April Chores

Before reaching the beauty that is late May, there are a host of April chores to be done.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I got a decent start yesterday.  Although not apparent from the snowy photo, the ground was almost completely bare of snow yesterday.  A couple of days in the 60s and a couple of rainy days did the trick.  Although disappointing to wake up to snow this morning, it will be partly sunny today with a high of 38.  Doesn't sound warm perhaps, but it will be enough to melt the 1" of snow we received last evening.

Anyway, snow or not, spring chores are in full stride.  I have close to 200 seedlings growing in the house, including: hollyhock, echinacea (coneflower),  lavender (Hidcote), anise hyssop, foxglove, sweet rocket, canterbury bells, nigella, salvia, globe thistle, chamomile, lemon balm, valerian, chives, red and yellow peppers, 4 different types of tomatoes (mix of cherry, plum and big, juicy slicers), and leeks.  Light on the veggies, because most of what I grow are direct seeded.

I have a ton of bare-root plants coming in mid-April, as well as onion and shallot sets and 3 different types of potatoes.  My favorite local nursery (St. Lawrence Nurseries) for berries, shrubs and fruit trees is closing shop after this year (well, they will be selling wholesale, but no retail).  The owners are 70, and have decided it's time to cut back on their work a bit.  So, needless to say, I felt compelled to stock up.  I purchased: 2 pie cherry trees, 4 ornamental cherry trees, 12 raspberry bushes, 11 winterberry, 3 manchurian (crab) apple, 2 red maple, and 10 rugosa rose.  I also discovered a local nursery that specializes in cold-hardy roses, so I ordered 8 of those the other day (4 different types of shrub roses, multiples of each since I've decided to follow David Austin's advice of planting 2-3 of the same type to make a more showy grouping).

In addition to getting the bare-root plants into the ground before they come out of dormancy, I have a bunch of clean-up to do in the mixed borders, as well some dividing and relocating of perennials. Then all beds need to be weeded, edged and mulched with compost.  I've decided to move away from use of wood mulches in the flowers beds this year.  Although great for cutting down on weeds, the wood tends to leech nitrogen out of the soil; nitrogen that is needed for plant health and growth,  So, instead I will use a mix of compost (made here) and aged manure (also made here - thank you sheep and ducks).  My intent is to make my own manure tea this summer as well, using poo/muck from the duck pond (the digging/building of which is also on my spring to-do list).

Also on the April list:
* replace 3 rotted fence posts in sheep pasture
* thoroughly clean out coops and sheep barn
* repair hen/duck fencing where rabbits have eaten holes
* prune berry bushes
* remove straw from garlic bed
* move strawberries to raised beds in veg garden
* build 4 more raised beds in veg garden
* flip compost piles
* weed and mulch base of young fruit trees
* trim sheep hooves and shear (late April, if warm enough)
* late April/early May -- plant cold crops in veg garden (peas, lettuces, kale, chard, etc.); direct seed forget-me-nots, poppies, etc.

Whew that's a lot.