Category Archives: gardening

Canna tubers are in because of Bob

May 16, 2020Bob, gardeningsusanmanzke

My canna tubers came out of their basement quarantine yesterday. They seemed to have survived winter pretty well. I’m not so sure about the dahlias though.

I have never been very fond of planting spring tubers because, in this Wisconsin climate, they have to be dug up in the fall to keep them from freezing to death.

I prefer perennials. They return in most years without a problem.

Anyway, these tubers are back in the soil again. I felt I owed it to Bob to do this.

Last fall, Bob helped me dig up the tubers just before our early winter arrived.

Bob also helped dig up our potatoes, too.

As I planted the cannas, I thought of Bob.

Those cannas are lucky. They have a new life this summer all because of Bob.

Now I wait for rain and new sprouts from the fields and from my flower beds, and more memories of Bob.

A Winter Bloom in May

May 11, 2020fun, gardeningsusanmanzke

I like having house plants blooming in the winter. Seeing the colorful blossoms and greens gives me hope that spring will soon arrive.

Because my husband Bob was so sick this past December and died in January, I had no heart left to put my bulbs in soil.

Finally, I felt sorry for my amaryllis bulbs. Without any fanfare, I plopped them in a pot of soil. Now they have rewarded me with their trumpet-like blooms.

I have them out of the backroom and set them where I can enjoy the pink blooms in my kitchen now.

There are more flower bulbs and tubers in my basement. These are waiting for warm weather when I will place them in the soil outside. My fingers are crossed that they will do as well as these amaryllises have done.

Next week the temperature is predicted to turn warmer, without frost. If that is true all the bulbs will come out of the basement and start their journey to summer blooms.

Things are sprouting

April 15, 2020food, gardeningsusanmanzke

I’m not shopping. Rebecca brings me my essentials.

There’s no fresh lettuce in my fridge but I do have a substitute. That would be alfalfa sprouts.

I’m growing these myself. I thought I had my trays spaced so I’d have a fresh one every third day. To my chagrin, I had four trays ready at about the same time, so I have plenty to eat.

Yesterday I had a yearning for a taco salad wrap. I took turkey, avocado, tomato, taco sauce, and tons of sprouts to make my lunch. The taco sauce made it extra special.

Good thing Rebecca left an avocado and tomato for me on her last grocery delivery.

Susan with one batch of alfalfa sprouts.

When the sprouts are grown, I keep them fresh in containers in the refrigerator.

Alfalfa sprouts are my favorite, not radish sprouts, they are too tangy for me at this time. Maybe I’ll try that mix of seeds again later.

So now you see how my garden grows, even with freezing temperatures and snow in Wisconsin.

Spring Greening

April 11, 2020gardening, naturesusanmanzke

There are a lot of flowers getting ready to grow and bloom on Sunnybook farm.

All the photos were taken here today on Sunnybook Farm.

The joke is the rose. It is growing here, too, but inside. A small rose plant I saved from last Mother’s Day.

I can’t wait to see actual roses blooming, along with poppies and tulips. It looks like it will take a while before that will happen.

Winter weather is predicted to return tomorrow night and into Monday. Let’s just hope that the amount of snow that falls will only be an inch and not ten inches.

Happy Spring!

March 20, 2020gardening, Sunnybook Farm, Weather, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

It’s still March in Wisconsin, but officially spring is here. It arrived late last night, so this is the first full day of spring.

Other springs haven’t been so cold. Some years spring came too early and messed up the blooming of our apple and pear trees. The blossoms came and then came a frost. That was the year without fruit.

It’s hard to say what weather will come next, but no matter, you can’t do much about the weather.

We can look forward to better days. I’m positive those will come, too.

Patience is what we need.

Flowers from another first day of spring on Sunnybook Farm

Dance, even if in your living room. (Our dog Sunny thinks I’m crazy when I’m dancing around the kitchen, but that’s okay. I got him to move, too. He followed me around from room to room trying to get the treat I offered him, so he was dancing with me even if he didn’t know it.)

Have a good first day of spring.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person