Stan & Joyce Orchard
Trying to figure it out since 1975.
Pepper Pandemonium
Weather around here this spring has been cool and wet to say the least. But with the greenhouse we built last year we’re growing peppers for the first time. Amazing to watch them grow along with tomatoes, flowers, etc. We’ve been enjoying spinach, lettuce, radishes, peas for months. Life is good. Watch it grow.
Fuzzy Antler Time
Favorite time of year as they take on summer coats and new racks.
Sweet William
In the summer of 2021 I found a packet of seeds. Never heard of Sweet William before let alone grown any. So, threw some in a pot and left them alone. Put the pot in our new greenhouse where the plants thrived over winter. So much so that we divided them into four pots. Spring 2022 we’re now enjoying cut flowers that last for two weeks easy. A beautiful gardening discovery.
Log Splitter Miracle
Joyce Carol and I started heating with firewood in the mid-70s. In all those years we salvaged wood from dumpsters, forests, and elsewhere. I used various saws and axes and stoves. It became a way of life. But today for the first time in nearly a half century I used a hydraulic log splitter. Why in the world did it take me so long to learn this? Good grief, it’s amazing.
Skunk Cabbage Arrive
Warmest day of the year so far and we spotted the first skunk cabbage of the season. It’s also the 47th anniversary of meeting the love of my life and our grandson is seventeen today. Life is amazing.
Work Crew
We moved some firewood, searched for antlers, marveled at how much things have changed. What a time to be alive.
It’s Official
Our oldest granddaughter is now taller than her grandmother.
Petunias From Seed
This is the first full grow season with our new greenhouse. Decided to try something we’ve never done before: start our hanging petunia baskets from seed. I learned they germinate from light on the surface rather than buried. Today they sprouted! Excited to see how they do. Anyone with petunia experiences they’d care to share?
New Chopping Block
After more than twenty years, my old cedar chopping blocks have all disintegrated. One of our neighbors had a few so he gave me one. Works great! This is what passes for exciting news on The Orchard Compound these days.
Forest Cathedral
Our woods are usually quiet. Except for the frogs and coyotes and occasional bugling elk, it’s really quiet. But when it snows the forest becomes a very special place.