Over 50, time to ride

The weatherman says it will be over 50 degrees today. It's time to ride the motorcycle. I checked my book and I haven't ridden since early November. I put the charger on the battery last night and I am ready to go. I put in a couple hours of volunteer time in at the school while I am waiting for it to make it to 50 degrees, now it's time to head up to the lake for a winter ride.

Wow, Lake Tahoe is so beautiful. We are lucky to have such magnificent scenery all around us here in our own back yards. I hope we all take the time to appreciate our area.

Seed catalogs

The seed catalogs have cluttered up my mailbox. For those of you who are gardeners, don't they seem to come earlier every year? I have received Burpee, Farmers Seed and Nursery, Gurney's, Henry Field's and Burgess.

How do you decide who to order from? Gurney's offers $25 worth of product free if you order $25 worth of product. OK, I'll order something from them. Burpee has a "golden mama" tomato which looks like it would be great in salsa. I also like to plant some of their fresh salsa seeds. They say "you can chop it in tiny cubes and it will remain perfectly firm and solid." The big mama hybrid is also a salsa-making favorite of mine. Purple potatoes, not for me, I like them red or white. There is a new "big daddy" sweet pepper; I think I'll try it this year. It boasts it will produce in 78 days.

It does seem a little strange to be thinking of gardening when we can't plant until Juneish. I always try to buck the system, and try to beat my dad, by planting at the end of May. I use the "Wall O' Water," by Burpee, a plastic water-filled wrapping you place around the plant that prevents freezing, to help speed up my production. But almost every year I get skunked. I think, if I remember right, it froze on June 10 last year. So much for my zucchini. I had used all of my seed up the first time around. I have never done well with corn here, it is such a big plant and it's pretty hard to take out of the ground at the end of the season. My neighbor, on the other hand, does great with corn, good enough that he fills up his freezer at the end of the season. Peas, I love, but they are too much work. I have done good with snow peas, you don't have to pod them. This year I am going to try to only plant the things I know I have done good with in the past. Tomatoes, tomatillas, bell peppers, jalapenos, potatoes (I think I still have 20 pounds left from last year), zucchini, patty pans and maybe I'll try some more gourds.

Happy gardening.

-- If you have a story you'd like to tell, give me a call.

-- Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.