More Garden Work - April 9, 2026@goldenoakfarm

On Thursday morning I was up around 6AM and got a load in the dishwasher. I got my post up and my soil test results came in. So I spent an hour or so working up the amendment mixes sheets.

My poor brain cell was finished at the end, so I probably better check the math on Friday morning. I got another load in the dishwasher and my #2 intern arrived at noon.

We went out to show her what needed to be done. First we went to uncover the rhubarb. There were no shoots… Upon closer inspection, something had eaten them!! I’ve grown rhubarb in this spot exactly the same way for 2 decades, and nothing ever bothered it. Sigh….

But nothing had bothered the garlic and she went along the rows, uncovering the shoots stuck under hay.

Her other jobs were to get the protective spirals off the Little Trees and Little Trees II; cut down the tall stuff in the Fence gardens; and to start the cleanout under the azalea.

She got carried away with the Fence gardens and cleaned them right out! She made it down around the corner and decided she’d gone overboard. So she moved over to the azalea and got the weeds and some of the grass out.

She plans to come back on Friday and finish these last 2 jobs. We also have to move some of the new green wood so we can get to the rest of the dry wood in the shed.

I’d hoped to get out to these gardens on Thursday, but it was still too cold and windy. So I finished the laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and watered some of the seedlings.

My #4 helper arrived at 1:30PM and I sent her shopping. I didn’t get much of anything done during the afternoon. She got vacuuming and floor washing done when she got back.

She said at her house, in addition to the tulips, the critters had eaten 2 of her roses, and her yucca plants during the winter. She attributes it to loosing her indoor/outdoor cat last year. So she’s hoping to find an indoor/outdoor cat to replace him.

As we were talking about this, she looked at my tulips that weren’t looking so good, and pulled a leaf. It came right out! Something has been after the tulips too in my garden! Sigh…

I watched the rest of David Attenborough’s ‘Life of Mammals’ before starting small fires in both stoves as it was to be mid 30’s during the night. I was in bed shortly after 8PM.

It’s to hit high 60’s on Friday, so I am planning to get out to those gardens around 11AM when it has warmed up. My #3 helper will arrive around 12:30PM. She will bring the screens up from the cellar and we will get them all washed. That way I’ll be ready if they ever assign someone to do the windows.

I’ve also got the clean up the kitchen and feed the seedlings and water house plants on Friday.

So another busy day…