We back from our conference, which was wonderful! I really enjoyed all of the classes I took. The “Planning your vegetable garden” class was a great refresher and synopsis of the things I should be doing now! The “organic beekeeping” class, again, a great review of all the things I have been reading. (We mainly focused on how to tackle varroa mites without using conventional chemicals. We went over screened bottom boards, mite resistant bees, organic methods like removing brood frames, 4.9 cell foundation…) The class on “high-production raised bed gardens” was actually the same class I went to last Fall, but it was a good review. Then I decided to go to a class on cooking with medicinal and culinary herbs. It was great. We ended class with a herbal pesto (made with chickweed, green onion, mustard greens, toasted sunflower seed, and a few other things!), and an herbal salad dressing (made with herbs and a vinegar prepared from blueberry wine) on top of greens. Mmmmmm…
The weather was amazing today. It was supposed to be chilly and overcast, but instead we got into the 70’s with sunshine all day. We finally got all of the posts up for the garden fence and got up the fencing. Good thing too, cause I found some deer poop just outside of my garden!! Hopefully they will stay out once I get things planted. I have been holding off on putting anything in the garden until we got the fencing up. But, tomorrow, I hope to get Kale, Lettuce, Spinach, and Radish in the ground. I just finished putting some hot peppers, cosomos, alyssum, marigold, calendula, aster, and nasturtium in flats (I’m using all the flowers as companion plants in different garden beds). We’ll see how it all goes. I’ve never tried flowers in flats before. I usually just throw them in the ground and rant and groan when they don’t come up 🙂
Have fun planting! I always have better luck when I put my flowers in as transplants – so hope you have the same! It’ll be another few weeks before we can put in our spring “Stuff” – not to mention the ground isn’t plowed yet – hopefully E can get a contact for that at the blacksmith mtg tonight. Did they mention drone frames for mite control? We bought one last year and are going to put it into rotation this year. (We use a screened bottom board and mite resistant bees thus far)
I’m often of the ranting and groaning school with flowers, myself! Can’t wait to hear how the beekeeping goes — and I do hope the deer keep out!
Shannon, they did talk briefly about drone comb. And I have read and heard that it is very helpful in keeping th emite population down. We are starting our hives out on 4.9 foundation and hope this will help too.