the two hives in front are still busy so i am thinking about swapping one of the deeps.

i restacked the hive and added fresh sugar water.

first hive today is the swarm hive. the sugar water from monday is almost done. the honey super is getting built out. most of the brood deep frames are busy with honey and pollen and cleaning. the old frame has one side of creamy larva and eggs. everyone is busy.

still plastic frames are to be avoided.

one capped queen cell on the bottom of one of the frames

lots of drones on frames too. there was some capped honey unlike last monday.

i took the big hive apart to the top brood deep. no regular brood but there was drone brood.

i added a medium super and refilled the sugar trough.

that means there is a laying queen post swarm.

7 days from swarm collection, i found eggs in one frame and lots of comb production.

Gardens and curiosity

Today, i dug up two more buckets of compost from my compost pile. It is all lovely leaf mold and deep woods soil. I added it to my community garden plot.

The plot is still a few buckets shy of enough. It rained this afternoon. Not enough snow or cold. I managed to stake the boxwood with a big metal stake. I hope it holds this time.

Two days ago, i broadcast sees in two beds at my clients. Los of American natives in both places. I am so hoping that the sporobolus germinates. I so want to smell its perfume next fall.

flower garden soil sample to RU.

the soil sample results from Rutgers- pH 5.6. pretty much blueberries and potatoes. the low pH protects the spuds from scab. (Cornell)

i potted up apricots, 2 apples, cuttings from Jeanne Wills grounds, and some edgeworthia from my big plant.

the flower bed needs similar treatment- manure, compost and leaf shred. turning it will take some work. i need to get daphne cuttings from Katie.

today i got one small bucket of compost and about 5 lb of calcitic lime on my veggie plot. i took soil samples from the flower bed. i still need 4-6 buckets of compost to finish my amendments, then i will take another soil sample.

my bed in the middle of the community quilt. i can tell that the quilt patterns were what i took home from the national green centre. 

first two buckets of leaf shred and two buckets of home compost. Gram helped carry compost up the hill to the van. she was done before the end. 

supervisor

partly covered and turned bed. 

Bernardsville mountain = rocks

my bees are wintering fine. i would like to consider collecting the hive that went into the barn. then setting up a second hive near the collected hive. that would give me four hives. and maybe i can help with the ones at wagner farm arboretum.

i want to get ground cover on asap. review my seeds stash. and figure out crop rotation for such a small plot.

spread 4 large buckets of manure on my plot. i need to add leaves and sig in tomorrow. too much to do to get it done today. i took soil samples. found rock and weeds, but nice sun. did not see any worms.

today i gave Wanda $175 for two years and irrigation. a decent deal. then i went looking for manure. found it at Lord Stirling Stables, ended up signing up for a 2 hour walk ride this coming Sunday.

my newest endeavor to keep Gram and me a little saner- a 10 x 10 foot plot at the Bernardsville community garden.