Dahlia Day

The dahlias were sorted and planted today.  Its a lot of work and the thing is - after you get done sorting and cleaning

Dahlia tubers laid out per plan

and dividing and planting, and sifting your vermiculite and putting everything away ....

The sorting area

You cover it up and it looks like you didn't do a darned thing.

and under they go

The weather has been Junelike in the 80s and sunny.  I got the potatoes into their bags on Saturday May 7th.  The panels are on the first corn bed to warm the soil before seeding. I'm half tempted to harden off tomato plants but the cold frame is out of real estate.

Sweet Corn Bed

The peas, lettuce and carrots have been growing nicely but require daily watering to keep them growing.  I reseeded the second row of lettuce because it was at that critical point of germination right when we got that last eight inches of snow which either shut it down or froze whatever came up and it was a bit sparse.

 I have been putting the shade cloth back on the cauliflower broccoli cabbage bed every afternoon because we went from day after day of overcast skies to full intense sun and I don't want to sunburn the larger leaves.  I got my full summer tan in the first three sunny days.  Yesterday after four hours of morning sun and three applications of spf 50 sunscreen I gave up and put a long sleeved sunshirt on because I wasn't burnt but I was red as a beet.  It's HOT out.

And there is no shade to be found anywhere.

First and second planting of peas and lettuce
Carrots in foreground and potato grow bags in background

The tulips are looking spectacular.  The second and third varieties are opening but these big doubles look like red hot peonies.  They just glow.

Gudoshnik Tulips

Smaller are Parrot King tulips and Charming Beauty ready to bloom

The lawn is finally beginning to dry out so we can actually walk across it.  The backyard finally got fully mowed and then the ruts rolled out.  This corner is sometimes standing in water.

I have begun making the greenhouse rounds buying odds and ends for annual planters and herbs and such.  I've had a few things arrive in the mail.  Its about time to get busy planting out but things still have to be protected.  This year it is not from snow and cold but from sun and heat instead.

The Chilly Pear Tree has bloomed on three of the four grafted varieties and I am hoping for a good fruit set.  The new apple tree is breaking dormancy but it doesn't look like it has any blossoms on it so we will hope the pollinators find the wild apple trees in the woods.