Different year...every year

It's cold and rainy out today...again. I find it interesting how each year is so different. Last year at this time we had harvested our green garlic a month and a half ago. This year it is still struggling to grow and get green. Last year we had been selling tons of mustard and other greens from the hoophouse, and this year it has been too wet to get the hoophouses tilled (the water is seeping under them and percolating up). Last year we had our potatoes (all 1500 or so pounds) planted the first of April. This year...still waiting for the ground to dry so we can plant them. And last year our spring wheat was hardly germinating due to the dry weather...this year it is filling in nicely. Makes for a different and more difficult year financially too when there is less to harvest early in the spring.

So, with it so wet and cold, we have been working on getting other projects done. I was able to get all our blackberry plants tied up and they look terrific (last year not so great). We have mowed every week now for a month and our wild harvests look much better than last year. We took apart the picket garden fence and now it is too wet to repair and paint it so it sits against the buildings until it dries out some.

Marty grew some terrific looking bok choi and brussel sprouts in the basement. So, the other day we were able to get them all in the field area...three rows of each. They looked beautiful and there was moisture in the ground still to help them along. He went out yesterday and the deer had ate all of them except for eleven. Last year the deer didn't touch them...a different year, every year.

We also have lots of tractor and equipment problems this year. Our large tractor is broke so we are going to scrap it and get some money for it. Thought we would use the money for another tractor. But then our 5' tiller broke and can't be repaired. So, today the guys are loading up scrap metal, old equipment, the big tractor, and taking it all to the junk yard to see if they can get some money to buy a new tiller. The tiller we need all the time, the big tractor only a couple times a year. So...a different year for equipment too.

Pictures...well, there isn't much that I have right now. I didn't want to take my tablet out in the rain and then have been lax on the nicer days at remembering. But, this is my little garden of ginger. It's an experiment. I put the ginseng (bought at the grocery store and somewhat greenish) in a bag with moist soil for about a month. When it began to sprout I planted the pieces in this dish and they are coming along nicely. Then after a week or so I put them in bigger pots and out in the greenhouse to get more light (since there isn't more heat). We'll have to do a good job at keeping them moist.

I'm off to Georgia to visit my family and best friend next weekend. Looking forward to seeing what is growing down there. Now that I have this nice tablet, I will try to get some pictures and show you the difference between growing veggies in Illinois and growing them in Georgia. Look forward to some pictures later!