The Garden: Early Spring 2011

I need to start keeping better track of the garden and the progress (or lack thereof!) it makes each year.  Some things do well (BASIL OVERLOAD!) and some things just don't (carrots--BOO HISS!)  I'm always really gung-ho about writing stuff down at the beginning of the season, but as the summer wears on, I run out of space on my little "garden planner" sheet of paper, and give up making any more notes.  Now that I'm all "technological," I have no excuses.  So, this will be the place where I post pictures, make garden notes, and remind myself what to do and what not to do the next season.  And if nothing else, it will give me something green and (hopefully) bountiful to look back on in the dead middle of winter to remind myself what I have to look forward to in the spring!!

Here are the pictures of our "early season" so far....

February after prepping the garden:

First greens popping up

Strawberries that have been coming back for 5 years now! (Survived the move from the old house!)

Mint and lemon balm back...this year it looks like the lemon balm will be much more established.

First round of planting-some kale seedlings (S.) and some direct seed (D.S.) stuff...The big bushy thing is chives which come back each year.

Broccoli and cauliflower, which never seem to work, but which I insist on trying every year because we eat so much of it (the stuff from the store.)  I keep crossing my fingers that one year it will surprise me and actually grow.  I think this might be my last year, though.  It is taking up half of one side of a bed...which is a lot of space to waste.

This new box was created especially for my own personal stash of cut flowers and sunflowers.  Ken took over the other butterfly garden this year.  Apparently I'm not good enough at flower gardens.  I just like to throw some seeds in rows (maybe in clusters if I'm feeling daring) and see what happens!  So, now I get my OWN space for pretty stuff.  I'm cool with that.

About 2 months later....

This is why I love greens.  SO easy, survived a quarter inch of snow on top of them, and almost ready for a yummy salad!

Another thing I didn't have luck with 2 years ago, but I'm trying again: sweet peppers.  Apparently they are just really hard to grow around here, but we love them, so I'm giving it one more shot.  (I'm sensing a theme here...)  This time I'm putting them in a container to see if the problem was the nutrient content of the soil in my beds.  We'll see.  I know some things are finicky about nutrients, pH, etc. but I don't pay much attention to that part of gardening.  Maybe one day when I'm an old, bird-watching lady with nothing to do but test and amend soil.  For now, what grows grows, and what doesn't doesn't.

Round two of planting finished: tomato seedlings are in, on far side of boxes under red cages that you can barely make out.  Some other stuff planted as well.   Here's how it all looks from different angles: 

(Side note: the marigolds planted in the middle of each bed section are for pest control, not because I am terribly fond of marigolds.  Apparently bugs hate them, and since I've had no problems with crop-destroying bugs, I will continue to do it!  I'm wondering if the stink bugs will ever become a problem, and if they dislike marigolds too.  If that's the case, I will be planting them in my closets.)

The broccoli and cauliflower are getting bigger, and every year I get hopeful at this point.  But what has happened in years past is that I get enormous green leaves, and no actual crowns of anything edible.  So, I'll wait and not get excited this year.

You can see the four tomato plants in this pic...two in each box.

Wildflowers are starting to sprout!!!

As I told my friend Elizabeth, I get stupidly joyful over watching things grow (this includes children and gardens!)  At any given moment during this time of year, you can find me aimlessly wandering through my garden, straining my eyes to see if anything has popped up through the soil yet.  And when something has, I feel like it's a special little present that God has given me...to be able to grow some things for food, some things for beauty, and to partake in creating something with Him.  It's just so cool.  

For a complete look at what I HOPE we will get out of the garden this year, I'm attaching my new, technologically savvy garden plan...It will be much easier to read and edit now that it's all organized and not written on a dirt stained, water-logged piece of paper.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwBIk4GF8IXFOTNkOWY0ZjMtYjliNy00ZWQxLWFlZDEtZTE5OTMwOWZhM2Nk&hl=en&authkey=CLn6678B

PS: The blueberry and raspberry bushes were put in this year, so we don't expect a harvest from them for a couple years.  Kicking myself for not putting them in when we moved into this house, but we weren't sure we'd be here as long as we've been here!  Oops.