Bats and Caves

In the elementary science class I teach one afternoon a week, we have been studying about caves. We are spending several weeks on this topic. Much of Kentucky lies on top of a large Karst system and has many caves including the largest mapped cave system in the world-Mammoth Cave. Pollution can be a major problem in caves because of their delicate ecosystems.

One thing that we have learned through our studies is the importance of bats to the cave food chain. On the bottom of any food chain is the sun which plants use to create their own food. From their other things eat food until you get to the top of the food chain. An example of a food chain is plants produce food from the sun; insects eat plants; bats eat insects. The problem in the cave is their is no sunshine so no plants grow deep inside. Bats transfer the outside energy to the cave. They come into the cave and excrete bat guano (poop). Cave crickets eat the bits of food left in the guano and then something else eats the cave crickets. This is mainly how the delicate creatures which only live inside the cave get their food. That is why bats are so important to the cave food chain. A side benefit to humans is the massive amounts of insects that bats eat each evening.

Two things I have been trying to pass on to my students is the importance of taking care of our cave systems. This means be careful not to do things which will pollute ground water or hurt bats. It is a lesson for which we should all pay attention.

Time for Every Season

Yesterday, I was at my local garden store buying my early cool crops of kohlrabies and cabbage. I made the comment that with the weather we are having that I fell like I should be buying tomatoes and peppers but I knew we had too much time before our last frost date to do this. She laughed and told me that they were going to get tomato and pepper plants in because people have been demanding that they get some. She said they were going to sell them to people with no guarantee and a warning that they may die if the weather turned cold again.

This brings up an important point that the last frost date is important for successful gardeners to know. Here in this area it is May 10. Many of your crops which are frost sensitive should not be put out until after your last frost date even if the weather has turned nice early. One frost can kill a lot of hard work and money.

Be patient, tomato and pepper season will be here soon enough.   

Baby Chicks and Fresh Asparagus

We had our first cuttings from our asparagus patch today for lunch. Boy, did it taste good after not having fresh things all winter. That is one of the great things about asparagus, it comes first in the long line of garden fresh. I baked it in a little olive oil with just a touch of sea salt. Yum!!!

I also ordered our baby chicks today. I combined 4 people's orders including mine and made 1 order. This way we can get the kinds and quantities of chicks we want since we each just wanted a few. They will be here the week of April 16. I can't wait to get them. They are so cute when they first come and so much fun to watch.

The joys of spring!

Summer Weather in Spring

The weather around here has been crazy the last two weeks. Summer has sprung without really any spring. The trees are all budding at once. My daffodils are already done blooming for the year and the tulips are at their peak. The result is a gorgeous scene of flowering landscape. It sounds though like this weekend we go back to late spring weather. The highs are only going to be in the upper 60's and lower 70's versus the 80's this week. Even that is several degrees above normal. I am enjoying this early burst of warmth but am also looking forward to maybe a little cooler temps. Mid-80's is a little warm for this time of year.

Today, it is finally dry enough that I am going to put in the rest of my early spring crops. I am hoping to have my first rounds of potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, kohlrabies and carrots in the ground along side the spinach, peas and onions I planted last week before all the rain started again. Looks like this weekend is going to be wet again so it should give them a good start.

Hope you are enjoying the weather where you are and either looking forward to planting or planting your spring crops depending on where you live. Happy spring! 

Companion Planting-Onions

One of my best loved gardening books is Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. This book talks about what plants compliment each other in the garden and provides many natural ideas to control pests in the garden. One plant family that takes a honorary seat in this role is the onion family. These include onions, shallots, leeks, chives and garlic. Because of their aromatic smells they repel many common insects. One thing that she recommends is planting these vegetables throughout the garden to reap their benefits.

I started following this advice last year and was surprised by the results. Onions really do seem to help repel the insects. My garden seemed to have less pests where the onions were interplanted among the other vegetables. One word of caution though is that the pea and bean families do not seem to like the onion family. Carrots seem to do especially well with onions as they help repel the carrot fly.

This is just one of the many suggestions she makes in her book. It is a book worth buying and is reasonably priced. I refer to it each year while I am planting my garden. If you would like to take a peak at it, most libraries carry this book on their shelves. Take a moment and look up this book, it has been well worth the price for me. 

Annual Flower Savings

Annual flowers can be a big expense in our flower gardens. Last week, I was at Lowe's  with my sister who is moving down here. We saw some evening primrose flowers in bloom. She commented how for annuals they do not last long. I told her that down here though they are a great bargain because they come up year after year the same time as the daffodils. That is one nice thing about living a little further south. Plants that were annuals up north become perennials down here.

Some plants are a great bargain when they are sold as annuals but will come back up year after year. Down here I have found several of them. One of them is the Evening Primrose; another is Dianthus. Another way to save on annual flowers is to plant them as seeds. Many of your typical annual flowers will do this easily. You just have to wait a little longer to get those pretty flowers. Another way to save money is to save seeds from the previous year which is what I always do with my marigolds.

If annual flower prices seem high to you, beat the system and grow some of your own this year.

Three Season Gardening

There are really three seasons of vegetable gardening here in Kentucky. Because we are in zone 6, we can usually start planting our early spring crops in early March. These include your spinach, lettuce, onion sets, cilantro, peas and potatoes. In fact, here in Kentucky it is very important to plant spinach, lettuce, cilantro and peas because they do not like our hot weather here. They bolt very quickly once our hot weather starts here usually in May. April is the best time of year to plant your early spring plants such as broccoli and cabbage.

May and June are when the summer season crops go in here. These include your squashes, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and other frost intolerant plants. These will last until the first frost comes. To extend their lives in the fall I will cover them if there is to only be a light frost followed by warmer weather.

The last season is the fall growing season. These plants are again your early spring plants such as your spinach, lettuce and peas. You can also plant broccoli and cabbage seeds versus plants. These seasons start from mid-July to early August. The hard part of this garden time is keeping the seeds wet enough to sprout and prosper. These crops, once mature can grow even into November and December here as long as you cover them when frost arrives.

Thinking of your garden as a three season place and using succession planting will extend the time that your family has fresh vegetables during the year. You can have garden produce almost 6 months of the year versus the typical 3-4 months with a one season garden. Take some time and plan out your three season garden this week. Write earliest and latest dates on your calendar when to plant specific crops. You should be able to obtain this information from your county extension office or a good gardening friend.     

Grass Seeding

In Kentucky, spring is the best time of the year to reseed your grass. We had a severe drought a two summers ago followed by a very hard winter for us. It did a number on our backyard grass. First of all, our backyard gets lots of foot traffic all year round. This makes it hard on keeping grass looking good. Each spring I reseed areas that are bare or sparse in the yard but have had a much larger task of it the past two springs. Mary and I seeded grass yesterday before the forecasted rains started last night and today.

I use a simple method. First, I take a heavy garden rake and scratch up the soil. Next, I spread seed down on the soil. I, then, take the rake and scratch it into the soil some. Next, I spread a light layer of straw over it to protect it from the many birds in our area. This also has the added benefit of reminding family members not to walk across this area until the grass is established. I will then keep it moist until the grass pops through the straw. At that point, I gently rake the straw off the grass and let it grow at its own pace.

This method has worked well in keeping our lawn in decent shape over the years. I found out through a county extension class that spring is the best time of year here to do this. This has made this take more successful over the years. Looking at your county extension agency site or calling them may be a good way to figure out what is the best time of year for you to do this job around your yard. Happy planting!

Spring Garden

I am back in Kentucky and caught back up on things. Today, Chuck was able to roto-till up the garden. I was able to get the peas, onions and spinach in the garden. It is a good start on spring planting. We also planted our first flowers. It felt good to be outside enjoying spring activities. It has not been a hard winter but spring is still appreciated. 

Wedding

It has been a busy couple of days here. My cousin's wedding went very well. It was so beautiful. Her decorations were simple but elegant. It was so fun catching up with family and friends that I do not get to see very often. Now, the hard part of the week starts. My aunts visitation and funeral are the next two days. We will mourn the loss of her being here on earth and celebrate the life she so well lived. 

Circle of Life

On Tuesday night, I received one of those phone calls that you never want to get. My aunt had been failing in health the past of couple of days. The family had been called into the hospital because she was not going to make it. Two hours later I received a phone call that my aunt had been placed in hospice care and her time on earth was going to be brief. A couple hours later she was dead. Her death has been made even more difficult by the fact that we are all gathering this weekend to celebrate the marriage of her granddaughter.

My sister posted on facebook last night about the circle of life and she is correct. On Wednesday morning, my aunt joined her husband of many years in heaven. Completing the beginning of their life together in heaven. On Saturday, Angela and David will begin their life together joined as one in Holy Matrimony here on earth. Her grandparents will have the best seat in the house as they look down on this union being made here on earth.

On Tuesday, we will bury my aunt's body. We will once gain join together with family and friends to celebrate a life that has touched many of us here on earth. My aunt never won any awards or was known by name across the world but her life richly blessed many others. She touched many of those who lived her on earth. Last night, facebook was filled with tributes to the legacy she left behind.

The circle of life is a great way to label the next few days. We have all come early to help Angela put the finishing touches on her wedding and begin to mourn the loss of my aunt. We will rejoice in the gift of Yes the circle of life is a great way to describe what is going to happen in our lives in the next few days, We will miss you Aunt Barb but are glad that your suffering here on earth is over.