Every autumn, you wonder why you even need a dacha and a garden. You work tirelessly, and then it turns out the harvest isn't what it used to be, and there's something unfinished in the greenhouse, the house, the paths—in short, you're left feeling dissatisfied. Or maybe it's just autumn?
April has begun. Two weeks ago, I made my first trip out of town. I had enough strength, sinking knee-deep in snow, to paint the trunks of several apple, plum, pear, and cherry trees, and it seemed I should have started pruning, but I never got around to it—I didn't want to get soaked in snowdrifts again…
And now the snow has almost melted. We'll be heading out for a few days to thoroughly prepare everything for spring.
I'll need to continue pruning the trees, and if there's sunshine, I'll also spray them as a preventative measure. I need to spread ash and fertilizer on the snow around the shrubs and trees, and in the future garden beds.
I'll have to see how my favorite roses are doing under cover. By mid-April, I'll probably be able to take it off; I hope there won't be any severe frosts.
Now the greenhouse! It requires a lot of attention. Back in March, I made my husband repair it, washing it with baking soda. We poured boiling water on the soil, and sprayed the polycarbonate panes with a disinfectant solution. Now I need to dig it up with fertilizer and plant, under additional cover (Letrasil), greens, radishes, and seeds for seedlings—things I decided to grow in the greenhouse, since all the windowsills at home are already taken.
There's grape vines growing in the gazebo. I'll need to clear them of dry branches and leaves. Wash the windows in the sun.
Well, these are the first sketches for the coming weeks.
