Tuesday, April 13, 2010



Once again the night was cold, -4,4C (25F), and all things outside were covered with a thin layer of frost. It´s still a long time until we can sow anything outside up here in the north. But if we like me wants to grow our own tomatoes and don´t have a green house, tomatoe plants are now taking a lot of space in our kitchens or other places that can fit until we can place them outside.






Most of us that grows our plants inside like this usually have troubles because the plants grows to fast, they get thin, long and unsettled. Usually it´s because we have to little light in comparens to how warm it is inside. The best thing is to get more light to the plants, naturally we can lower the temperature too but most of us doesn´t want to be freezing indoors :-) There is however another way to keep the plants short and steady. They have found out that if the temperature is a couple degrees higher during the night when it´s dark than it is during the day, the plants stays shorter and steadier. More and more nurceries are now using this fact, instead of using hormones or chemical stuff to keep poinsettias short and stubby they now use temperature to do the same thing.


My redberried Elderberry is way to early to be honest, it´s realtives in the forest has not opened any buds yet. But this one still belives it grows somewhere in southern Sibiria.

The flowerbuds on the hawthorn are also covered with frost. I got my first ten berries on this little tree last year. They are delicious! but a bit difficult to pick because of the nasty thorns :-)

The coldfront with clouds that should have passed during the night is a bit delayed and is still placed over my little cottage. But I can see big holes in the clouds now so we will have sun within a couple of hours at the most.





It´s only two days left until we have to change tires on our cars, that is if we have snow tires with studs. I have that. I also need new summer tires to be honest and I thought I had till the end of the month to get new ones. But they have changed the law and most of us had no idea about that. So now I have to order new tires and get them changed, but the problem is that all tire firms has a long que to do this now (as usual most of us are really late to change tires :-) :-)  ). So I have to put on the old ones and have them for a couple of weeks until I can get new ones. Well I could have worse troubles in my life, but it is a bit annoying anyway :-) :-)


I wanted to show You my cattleya again now when the second flower is open. The other one I bought didn´t open up completely, but next time it flowers it will be beautiful.

Now it´s time for a cup of coffee. I forgot to buy tea yesterday and I´ve decided not to do anything exept for being at home today. But tomorrow I´ll have to go to the store because then I´ll be out of coffee too :-)

Have a great day now!

20 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

hi christer...this is when you can really see how far behind with the season you are. my maple is almost totally open and everything is green here. we desperately need rain and are supposed to get a bit today which will make things open even more!we are going to have more hot weather and then i think we will finally go down to normal spring weather. i sure hope so. we've hardly had any spring yet. have a good day and ration that coffee! joyce

Anonymous said...

Out of coffee? Out of Tea? You are really screwed this time. Better get that new leg up to speed and hit the store for tea, candy and don't forget the dark beer! Lovely flower photo and I see both kitty and dog are out on the walk. It can't be that cold. Is that a back wiper on your car? My, My how fancy. You have a great day without tea or coffee. Drink some beer instead.

Sharlene T. said...

I'm going to steal that temperature thing for my little tomato plants I've just seeded. Thankyouverymuch! It won't be long, now, and you'll be enjoying fresh veggies. Hang in there, but don't catch another cold.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Joyce!
Here it´s only my elderberry that shows something at all. Everything else knows it can change over night. But I think this is quite normal weather for the season now. If I remember right last night with risk for frost usually is around june sixth here.

I hope You´ll get rain soon. An early drought can destroy a whole growing season.

I´ll rasion the coffee :-)
have a great day now!
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Z&M!
I think I´ll have enough coffee till tomorrow, but then I really have to get to the store! I might skip the candy though :-)

Well these cold nights are as they should be here now, I may not like it but it is normal :-)

Yes it´s a back wiper :-) We really need it here especially during winter when they poor out salt on the roads. Without it I can´t see a thing through that window :-) :-)

Have a great day now!
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Sharlene!
Just remember not to have any lights on during nights then. It works I do it myself.

Last night with risk for frost here is around June sixth, so it´ll take some time still. But I will be able to put out my toamtoes and tomatillos before that as long as I cover them with something during cold nights.

I´ll stay away from the colds, I have had enough of them now :-) :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

Valerie said...

Hi Christer.

Thank you so much for dropping by and leaving your kind comments. Yes, you are right, that little church is so beautiful, primarily because of its simplicity!

I loved the tip that you shared about growing the tomato/seed plants indoors and raising the temperature at night. I didn't know that...I swear I learn something new each time I visit your blog.

Hoping your "spring" arrives soon...25 degrees F at night is much too cold for me! HA! But, 83 degrees F in April is a bit too warm too...that usually doesn't happen until May in Kansas...so early April is early! Hoping that doesn't mean a scorcher of a summer. Being pregnant during the summer months is hard enough without dealing with 100+ degree F temps in July!!!

Hope you get some coffee and tea soon!

Val

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Valerie!
Quite a long time after I closed my gardencenter I still got the trade publications sent to me. So it was just two years ago I learned that trick. People are getting tired of plants dying just because they have been given retardation hormones8They usually give to much and the flowers dies after a while) So now they have started with this instead. Works quite well.

I´ve friends that been pregnant during hot summers so I understand if You don´t want a to hot summer.

Have a great day now!
Christer.

Terria said...

Your photos are beautiful, and I love the frost on the buds, even if it isn't so nice for the plants.
I hate running out of either coffee or tea too, because I drink bot every day.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi and welcome Terria!
Not even I can deny that frost on buds are beautiful :-) But I´d rather not have it :-)

Normally I drink coffee at work and tea at home, but now when I´ve been home for so long I drink a lot of bothe here at home :-) :-) But I will have enough today and tomorrow I´ll be off to the store :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Good morning Christer,

Thanks for your wonderful words of wisdom. Today we will leave home (without telephones) and drive to a favorite wildflower area where we will picnic and photograph and draw the wonderful spring flowers.

Thinking of you and oh, there was ice on our rental car window in Minnesota and the trees had not leafed out. Here in California it is shouting green and filled with flowers for a very short time.

Love,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Sharon!
I think it´s important to just let the world make it on its own once i a while :-) :-) My stress level has decreased significantly since I moved out to the country side, but I still refuse to answer the phone now and again just to keep my inner calm.


Tonaight it was even colder only 23F. But this is normal up here a bit from the coast. But I have to admit it was a bit of a chock finding that out. I´ve lived most of my life by the ocean and there frost were really rare now during spring :-)

I would have loved the Californian climate if we still could have the rain we have. Think such a climate would fit me perfect :-) :-)

Have a great picnic now!
Christer.

Anjas Hill said...

Innan jag tar min dagliga dos av ett glas rödvin, skriver jag kommentaren i ditt inlägg;))!
Cattleyan är superfin!
OCH! Jag gillade bilden med "tigern" på granen!
Hoppas att Shortian du fick av mig förra året har tagit sig./Anja

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Tjänare Anja!
Visst är den fin! Jag tror den andra kommer att vara lika fin, men den knoppen vägrade att öppna sig ordentligt. Blir bättre nästa gång :-)


Tyvärr kapade grannen ned ett skuggande träd där jag hade shortian förra hösten, så solen kom åt hela eftermiddagarna. Det räckte med tre dagars sol för att den skulle skadas så illa att den inte kommit tillbaka nu efter vintern. Det var jag inte beredd på, så nu får jag leta efter en ny och sätta den på ett bättre ställe.
Ha det gott nu!
Christer.

Katarina said...

Önskar vi hade blåsippor här - de slår vitsipporna med hästlängder. Har inte sett en enda vild blåsippa på många år.

Sharlene T. said...

BTW, I've awarded you the Sunshine Blog Award because I find your blog such a great way to start my mornings. It really keeps one in the destressing mode and I thank you for that. The catch is, you'll have to visit me to get it.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Tjänare Katarina!
Det är något speciellt med blåsippor och då är det inte bara för att de är mer sällsynta. Vi har inte så många här heller egentligen. Det finns en stor grupp borta vid slottet dock. Brukar gå där på våren för att se om jag kan hitta någon som ser annorlunda ut. Hittills har jag dock inte hittat någon.
Ha det gott!
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Sharlene!
You´re to kind!
I´ll pop over to Your blog then :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Hi Christer, I am so used to you drinking tea and imagining you and coffee is strange.
I am the coffee drinker in our family as everyone else is hooked on tea. My daughter, MaryCarterlovestea. Makes me smile.
She wants to own a tea room and is planning on opening one next year.
It is her dream. I hope she is able to realize it.

What are those white things that look like huge ice cubes? I saw the frost on your car windows...yikes..looks cold!!
Buy some tea! :)
Mona

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Mona!
I too hope Your doughter can realize her dream! Think it´s great that she might open when the economy is getting better too!

Those white things are actully silage balls! When they cut the grass on the fields they make rond balls out of it and covers it totally with plastic so no oxygen can come in from the outside. The grass then sort of forments for a bit and makes the grass even more nutrisious. Much like when we milk permeate vegetables.

I bought two big bags with tea yesterday :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.