I LOVE blueberry jam! For several years I’ve wanted to try making my own but never tried- until now. Every year when fresh blueberries are in season I’ll buy ten pounds of fresh Michigan blueberries. In past years I’ve either eaten them fresh or froze them for the long-cold winter. This year is different. Not only have I dehydrated them…
Here’s the weekly vlog update for 18 July 2010 … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaOv5ZUeLdE
I finally shot a video update of the container garden and posted it on YouTube. I’ve been adding new containers almost weekly and plan to continue through the growing season. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcD0kqO3nV8&feature=player_embedded
The Ambient Weather WS-1080 weather station has been operational and gathering data for several days now. So far I’ve been very pleased with the unit. Living several miles north of Fort Wayne, we often have slightly different temperatures and weather conditions than those reported by the television stations and weather websites like weather.com or wunderground.com. It’s…
For the last month the weather here has been unseasonably warm and sunny. This has given the berries a great running start. While watering the containers today, after another fine day in the mid eighties, I had a few exciting surprises waiting for me… 1.) The strawberry blossoms are starting already. There are only four, so far, but…
When I got home from work today I was surprised to find the growhouse on its side with all of its contents scattered upon the ground around it. I thought I paid particular attention when I placed it down wind of the log rack, and even monitored it during some breezy evening earlier this week. It appeared to…
After years of wanting one, today I finally ordered a ‘real’ home weather station. I’ve had some small wireless La Cross indoor/outdoor thermometers for years, but they only monitor indoor/outdoor temperature and, the most recent one, indoor humidity. A major disadvantage of these inexpensive transmitters was the inability to get an accurate reading when the sun would shine directly on the outdoor sensors. They…
Blueberry blossoms- How long do they last? The Chippewas have already started! It looks like there’s going to be dozens of blossoms in the days and weeks to come. While this is exciting, the situation is bitter-sweet. I don’t have another variety (required for pollination) anywhere near ready. The Dukes are the closest and they are just now starting to set buds.…
After several weeks on a rainchecked backorder, my growhouse finally arrived! I purchased it from the local DoItBest hardware store. It’s a “Grow It 4 Tier Growhouse” from Gardman USA, Inc. of Kennesaw, GA. We’ve had some cold nights and breezy days lately. It’s nice to finally get the plants out in the sunlight and not have to worry about the windchill shocking…
The last two evenings we’ve had nice weather here in NE Indiana. With temperatures in the mid 50’s F, not wanting to waste this unseasonably fine weather, I spent some time caring for the maples, arborvitaes, and flowering cherry trees. It felt so good to get my hands in the soil again; breaking up the crust of last year’s wood…