Tues May 5

I have been trying to get some things done around here the last few days.

Yesterday I worked in the lower goat pen-pasture would be a misnomer. There were some small trees down from last fall that I cut into managable lengths and tossed over the fence. The saplings were a big help and we started a brush pile further down over the fence.

The goats are currently blocked off that section-I am hoping grass will grow in the clearing-but I wanted to get all the slash picked up before that (hopefully) happens. We did see little bits of grass starting up through old hay piles.

The two sections were growing up after being cut off right before I bought the property. So the trees are only a few inches in diameter. The upper section needs a lot of work-still stuff on the ground I dropped last year, and many more to be dropped that the goats have girdled this spring. It's a lot of work.

Today we planted garlic. Most folks plant it in the fall, but I always forget and do it in the spring. Usually the tops die down by July and I get small bulbs, but still tasty. I always just use store bought bulbs to plant. The last few batches I bought for cooking I have noticed don't get green spikes, so I don't know if perhaps they have been treated not to sprout ?

So, I thought I would try something different this year. I bought a big grab bag of last years seeds and after we planted the garlic, I sowed asters and zinnias over the row. I might regret that. But I figure between the iffy germination on both, I should get something without using too much space. The annual flowers will mark the garlic row for digging in the fall. (If all works out as planned)