It Is Spring Again:)

Yes here we are coming into the 2011 planting season and I am already woefully far behind. To be honest I just do not have the ability anymore to keep up with everything. Last year was irritating enough as far as the vegetable garden aspect. I just could not keep up:( Poor Kevin between all the hours he works, and keeping up with routine maintenance that comes with a small farm just doesn't have the time to help as much as I need help.

 This year aside from a very small plot of personal vegetables, I think I am going to stick more with my herbs and the persimmon trees, because these are very hardy and almost self  sufficient.

Speaking of the vegetable garden, I have not even prepared that area yet, sigh.  I am hoping my son will come over and help this weekend:)

 So for spring 2011 what's up? The Honeysuckles are blooming:)

With all the uncertainty about radiation from the Japan Nuclear Crisis I am planning to get in as early harvest as I can of things like mint, lemon balm, st. Johns, and stevia etc.... Thank Goodness the honeysuckles bloom so early. Wasn't that something too, I posted about it last year sometime, they had an odd like November or December bloom time. I remember thinking oh that's cool, natures bounty, as I gathered them.

There is NOTHING as sweet as the nectar of honeysuckle blooms, and the aroma that fills the room as they dry is absolutely heavenly:)

Well, there is another storm coming through soon, and I am off to pluck the tender blossoms before it strikes:)

Late Sunday Night Update

So it was a pretty good weekend, the really high temps that have been so bad have really eased off a lot, making it much more pleasurable to be outside now.
Speaking of outside I have been bringing in a very nice season of Stevia. Many of the plants are just now beginning to open thier delicate little white blooms. I am going to let a large portion go all the way to seed stage and collect. At the end of this season I will add a layer of soil and compost around the clipped low existing plants, and in this plant my new seeds. I will  put the plants to bed for winter with a covering of sterile straw probably end of October early November. The mint and Lemon Balm have been exceptional this year as well, and the bonus honeysuckle blossoms which were such a pleasure to smell this late in the season were a welcome bonus. Aromas and scents can make you feel good, especially if associated with a good memory. For me lilacs will always remind me of childhood:) We had a huge copse of them on the Farm in NewMilford. lol when you got in trouble that's where you had to go pick your switch. Mom loved lilacs, and so do I. Shame their season is so short. All I know is this season the Herbal Tea Ingredients are Primo.

More Good News, I would say the Armyworm battle has been quite succesfull, I have seen -0- of the buggars, moth, or catepillars for 2 days now, and no new progress showing through the Bermuda grass, so that's great. Key is now to just keep an eye out for the moths, as from what I understand blowing around on storm fronts they can travel quite long distances. So from now to first frost another wave could theoretically come through and start eatring where the last wave left off. At least now I know what the moths look like and will be aggressively watching for them. We'll see as hurricanes start to get active and high winds become a high possibility.
OKAY Night all
Till Tomorrow
Peace Out:)