Mid-Spring Update

Spring is the time for relocating, replenishing, eradicating and euthanizing various perennials.  I keep an ongoing list of what needs to be done, and while I am weeding and edging, I am also making adjustments to each bed.  I don't think my gardens have ever been in a truly satisfactory condition.  There is always something on the agenda.  While we worked on the beds this year, I was doing figures in my head.  We have approximately 392 feet of straight edges to cut, and another 75 to 100 feet of free form curves.  And 144 railroad ties edging drives and beds which have hatched out a fresh batch of slugs that need to be salted.

We have had a beautiful spring for enjoying bulbs.  I planted quite a few last fall, and looked forward to the first crocuses and hyacinths.

This is the bed on the far end of the raised bed garden.  I planted clumps of large daffodils, with day lillies in between.  I have a list started for more bulbs to plant this fall.

There are some volunteer pansies which I have transplanted and added to.

The garden peas are up.  These were planted very early and have survived a dozen frosts and a foot of snow.  They came out a bit flatter, but none the worse for wear.  Down the center is a row of radishes and carrots, too tiny to note.  Ironically, the only plants I lost to frost this year were radishes.

The garlic is doing very well, and the onions have been planted.  I STILL have onions from last year in storage.  I don't use many, but they have kept longer than I imagined. 

The potatoes have proven very persistent.  I got tired of covering them for each frost, and even though they burned back to the soil line, they rallied and are thriving in the warm weather.

I finally got around to crushing the two catnip plants I dried in the coop over the winter.  They yielded a suspicious looking two gallon bag full of weed leaves!

Mitey Mite is enjoying it immensely

The tree project is in it's last stages.  Tim and Mike power washed the garage which had mud flung as high as the scalloped shingles from the day the trees were felled.

Hooking up the water line involved more men in holes.

Here mike is telling Tim that he "drills like a girl".

We had a HUGE garage sale which took up three bays of the large garage, and six large folding tables.

People were really chomping at the bit to hit the sale circuit and by late morning on day two we were down to two boxes and a couple of small appliances to donate.  Our house, basement, attic, both garages and the garden shed heaved a collective sigh of relief as their dusty corners were relieved of a five year hoard of unused furniture, construction materials, collectibles, antiques and junque.

We earned enough money to pay for four sets of Trex lawn furniture which will set out in a new fire pit area Tim is planning.  They each have holes drilled for sunbrellas.

The cold frame has been put to use.  We aren't using the automatic openers, we're just propping it open each day.  I have some herbs and annuals started, and will soon be filling it with vegetable transplants.  It's greenhouse season again!

Before the snow storm last week, we hauled out these greenhouse panels leftover from a friend's collapsed commercial house two winters ago.  They kept the taters snug under the foot of heavy snow.  Now that the temperatures have warmed again, we added bricks and propped the panels up, two bricks high so air can circulate underneath, and the potato plants are growing like crazy.  They're almost ready for their first hilling.  I have seed potatoes for the other two rows, and as soon as things dry out again, I'll be planting them as well.