It’s hot, birds

For March, the temperatures have been very hot through the past week. As a result of that the vegetable plants we put into pots and the raised bed have been struggling to get started. Once they develop a larger root system they will be fine in the heat but for now the look wilted and near death every evening. I have been going out in the evenings and watering the plants carefully to give them a fighting chance but, for now, it is touch and go. It has been a great benefit to have the hose set up as we do now. We can easily reach everything in the garden area without the work of hauling water from the spigot at the front of the well house. Mama and I have talked about building a greenhouse over our garden area, and she is all for it. I don’t know if I am up for it. It would work well since all the trees we have are either miniature or dwarf trees. The challenge is not the ambient temperature. The challenge is keeping the direct sun off the plants; especially in the evenings. It tends to cook the plants from about 2 pm to 6 pm. With that in mind I put out some sun blocks and moved the tomato plants into the shade of the raised bed. Time will tell if that is enough.

On the flip side, we are expecting some severe storm systems to pass through the area this weekend. If they bring rain it will be a benefit, but they usually bring hail and damaging winds with little rain this time of year. It would be a setback to have a hail storm flatten the plants we have out and strip the trees of the infant fruit we see in the branches, but what can you do except pray. If we were to worry about every potential (or actual) setback we would not have time to enjoy the farm. Right now, the birds are singing, the bees and wasps are pollinating the plants and all is well – hot, but well.

Speaking of birds, we are starting to see some beautiful birds pass through. The colors range from vibrant blues and bright yellows to a mix of browns, grays and blacks. We counted three sixes of sparrows the other night. The smallest was about the size of a hummingbird. Last night we had starlings and crows in the yard. Mama likes neither but short of taking the feeder down for a couple days there is little we can do to curb their visits. Next week Mama will start to hang out her hummingbird feeders. They normally do not come up until mid-April but I have a feeling things might get off to an early start this spring.

Mama and I are having more trouble with our domestic birds than with any wild ones. We have a chicken that loves to come to the front of the house and scratch up our flowerbed – especially after we have watered. Last night was particularly disturbing. There was dirt all over the sidewalk and one of the plants Mama has been nurturing in that bed was ripped out by the roots. She was not pleased. The chicken has not been dissuaded by any of the barriers we have put out and it refuses to stay in the chicken yard. So, tonight Mama and I are going to catch it on the roost and clip its wings so it cannot fly, put it into the coop and make sure it stays there. As for the bantams that have been digging in the roots of my peach and apricot trees in the back yard, I replaced the fencing we had around those two trees to keep them out. So far that has been effective. Before I was content to just kick the dirt back over the base of the tree but when they exposed the roots of the peach tree I had to take further action. Last summer, the peach tree produced the best peaches we have had in years and based on the blossoms it has now, this looks like it could be a banner year for it. Mama wants me to go out of my way to ensure its health.

It could be a long vigil.