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On Biting Off More Than You Can Plant

December 3rd, 2011

I mentioned previously about all the spring flowering bulbs I purchased. I’d been faithfully planting a few hundred each day, whittling away at them little by little. Then I got sick and they sat in their boxes in the garage for two weeks, then it started to rain and they sat in the garage for a few more days.

Now that I’m back up and running, I’m a bit behind. I’ve been madly planting tulips for the last couple days using every spare moment of my too busy days. I’m planting almost all of the tulips on the back hillside which I can see from my kitchen window. This hillside has been languishing, half overtaken by some invasive honeysuckle planted by previous owners. I’ve been putting off doing something with it for far too long. After spending hours ripping all the honeysuckle out I started digging all the rocks out of the soil and loosening the soil so I could plant the tulips as deeply as possible (tulips will survive colder climates better if planted more deeply).

Since it’s such a large area and I’ve been working on it little by little, I’ve been using a straight stick to mark where I’ve planted to so I don’t accidentally dig up tulips I’ve already planted.

At first I was going to plant the tulips in a patten with the different varieties clumped together. I cut out the photos of the different kinds and taped them to a piece of paper so I could have a visual reference of what each one looked like. But then I decided to mix them all in one big box and plant them randomly where they fell. Most of them bloom during the same time period, so it should make for quite the show (you will of course be seeing photos of it next spring)!

Yesterday, afternoon I finished planting all the tulips in the big box and sat back to admire my work. Then when I returned to the garage I found 2 boxes of 100 tulips each that had been pushed out of the way. Guess that’s means I’m not as finished as I thought I was. Looks like I’ll be spending some time this afternoon digging a few more holes to get those last few tulips planted. I certainly cannot wait until spring to see the beautiful display from my kitchen window!

Have you ever had a gardening chores you never though you’d finish?

23 Comments to “On Biting Off More Than You Can Plant”
  1. daisy on December 3, 2011 at 7:46 am

    Wow! I admire your tenacity. I can hardly wait for spring to see how it all looks! Enjoy your weekend!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  2. Kathi Cook on December 3, 2011 at 7:57 am

    Wow, that’s alot of planting. I’m sure it will be so worth it when you reap the benefits in spring with the beautiful show they will put on. I thought nobody every finished their garden chores… that’s the essence of gardening.

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  3. Sonya C on December 3, 2011 at 8:09 am

    Tulips are my FavoRite flower, but they won’t grow here. I can’t wait to see them!

    Reply to Sonya C's comment

  4. Beegirl on December 3, 2011 at 8:26 am

    I’ve been known to do the same thing with daffodils..sigh…
    It will be so worth it this spring!!

    Reply to Beegirl's comment

  5. Allison on December 3, 2011 at 8:40 am

    *Sigh* My garden work is NEVER finished!

    I LOVE Tulips, they are my favorite! I can’t wait to see your pics in the Spring!

    Reply to Allison's comment

  6. tj on December 3, 2011 at 9:19 am

    …I see photos for 2012’s Chiots Run Calendar being born. :o)

    …Wow, that is a lot of hard work! I admire you for this as this is something I’ve always wanted to do but never without fail as the time for planting bulbs rolls around that is when we don’t have the funds. *sigh* I can’t wait for the opening show – it will be spectacular!

    …Garden chores done? Isn’t that an oxymoron? *giggle* ;o)

    …Enjoy your weekend!

    …Did Mr. Chiots get a deer?

    …Blessings :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Susy on December 3, 2011 at 9:37 am

      Yep, hopefully photos for the next calendar for sure!

      Deer? Oh yes, so far 4 deer in the freezer and hopefully one more!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  7. KimH on December 3, 2011 at 9:28 am

    LOL,, I think most gardening chores will never get done, especially putting foods up after picking..
    I’ve never taken on a planting chore of that magnitude though.. Oh to be young & tenacious again. ;) Im older & tenacious but its just not the same. haha.

    Im looking forward too, to seeing the glory of the bulbs next spring!

    Reply to KimH's comment

  8. goatpod2 on December 3, 2011 at 9:34 am

    I don’t do the gardening, my Dad does!

    Amy

    Reply to goatpod2's comment

  9. Misti on December 3, 2011 at 11:43 am

    You toil now but come spring it is going to be fantastic! We will all be drooling here!

    Reply to Misti's comment

  10. Mich on December 3, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    I bought a big sack of daffodil bulbs at less than half price…currently in the boot of the car!
    Guess what I’ll be busy doing next week ;)

    Reply to Mich's comment

  11. Angela on December 3, 2011 at 5:02 pm

    Wow! Your hard work will definitely be rewarded in the spring. Are the dark ones in the top row Queen of the Night? I planted those a few years ago and loved the dark purple color.

    Reply to Angela's comment

    • Susy on December 3, 2011 at 11:57 pm

      Yes they are Queen of the Night, I have a few in my front gardens and have great luck with them coming back year after year unlike other varieties of tulips so I planted more. I also notice that the deer do not seem to eat them, the dark color must make them bitter or something.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  12. Brenda on December 3, 2011 at 5:33 pm

    I cannot wait to see how amazing they lopk…

    Reply to Brenda's comment

  13. Sierra on December 3, 2011 at 11:20 pm

    I absolutely love tulips! I look forward to seeing pictures!!!

    Reply to Sierra's comment

  14. Amber J on December 4, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    What will you do with four or five deer?

    Reply to Amber J's comment

    • Susy on December 4, 2011 at 10:30 pm

      Mr Chiots usually tries for yearlings because the meat is tender and good. Each one provides between 25-30 lbs of meat. We also feed raw venison to our dog since she’s on the BARF diet.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  15. Becky on December 5, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    The stick idea is great. How do you keep your resident retriever from running off with it?

    Reply to Becky's comment

  16. jeannette on December 5, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    what company did you use for the bulbs? i’m about to order bulbs as well but i’m not sure with who yet… thanks!

    Reply to jeannette's comment

  17. Whit on December 7, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Biting off more than you can plant–ha! That about sums up our new house we’re hoping for. 5 acres, 3 greenhouses, and a feeling of “What in the name of all that is good and holy am i going to grow in 3!! greenhouses?” :)

    I can’t wait to see what your field of tulips looks like. It’s going to be spectacular!

    Reply to Whit's comment

  18. Nick on April 16, 2013 at 1:50 am

    I’m wondering if you ever posted a picture of the results, of the bulbs in bloom? I’d love to see!

    Reply to Nick's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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