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As a gardener you learn that each year is a new year and no two years are the same, so reading though your Journals of the past years is as important to your success as this is because weather, pest, soil and time spent all effect growing and no two years are presented with the same conditions. I have my Journals 8 years back on this web site and invite you to read and see how each year, each growing season is presented with vastly different conditions. I also have videos in the Journals of our efforts and fun and some even funny which will give you some ideas to create your best gardens and landscape for you.

This is good point to let you know that all the rain and snow melt that hits the roof of our house is funneled from the downspouts to the goldfish pond, so the pond gets a fresh water source and when it gets filled it overflows to the orchard to water the trees and feed the trees from the fish waste nutrients. As an organic and a green family it is a easy way of creating some great fruit. One of the great things I did when we bought our house is that each year at Christmas we bought a Balled and Bur lapped Evergreen Tree, brought it in for a week decorated it and then planted on Christmas Day. We did this ever year and landscaped our quarter acre and also created a wind break for winter keep our house warmer, made our yard aesthetically appealing and to save energy. The Last couple of years we harvested Red Cedar trees from our yard that have sprouted in our yard because the neighbor has Red Cedar that floats seeds through out the yard and I let some of them grow in areas with no impact to use as our Christmas trees when they got to Christmas Tree size. Very nice trees and the smell is great.

During the summer, it got warm and the frogs came to visit

I encourage you to feed your local birds and the migrating birds in the spring as they will eat bugs that are coming out in the spring to feed their young as they nest or stop off to their ultimate nesting area. This will help in keeping insect populations to a more manageable level without using pesticides. We planted a couple of types of Milkweed to help the Monarchs and since the first year each year we get Monarchs stopping off . Please plant Milkweed, you will be richly rewarded.

Ponds attract Firefly's (Lightning Bugs) which need our help which are great for the garden!!!

Please note we are 1 mile from the Wisconsin Border and mile and half from the lake front. But this is not always bad, as in Summer we often have more even summer temps and more precipitation do to the lake. Our temps may be 10 to 20 degrees different than 10 miles Inland benefiting us Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

Jan 5th

It is cold, only thing to do, Seed Catalogues. Ordered 2 Peach Trees Alberta and Sun Crisp because because these 2 types of Peaches that are being slowly taken out of commercial use and the only place is left is the backyard grower. The reason is because of shipping and color, mostly yellow. They are great tasting Peaches.

Jan 19th

Well we have a real winter, 3 days above 32 since the New Year. Another bunch of Seed Catalogues to look at with snow slowly disappearing with sun out. Always fun to see what's new to grow.

Feb. 2nd

It snowed over night and 50 degree weather by 4PM. This past week I have raked the whole front yard and started on the back yard. Started to clean out the Greenhouse so I can start seeds this month. Most likely Lettuce, Peas and Spinach seeds to plant later this month in the Greenhouse. I have spruce tree started by seed in there. The 5 spruce seedlings I got from the Arbor Foundation are struggling a little. Back to the Seed camouflages.

Preserving Endangered Fruit

Feb 9th

Did some more raking of backyard and all raked into garden . Will be mulched with lawn mower and tilled in the garden in spring planting. Collected couple of buckets of Spruce cones and put in the front flower garden for to hold in the moisture in bed. Cleaned out some more of thr Greenhouse. Bought some Lettuce, Spinach and Peas seed. Planting cold weather veggees in Greenhouse in a couple of weeks. More Seed Catologes.

Feb 16th

Winter is truly here, we got about 8 inches total of snow in 3 storms and cold, back to the seed catalouges. Bought some Flower seeds to grow in green house and also to plant this spring Black Lilies and Blue Hostas.

Feb 23rd

We totaled 8 inches of snow and now the snow melt begins. Four dayd at least above 33degrees. Bought some Hostas to put under the Cedar trees in front yard. Going to put some new floor plywood in greenhouse. It has been just too cold to start seed in greenhouse but this week may be the week.

March 2nd

The snow is gone and temps got warm but it is now back to 30 degrees with the trend to back to normal March Temps. I replaced the floor section in the Greenhouse that needed it and also the entrance panel. I cleaned out the Greenhouse. I planted Peas, Lettuce and Spinach in the Greenhouse and in containers around the yard that I cleaned out. The Peas were seeds I saved last fall. I planted about 16 Varied Hostas around the front yard Red Cedars. The dropped Pine needles from Red Pine tree, I raked over to the entrance of the Greenhouse where it is muddy. It made the entrance real easy to navigate.

March 9th

This week was wet but planted Hostas in between the rains. No seeds coming up in greenhouse yet. The Daffidils are coming up by the house, it is Spring!!! The Pond is thawing out.

March 16th

Even though it snowed today, about an inch, it will melt tomrrow.This past week, warm week, I planted about 5 different Flowers from seed in the Greenhouse for my wife with the Purple theme. Planted some Tomato seeds to test out just in case we get allot of sunny days to warm up the Greenhouse to get the Tomato seeds (I saved from last year) to germinate. The Peas, Spinach and Lettuce in the Greenhouse are up. On Friday I rottotilled two thirds of the garden. It rained and it filled up the pond. Planted a couple bulbs and a Hosta at my parents grave. The two trees I planted there 15 years ago are 10 & 13 ft tall, just amazing. Raked up some more Spruce cones to use as mulch barrior to keep in moisture in flower beds by the house.