back fence row with mulch

Lars weed whipping around grape vines

With less than 2 weeks to go, we are making weeding, mowing and planting a priority at this point.  Did not want to start too soon, so that new weeds would not have time to surface through the mulch – plus it was still too cold to plant flowers.  But this weekend we started in the back part, where guests will park and walk to the pond for the ceremony.  Thick layers of mulch were spread around the last remaining tulips (unfortunately they all bloomed too early because of the warm spell we had early in April).   Supplemented the plantings with hostas and will add petunias in the sunny spots and impatients in the shady spots.  Sam also mowed the pond side of the farm in one afternoon!


After helping Tina empty wagon load after wagon load of mulch with a pitchfork, Lars finally got “promoted” – and a happier and prouder kid cannot be imagined.  Jeff allowed Lars to not only drive the tractor, but use it to scoop up mulch and carefully dump it onto the wagon.  Everyone watched his first attempt – which did not quite result in a full scoop.  Jens, who was working with the sheeting of the barn, spray painted “3.5” in huge letters on a full sheet of plywood and held it up high, Olympic style.  But Lars did a great job and by nightfall had a system down:

The process of transplanting seedlings from flats (I just sowed them in little rows), into individual pots has taken well over a week.  For “pots” we use either the 9 oz or 18 oz plastic drinking cups – after we make a hole in the bottom of each cups. Holes are made by holding a long nail in a pair of vice grips over a small torch, to heat the nail, and then punching it through about a dozen cups at a time.
Here is what we transplanted:

• 46 “Oxheart” tomatoes
• 24 green peppers “Big Dipper”
• 20 red sweet peppers “Sweet Ruby Hybrid”
• 65 basil plants
• 45 “Roma” tomatoes
• 36 “Black Plum” tomatoes
• 32 “Brandywine” tomatoes
• 36  “Amish Paste” tomatoes
• 101  Leeks