wind off

This is June 2022 and it looks more like a typical July. My tomatoes did not set much fruit. Worst year ever.

Lynn, if we have another year like that, Maybe we should hit the ground running, and get the plants in the ground as soon as possible.. I have a few peppers trying to bud on the light shelf, they may drop those buds, but they think summer is coming.

Larry, lets hope they miss on their long range forecast. They don't always hit on the 5 day.

The farm jack to pull out the fence post stub .................. did not work. It broke the concrete from around the post about 1/2 way down and just pulled up pieces. No way I could dig down far enough to get another grip.

So I moved over a foot or so and dug another post hole. I got two posts set and now I'll add runners and new pickets .

Lynn, I am sorry you had to go through the extra work, but an extra post is probably a good idea.