Our weather is nice so I went out to see if there was anything that I can do in the garden. It is still much too wet to do anything, not even move mulch.

I have tried to pull out some seed packs to figure out what I want to start for spring.

I can see where you raises bed and container gardeners have it better in early spring. My 8 tubs are the only area I could plant now, everything else is just a mud pit.

I counted 7 or 8 trellises that I could use for things like tomatoes, peppers and butternut, that should be enough. I will try to work in some okra, and maybe peas in between my wide spaced rows.

Jennifer moving sounds terrible. I am playing in the greenhouse today and really enjoying. It’s hard to believe I get paid for this. The only thing I don’t care for is the drive and I just keep telling myself it’s gonna be fine. I will move closer. Maybe next year I can do this. A lot of my seed did not come up, but I have planted and I’m really wondering if it’s because of the 10 days that nobody was in here and things either got heavily overwatered or underwater. Three trays that had about 10% germination. Some seed might actually be old look at what did and didn’t come up. I’m just over here planting seeds as fast as possible. I have a huge area outside that I’m gonna need to get in flowers and other ornamentals. Also keeping up with my plantings in the greenhouse beds and the outdoor beds. At home, I am going to plant my onions today. I know that it’s very late but it must get done. I need to refresh my GS and get it planted with herbs also

I planted some garlic before the snow, I went out and removed the hay mulch, and it looks like a fair stand. The cloves were withered, but many came up anyway. My garden is a mud pit, and may be that way for a long time. I still don't feel like spending a lot of time out there.

I'm glad your garlic is showing up, Larry.

We've been busy as normal. Tom had his surgery. We're home now and he's doing well so far.

I've had night meetings and many other extra things.

This Saturday might be my day. Starting more seed, up-potting--stuff like that. The new Greenstalks came in. More than likely they'll stay in the box for awhile. When the bases and lids go on sale, I'll order some.

My heavy lifters are all out. One is in Oregon. One is dead. And the other is out for 6 to 8 weeks. I don't mind heavy lifting, but am not good at it. Plus, I am having issues with my wrist.

I might just go get mulch, compost, and soil in Tom's truck and have someone load it for me. Then, I'll scoot it into our garden cart and pull it to where it needs to go. First up will be the raised bed where the majority of the onions will go. Then, I would like to top off the Vego beds and put in some root crops. Not a lot, just a few things. Carrots and maybe golden beets and salad turnips.

Not today, but soon a timeline needs to be made.

Jennifer in case you don’t already do this we have found it helpful to put a tarp down before you load dirt or compost or even several small items. Then you can pull the tarp closer to the tailgate as you unload. At our age it’s difficult to climb up into the bed and the tarp is helpful.

We also do this with brush we are hauling to a burn pile.

Jennifer, my heavy lifter is sitting near the handicap ramp next to my powered walker. I use the small tractor for the lifting, and the rear tine tiller for a powered walker. I can hold on to the handles on the tiller, and just use the drive wheels to pull it, the other walkers are hard to use in the soft soil. Gardening is getting much harder for me to do. I use the same method that Glenda is talking about to unload my pick up, but I use the tractor to just drag the stuff out and let it fall on the ground, then scoop it up with the tractor. It I buy supplies at the Co-op, they load it near the rear of the pickup so it is easy to drag out.

Think some of this goes back to the previous thread. Story of my life, late to the conversation lol.

Larry, I got some tubs that were bright blue (like smurf blue) back when we were in OKC. When we put the house up for sale I spray painted them so they wouldn't look so glaring. Now the paint is chipping and they look like smurfs that went through a bloody battle. They're also a lot more brittle than the others, so I don't think I'll be painting anymore.

Kim, that circle bed has all sorts of seeds planted. When I was cleaning out my seeds, I dumped all the flowers that were pre-2019 in a bowl, then just started tossing them around. Most didn't come up last year, so I think im gonna try starting them inside. We're planning to put this place back up soon, so I just want it to look like an intentional flower bed and not some overgrown weed patch.

HJ, we got this truck unloader gizmo when we first moved here. Its basically a tarp on a pole that you can roll up. Alone I can unload an entire bed of landscape rock in about 15 minutes. Back when Cliff wasn't able to help much, it was almost essential for any heavywork I had to do.

Some of my garlic popped up. I just used some store garlic and didn't get a lot planted, but at least I got some. And I just finished up a swap where one person was offering a bunch of varieties. I forget, how long do they need to chill before planting? Ill have to plant them in a tray and put it in our garage fridge to force them to bulb. Good thing Cliff doesnt go in that fridge. He fusses when I have plants on the counter because "you're putting dirt near my food!" He'd really flip if I told him I was putting dirt near his food lol.

Good ideas, Glenda and Jen.

Jen, my blue tubs are breaking down. One fell apart last year. If we have the SF at Regina's I'm going to ask if she has anymore of the pretty ones to share.

Has anyone grown stevia? If so, what is your opinion or advice.

I've become obsessed with herbal teas from my garden. Stevia could be a good addition.

In my opinion, don’t waste your money with Stevia seed. Just go by the plant and it will produce forever until you kill it or move. I had some when I lived at the Turkey house and I didn’t use it nearly as much as I should have but it was nice to pinch some off and put it in my tea. Lots of my tubs are breaking down cracking especially the gray ones. They’re terrible. As they deteriorate them, dumping them into other containers and I’ll probably only have about 20 containers left. I think I had 36 last year.

My cousin's husband brought me a load of compost a little over a week ago, and the compost was packed in small mineral tubs, looked to be about 20 gallon tubs. The tubs were cute, I have never seen any like them. I was told that the tubs were from one of his friends who raised sheep, and I was told that he could get me as many tubs as I wanted. The tubs were black, but had vertical scallops up the side sort of like a sea shell, they were cute and looked very sturdy, but I have more junk than I know what to do with......and I found another large nursery tub while looking at sll the junk that I need to get rid of.

I removed the trellis that was between these two trellises, and wanted to try to work this trash and hem bit into the soil. My soil is still too wet to work, but I tried working it anyway.

I will have to work the soil under the trellises by hand, but I have to so that every year anyway.

I plan on making another trellis about 10' to the left of the trellis on the left, which I hope to plant butter nut under.

Larry I’m jealous of the moisture, my garden is like bricks, even the raised beds. I went out and unhooked hoses that I’ve been using to water greens and lettuce planted last week. Not sure why because the wind dries it out before I drag the hose back. Several cold nights predicted - we expected they would come. Picked a bucket of weeds and henbit for the chickens.

It's chilly out there!

No plans for the day which is the first in a long time.

I'm about to tidy up the kitchen and then bring up the trays/cups that are still sitting uncleaned in the hoop house. Normally I'll clean them up in the fall and store them until the next season which is now.

After that, we'll see what I'm led to do. Maybe some up-potting and maybe some seed starting. I'll wait until next week to start pepper and tomato seed, tho.

Maybe some flowers today.

What are y'all doing today?

I got my seeds from Mary’s Heirloom yesterday but I have no seed starting soil. Or potting mix. I’ll have to wait. I need to tidy up this house and do some studying. I am going to get some soil ordered on Monday. I’ve been so busy I keep forgetting

Glenda, I ran the cultivator through the soil yesterday ( something I have to do every year ) to help dry the soil, but It rained again last night. I will try to turn the soil enough to keep it weed free, and loose till planting time. Living in this low valley makes gardening a little different. In this environment, raised beds would work much better here, but its too late in the game to try to change. My body is too shot to do the work needed to build and maintain raised beds, with the tractor and tiller I hole to get through another year or two.

Kim, I have not started any seeds either. I have thought that I should use seed starting mix, which I have never done before. I had so many problems with fungal diseases last year, and thought that cleaning the trays and using the mix may help reduce the diseases, but I don't know how to address the disease in the soil. I will have to buy a bag of starting mix when I go to town.

I haven’t had that many fungal issues, but I do like to rinse my trays off and lay them out in the sun not on a super hot day. Because that will melt and warp some trays. I got away from using a seed starting mix couple years ago And I’m wondering if that’s why I have problems getting some of my seeds up. When I went on a field trip the other day for work I picked up a bag of Espoma seed starting mix. It is significantly lighter and fluffier than regular pro mix potting soil. So I may buy a bag for home when I go by the Nursery. I have probably 1000 seeds started at the greenhouse. Most of them have already been potted up into 4 inch pots and some have been planted out in the raised beds or in the greenhouse in raised beds. It’s a lot of fun working with a greenhouse. I am enjoying myself so much. I work alone and most days. I don’t see anybody at all. I’m really looking forward to late spring early summer where I can sit outside and eat lunch. Right now the wind is a little much for me all the seeds I got are herbs that I needed and Beats and I got a free pack of extra dwarf Pak Choi. I’m anxious to see what that comes out to be in my GS.

Kim, I worked with my neighbor in his small greenhouse one summer, and enjoyed it, but it took away too much of the time that I used working on my own plants and garden.

I did go out and try to till a spot to plant my onions, but it is still too wet to work in the garden. I did till up some of the henbit that is blooming. I normally leave the henbit for the bees, but I hope to have enough around the pasture to feed the bees. I also mowed the lawn to cut down the henbit, wild onions, and Dandelions, that also chopped the leaves and blew them in to piles which made the lawn look a little better.

All the trays and pots are washed up now. I like to wash them after spring planting and then again after fall things are planted in the garden. Normally, I'll just use a mild dish soap and a tbsp of bleach.

And there's problems with my smaller light shelf. LOL! I'm out of room. Making a note to not start lettuce on February 1. Wait a couple of weeks. If we weren't getting well below freezing over the next few nights, I would just put all of the cool season things in the hoop house. Later next week, that process will start.

Then, tomatoes, peppers and more flowers can be started.

The sweet peas are growing crazily. I'm scared of them, tho. My cats like to chew on things so they're at the back of the light shelf

I opened my box from Greenstalk. They sent the wrong color. They sent Snow instead of Stunning Stone. It's not that big of a deal, but I'm wondering if I should let them know. It's pretty and neutral.

Good news from my neighbor. She said she would be happy to freeze dry herbs for me.

Tom's recovery has been a bit more uncomfortable this time. He's doing well, just more sore and tender. We're doing great with the Whole 30. About to eat and then I'll make a pot of tea and read in my office for a while.

Has anyone made turmeric tea to help with inflammation? How did that work for you, if so?

Jennifer, I missed the part where you told us what Tom had done. I hope he gets better soon. I take turmeric capsules and I have never done the tea. It works really well for me and I need to get some more cause I ran out.

He had a hernia repair, Kim.

I'm considering asking my neighbor to freeze dry turmeric for tea. I'll have to buy the turmeric, tho.

Got the hoop house beds cleaned out this afternoon. It was a short job. Potatoes will go into one of the beds pretty soon. Just two rows in an 8 ft. bed. It won't make a lot, but that's okay. I still have some canned potatoes from July 4, 2024. I'll always remember that date because it was the last time Rick and I canned together. It was so hot that day too.

Jennifer I have not tried the tumeric tea but I take the tumeric with black pepper capsules for joint pain. I’ve cut back because tumeric is high oxyalate and I’ve had kidney stones 3 times.

I transplanted periwinkles this afternoon. Supposed to be 23° here tonight. I’ve had enough winter. I’m ready for warm weather and Larry you can share some of that rain - we are dry dry dry.

I just bought a piece of turmeric and ginger and will be planting those in the greenhouse

Despite being sick with whatever random thing I picked up at work this week, I still got onions and potatoes in the ground yesterday. I remember Dawn talking about ”mudding in” onions when it was a wet spell for her, but this year its so dry it felt like I was planting them in sand. But they’re in.

I have a lot more seeds to start. I need more time though.

I’ve had to really calculate how to plant my beds when I have crops that need to go in beds that are already in use. Like, I need to put tomatoes in the same bed that potatoes go in first. Onions are also in the sweet potato beds. So I mapped out the spots where the tomato plants will go by putting the cages there, and planted around them. Theoretically I should be able to dig the potatoes out without bothering the tomatoes. Melons will go in under the tomatoes, buf I can work around the vines. Green beans will go in other areas.

I still need to get a big load of compost and soil to make the rest of the beds ready to plant, and finish cleaning up the various tomato cages and feed tubs. But the garden is starting to look alive again, which is making me feel good.

I have a few tomatoes already popping up in my jugs. It was in the 20s last night so I left my hoodie I was wearing out there over those jugs. I need to find the energy to go get it and water again.

I put some sugar snaps under a couple of the trellises too.

And the 2026 garden season begins.

Y'all make me feel bad. As always I am behind, but I already have more seeds dug out than I have room for.

Rebecca, your garden sounds so lovely.

Pretty sure I'll be in the same boat with onions. It's just so dry. My onions have shipped and are supposed to be here on Thursday, I believe. I bought 4 varieties, which is too many for me right now, but a friend and I went in together on this order. Even so, I'm going to need to get creative on where to put them all.

Jen, yay! I haven't even started tomatoes and peppers yet. This weekend hopefully!

I moved all the cool season things to the hoop house last night. It wasn't forecast to get below freezing but I put a frost cloth over them. Just because it was their first night outside. I'm about to go uncover them. Some of the lettuces are ready to put into the garden but there are not prepared spots for them. The old Greenstalk needs to be cleaned up and compost/new soil added. Normally I can do that task by myself. My issue is being short and getting that last tier up. Tom absolutely cannot help me. I found a raised bed with an enclosed bottom that will be purchased this weekend. It is going into the hoop house and will be specifically for lettuce and greens. I'm trying so hard to get everything manageable.

There's a store in Norman--Elisons. It was Rick's favorite. They usually get the Chandler strawberries that I love but having time to check with them often is an issue for me. Rick was good about that. Maybe I'll call every day or two to see if they've got them. They're getting an entire bed to themselves.

I've been thinking about how to expand for herbs. I would LOVE to have a culinary herb garden just outside my backdoor, but there is so little shade from the sun in the afternoon or evenings. I have a thought about making a type of trellis that would need to be firmly secured and then growing butterfly peas on it to provide some shade for the herbs or even passion vine. The thing with passion vine (at my house) is that the gulf fritillary caterpillars will not share. At all. The vine will continue to make new leaves all season, but they eat them before I can get flowers or fruit. Or would get shade in this situation.

It may be that the new short Greenstalks will have flowers and herbs together. They'll be on the shop porch and not by the backdoor tho.

There's just so many herbs to grow.

I'm working at my other job today and will have to slow down. I work fast and furious and it's physical labor often. My wrist needs a break. I don't need to leave for a half-hour so have time to check the plants in the hoop house and get them uncovered.

Have a good day.

What a task. I watered the entire garden with rainwater. Which when I started out it didn’t sound like it would be a big deal because you know nothing‘s growing except onions and garlic. But then there’s strawberries blueberries elderberries more strawberries, more strawberries, peach tree, and several herbs. I finish planting my onions completely finally. And then I planted some pac choy.

Onions arrived today. Hoping to get them planted this weekend. Can't believe it's already time.

It was a wonderful day here. Madge and I went to my class's monthly lunch, we had a great time, but I lost another class mate today, and another one has started chemo, another one that lived alone had a bad fall, but when she woke up she was fine but did not know what had happened, 83 seems to be a tough age. I have some chores to do around the house tomorrow, then another lunch in Ft. Smith with family Fri.

Maybe I will find a little time to work in the garden tomorrow.

Another great day at work. I planted some amaranth, cosmos, sweet peas in the outside flower bed. Then I got to go on a shopping trip. I needed a weedeater and they ordered me a giant heavy duty 35 pound weedeater. I had mentioned the word lightweight but they did not understand that. So we took back that weedeater and I got to go shopping. I bought a weedeater blower combo so I can blow all the debris out of the gravel in the greenhouse and then I got a bunch of other stuff.. I got potatoes, corn sunflowers. I will plant all that tomorrow. I know I’ve only been at this job less than two months, but I look forward to every day that I get to go to work.

Larry, glad you had a wonderful day and Kim, it gives me so much joy that you're working your dream job.

It's been a very busy week. I got home around 7 and began to work on seed starting. Tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, and butterfly peas are all started now. It's good to get that off my list. The peppers were triple seeded and the tomatoes were double seeded, so I'll probably have those to share. I'm really going to stick to my small number of tomatoes this year.

I might pick up a pack of vinca seed to start this week. The only other things that need to be started indoors are amaranth and basil.

Tomorrow, we're going to Marcums to load up on garden soil and compost. I'm spending more money than normal this garden season, but I'm trying so hard to get it so I can manage it easily. Once we get some soil and compost to top of the bed for onions, I'll get them planted.

A quick walk around the property shows that the elders are waking up. The stinging nettle too. The poppies are full but no flowers yet.

Looking forward to a day at home tomorrow to work on the garden.

I'll make a new thread.