First Week of May on the Farm

First and foremost:  It has been way hotter than normal and way too dry!  We have decided not to waste $5,000 worth of fertilizer and just hope for more rain so we can have a decent cutting of hay.  We are lucky we have almost 150 bales left so if we get half of last year's harvest we will be OK.

I have been working on getting  the yard back in order and have been moving very slowly.

I have planted one dogwood (l to go); one red locust; one crabapple; 2 lilacs and two hyacinth beans.
The hyacinth beans are already blooming.  I put one on each end (east and west) of the garden fence.
The ground is so dry I am running the sprinkler on the lawn where I want to put the second dogwood.

I planted a very short row of filet pole beans (white seeded; not like I did last year) I found the tag and it was Fortex which was a wonderful bean that got up to l0 inches long and still was very tender and stringless.  I will definitely order some for next year.

I tilled the west garden strip  again and managed to plant three tomatoes before I decided it was too wet under the heavy mulch so I pulled it back (the mulch) and will let it dry some before planting again.  That is the best advertising for mulch that I know! 

The strawberries are blooming nicely and should be safe from frost now.

I am sorting through my seed stash (remember I lost my new order of seeds!) to see what I will use  this year.


Flowers
Blooming now:

The iris are just starting and the peonies are budded out.



This one is Spiced Custard:


and this I call:  Ugly for obvious reasons,


Fragrant Lilac:



More are budded out but these are the early ones in my garden.

Some Clematis are beginning to bloom:

This is the Annabelle Bed and the clematis on the left is this one:



There is a clump of Blueberry Bliss iris in front, Annabelle hydrangea in the middle and two dark purple clematis on the right end of the red panel.

and this is my favorite lunaria (money plant).  It is a self-seeded variegated one.  If if looks like it is in a cage, that's because it is.  It came up there and since that is inside the chicken yard, it worked out well.  There is one more on this side of the fence.  I hope to remember to collect seeds.


This is a clematis on the garden fence:



and these are my prize romaine  lettuces that volunteered this year.  I have already harvested one.  I failed to get any lettuce planted so we will have to really appreciate these few.  I may try some seeds under the hoop with a shade cloth over.



The snowball bush is now in its white phase:



Household:

The AC went out yesterday (a 90° day!).  The house is just now started to get too warm.  Serviceman was called and promises within two days,  he will be here.......I think the temperatures are supposed to drop about 10-12 degrees which will help.

Farm:

Already mentioned  the hay and fertilizer situation.

We are taking more calves in to sell today and should be going back for the check shortly.  Thankfully, beef prices are still extremely good.

This is the group when we got them up to wean:



Talked (again) to our hay man and jack of all trades about having some outbuildings painted and he thinks he has a  man free who can do it.......I may have to call him again.................