FEBRUARY 2022

FEBRUARY, the cold of winter, except last year, it was 65 degrees. A great day for a hike. We have discovered five or six deer stands in the woods. A great place to observe nature, with or without a rifle or crossbow.

As the avid gardener, I was stumped about growing plants in the red clay, sand and mica laced soil of VA (very sparkly and drains quickly). I collected 15 soil samples from various areas of the property and sent them to VA Tech to test. I wanted to better understand what to do with this mysterious soil.(Thanks to Karen Mc for the great hand trowel in the picture - it is my favorite.)

I then started seeds indoors for my first garden. The only space available was the window area in the laundry room, so we rigged shelves and grow lights.

I learned about the Virginia Master Gardener program, sponsored by the Extension Service, and decided I wanted to go through the program. 50 hours of study and lab class, then 50 hours of volunteer work to become a full Master Gardener.

Call me crazy, but I wanted both my real estate license and the experience as a Master Gardener – so I started both programs concurrently. I was able to attend an apple tree grafting class and grafted 6 new varieties for the orchard. I would be able to plant them in September. At the end of the month, VA Tech returned the results of the soil samples – there was much to do!

And Tim took another trip to St. Louis with the cargo trailer. Gratefully, each time he went, son Billy was there to assist with packing. Add to that, many times sister Barb helped, as well as fed them sandwiches (Ask Tim how heavy a box can be packed).

HUGE THANKS to Billy for always being there for his dad, and for Barb to feed the guys and help out packing.