I see #democrats have voted against #medicare and #SocialSecurity

Chant: focus on the garden, focus on the garden, focus...

I managed to get water hyacinth to bloom one year. It was in a copper fire pit.

#gardening #16gardens

Winter pruning for today? First, let chickens out of coop/run area (garden #12). Hung out with them in their yard (garden #13) and pruned the two raspberry rows shown by dashed yellow boxes.

Next? 5 espaliered apples in garden #15 (hell strip) only needed a quick touch up. Hit the lower branches of the honey crisp in garden #16 (spring/fall garden). Will lower it's too tall branches when I tackle the kiwi. Got them and the neighbors 2 pears sprayed.

#gardening #16gardens

In honor of national #tulip day for the Netherlands...

#gardening #16gardens

Let the #chickens out of their run to enjoy their yard. Top Finley (easter egger) and Petunia (orpington). Bottom: Pickle (orpington), Iggy (one of these is not like the others) and Cocoa (easter egger).

January 14, 3 weeks after the solstice I begin checking for eggs. Collected the first egg today - brown. I'm guessing it was Iggy (age 2) as the orpingtons are older (age 6).

#gardening #16gardens

Apple #pruning

before: long 'suckers and thin twigs.

After: suckers and twigs removed. Red arrows point to spur 'bulging' development.

#gardening #16gardens

Ignore the cauliflower in the background. Sigh, so tired of cauliflower. The collards look good though and, as seen in the pear photos, there is some nice fennel.

ok, 503 error, we're back...

Second up for pruning? 4 espaliered apples in garden #1, the vegetable garden. As these were planted Dec 2019, they don't need much. Just take out the long 'sucker' growth, the spindly items that can't support an apple and keep the spurs short. Maybe next year some of the stretched spurs will be shortened.

before and after...
#gardening #16gardens

Time for winter #pruning of fruit trees. 1st: garden #2 the cut garden pear 'fence'. Pears are aggressive growers and require heavy pruning several times per year. These were planted Dec 2019 and still working on developing spurs especially on bottom branches which receive less light.

1of2

before and after...

#gardening #16gardens

Seeds are here, this year I am not going to start early. Seedlings just don't grow until days are bright and warm. Prefer to stay inside on these frosty or rainy days, watch the birds through the windows and the garden at rest, and break out the worksheet and plan what this year's vegetable rotation will look like.

#zone9b #16gardens
#gardening

Waiting for a few items from Burpee, Botanical Interests, Renee's and Territorial have arrived. #Vegetables: beet-gold broccoli carrot chard collard leek lettuces onion-spring pea squashes tomato. I'm not growing as many varieties this year. Looking forward to seeds from the 'naked bear'.

#Flowers: amaranth foxglove larkspur snapdragon sweetpea yarrow zinnia. A few for pollinators, mostly fillers for bouquets and sweet pea for gifting.

#zone9b #16gardens
#gardening

Walden, grey cat with green eyes and green bell collar, sitting on the edge of the goldfish tub, under a purple painted arbor.

#caturday #16gardens

#Vegetable seeds ordered: bean beet-gold broccoli carrot chard collard cucumber-lemon leek lettuce onion pea squash (summer and winter) tomato (paste and slicer)

Flowers: snaps zinnia larkspur foxglove sweetpea amaranth.

Just need to hunt down some dahlia and chrysanthemums.

Looking forward to spring #flowers.

Purple collage:
top-scented iris, pansy, columbine bottom-campanula, tulip, crocus.

#gardening #16gardens

photo: Puzzle (named for the curved markings on front paws) cat in a puzzle box
#boxingday #16gardens

photo: chicken run and old playhouse/chicken supply storage on a foggy morning. Wood pile on left foreground, chicken yard fencing right foreground.

#gardening #16gardens

Happy #wintersolstice

Wednesday = weekly hump day
Winter solstice = planetary hump day

#16gardens

This is Prudence.

#mondog
#16gardens

This is Walden. He was a great cat. Loved piggy back rides and fetch. Here he is sitting on the rail of the playhouse in garden 12.

#caturday
#16gardens

Photos: swirls cut into the frosty/crunchy walkway under the pergola (garden 10), a frosted fence post cap and ball in front of the old playhouse (garden 12) and frosted thyme in a large glazed pot in front of frosted pickets (garden 4)

#gardening
#16gardens

@nicole2g @compost Oy, my bins are 4x4.

#16gardens

@elizabethbeston Love a blank space. We got a larger spot 3 years ago. Gridded the property out in excel. Made up a dream list of all types of gardens. Figured out which went best in each spot (actually divided it into #16gardens spaces). I got free wood chips from a tree service and kept things in rows for some semblance of order.

Here's the 'cutting garden'

Frosty am. Salvia and scabious in foreground, difficult to make out pergola and concrete sink in background.

#gardening #16gardens #winter