Frist Weeding

I spend the entire weekend weeding my rows. Peas are coming along with only a few eaten by rabbit. Spinach is doing well thanks to fish emulsion. We cleaned out the chicken house also, so I have plenty of fertilizer now. Once weeded, I found swiss chard, kale, onion and leeks sprouting from the seeds I planted a month ago. All are very small. Maybe it was too cold? I also found a meal of bok choy which I ate last night. The bugs were going at it, and a few had bolted already. Bok Choy does better in the fall. I planted some carrots like Mike suggested, as well as radish. Tomato seedlings are growing their second leaves :) That makes me happy, last year they just stopped at seedlings and never grew their second leaves. We have been eating lettuce one week now. Isn't it beautiful!!!

Ditto

I might be a little behind everyone else, but like all of you, appreciate this time of year so much! I worked at weeding and repairing parts of the garden yesterday and will plant some today. Up closer to the house I have the things I like to grab for dinner: kale, lettuces and spinach, etc. In the big garden in back, the peas and onions are coming up. My passion is berries - I now have blueberries, black raspberries, red raspberries, and blackberries (new this year).

Every year I plant a couple of packets of sunflowers and none ever made it. Any suggestions? I'm going to try again this year - maybe make a cold frame. I saw a HEDGE of them one year out in the country and was bowled over!

Hey folks, I'm back! had a techno mental lapse, but thanks to Nance I'm fine now. I'd like to see that lettuce Lenore, sounds great! I've never had any winter over, but never used glass either...will have to try that. Plantin spinach in the fall is the way to go, I'm not kiddin when I say we'd have more hand size leaves if we wouldn't eat so much at a time!! Darkest green thing in the ground right now. Starting to transplant early lettuces and herbs that were broadcast in the garden first 2 weeks in March. Of the 7 different saved lettuce seed only 4 are surviving, the romaine germinated but didn't live thru the freeze we had 2 nites in a row only covered w/ straw.
I'd be glad to take some of the baby arugula off your hands Lenore if you've got plenty, its good to stagger the plantings cause that stuff will bolt pretty quick.
Put out a dozen kale, brocolli, lettuce plants since I last wrote. Peas are starting to climb the straw looking for the wire fence up higher! The sno peas looked puny at first (home grown seeds) but are coming around with a couple doses of manure tea, the sugar snap seeds from Buntons last year germinated better and are a week or so behind the snos.
We're in the dark of the moon now so I sowed beets just today and hope to get carrots in Mon if it doesn't rain too hard tonite. I sowed both last year at this time and they did well planted this early. Guess everybody has their seed for this year cause I didn't get any takers for what I had.
Can't leave w/o giving a wildflower update for those interested...this past week it was yellow and blue with the jacobs ladder still blooming along w/ the Virginia blue bells, yellow violets and wood poppies. Rue hangin on as are the spring beauties. This upcoming week should bring the meadow flox(blue), thimble flower(white), larkspur(purple), jack-in-the-pulpit is not far behind!
Happy Gardening everyone! michael

Nancy's Garden Update

This is the height of my snow peas, planted on Valentines Day. I hope to put the fence up today. Bunny has chewed on my regular peas - still trying to keep him out. The most impressive thing I have is a long row of lettuce~which I will cover up tonight through this cold spell. I have a little spinach, and put some more seeds in yesterday. My greens have not come up to well? May have to replant. I planted dinosaur kale, swiss chard and Chinese greens. I am starting my broccoli and cabbages inside. They will be ready to plant outside next week. Onions are doing well, and seed potatoes are ready to go in as soon as it dries out enough.

Lenore's Garden Update

I have peas up a few inches, spinach leaves the size of my thumb (planted under glass in Feb.) I have this beautiful lettuce, full grown which I planted last Sept. and kept under the windows. Also.....the wild arugula which I planted last summer, wintered over on its own with no protection!! It has taken over an area and I have plenty to share if you want to transplant. The seeds are heirloom which I got at Whole Foods. They are are avery hardy variety, smaller leaves and a spicier taste. Also my kale wintered over and is now producing wonderful tender leaves.