2026, My year of Garden Narcissism

[ducks4you]

Part of my healing is to jump in the deep gardening pool end. We are in the grip of cold and snow that has lingered here for weeks, which doesn't always happen on my property. DD took these photos of property and hoar frost as she drove home yesterday. I gave my DD my garage spot and garage opener until further notice. I didn't want to have her fairly new KIA fail. She said her car is happy to be spoiled. I ran my 2012 Toyota Avalon for a full 1/2 hour before parking behind the trucks--that's the white car that you see.
I finally kicked the ponies outside after a 2nd stint of a full week stuck in their stalls. We had moderate weather, then a sudden jump to -20 wind chills.
My horses willingly went inside, then probably thought the next day, "HOW did she KNOW?!?!?"

 

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Garlic
Two years in a row I didn't get it planted in the beds. DH got his cancer diagnosis early November and I lost my window to plant. I started my 2025 garlic harvest in two sets of starter cells with plastic gardening cells on the porch. I realized that they didn't have enough room for roots or enough cold, that I opted for transplanting them in winter sowing jugs that I had saved from distilled water, great bc I didn't have to clean them. They are all in my cement window wells that I have never really utilized, about 12 in a plastic painter's bucket with a bottom crack--everybody with livestock uses them for water bc they are lightweight--I covered it with a garbage bag. I also had 50 saffron bulbs that I had bought in September. They had all sprouted. I put most of them in a plastic window box with 2 garbage bags taped together.
DD told me in December that she had never put Most of the tulip bulbs I had bought her in the ground by her house. We had a week of very moderate temperatures in December, so I picked a Thursday evening on the warmest evening, when DD's were there to babysit DH, and found the bulbs a 2 1/2 x 4 ft spot to dig up and plant 50 purple tulips, about 27 red and yellow tulips of various sized and about 60 Siberian Iris. Transplanting to a more favorable spot will be for next summer.
I am SURE that the tulips will have enough cold treatment. The garlic, too will have same--we'll see how they fare, and I will report back in a couple of months.
Meanwhile, DD has been buying me plastic bottles of Dr. Pepper. I'm not a big soda fan, but I am treating myself now. Eldest DD (Chef) has been drinking Coke, in bottles, so I am collecting the bottles for winter sowing Alaska snow peas. I use a knife to cut 4 holes on the "feet" at the bottom, use a long teaspoon to fill enough soil to the "waist", drop in 2 peas, fill with water and drain in the downstairs sink, then put in the window wells with the winter sowed garlic. I will also start sugar snap peas.
My experience with direct sowing in the Spring is that I am feeding them to the wildlife. I think they will do better transplanted at about 6 inches tall from the bottles.
I grew sugar snap peas and snow peas last year, and didn't have enough to really serve for dinner, BUT, enough to harvest seeds. I harvested, dried and stored about 90 Alaska snow peas, and probably 120ish sugar snap peas. I also hope to winter sow a handful of Scarlett Runner Beans, just bc they are pretty.
Plastic water jugs protect them from garden predators who are looking for food in the Spring that tastes better than whatever they have been eating.
I plan to use up the old PREEN stored here, and buy the newer one, which kills anything under 3 inches tall for up to 6 months.
I can order this online locally, then pick up, so no wasted trips to town, which is about a 45 minute drive to most box stores.

Pardon Our Interruption

 

[ducks4you]

Food for thought...

 

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Winter is time to assess our beef supply. I suppose you might think that this 15 minute job should have been done sooner. Caretaking doesn't give you much extra time. I had free time yesterday. Guess I need a primer in math...

 

[ducks4you]

Winter is a great time to read. I, as you already guessed, prefer non-fiction. DD's and I have started a diet which includes "digesting" books. Youngest DD is lending me a book about the Norman Invasion of England.
I'm sure that it tastes good.
The diet suggests a full gallon of water/daily. I will have to work at that. I love wine and vodka, but I cannot drink large of amounts of ANY liquid, and they complain that it takes a whole evening for me to down a bottle of beer. Still, forcing water can't hurt.
I also read online. Here is an online gardening article for your edification:

How does winter help the garden?

I love winter. I love snow. However, I must add two caveats to my initial statements – I love winter and snow as long as I am warm and I can stay at home. It’s

extension.illinois.edu

 

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Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Here is a fun activity gift for the holiday.

How to make homemade seed cards for Valentine’s Day

There are many different stories as to how we came to celebrate St. Valentine. Some stories say Valentine was a priest that secretly wed young couples.

extension.illinois.edu