April 18, 2013

Spring Has Sprung & The Garden Has Too

Apple blossoms

Fall planted lettuce & multiplier onions. Barely to be seen in the
foreground, Red Detroit beets. All are from saved seeds or bulbs.

Egyptian Walking Onions are doing well their 2nd year. 

Spring planted cabbages. I just planted Red Norland potatoes here too &
mulched with compost. The ground is really too wet, but rain is forecast.

Fall planted parsnips in the front, garlic behind.

Wando peas ready to be trellised

Strawberries. So far so good.

Also planted so far:
  • Fordhook Swiss chard
  • Jerusalem artichokes
  • Chioggia beets
  • Bucklunch sugar beets
  • Jericho cos lettuce
  • pak choy
  • radishes
  • flax (for seed)

Transplanted:
  • asparagus

Herb seeds in egg cartons (starred ones are coming up)
  • catnip*
  • bergamot
  • marshmallow*
  • Joe Pye weed
  • narrow leaf echinacea
  • wormwood
  • sweet woodruff
  • bush basil*
  • sweet basil*
  • anise hyssop
  • creeping thyme
  • valerian
  • flat leaf parsley
  • summer savory
  • skullcap

And more to come......

25 comments:

The Squirrel Family said...

Wow thats very impressive , everything in my garden is still fast asleep

The Cranky said...

Look at you grow! Your garden is so far ahead of ours.

Kris said...

I could almost smell those apple blossoms. Beautiful. Can't wait for my crabs to bloom.

Nina said...

Jealous here! We've still got weeks to wait before we can plant the main part of the garden. My garlic is only up an inch and our crocuses have just started blooming! Nice to be able to live vicariously through others :)

Leigh said...

Squirrel Family, I've been experimenting with fall versus spring plantings of cool weather crops. The fall planted do go dormant, but wake up nicely in the spring. The spring planted seem to be hit by hot weather before they can be harvested.

Jacqueline, the trade off is our stifling hot summers!

Kris, do you get to harvest those crabs? I planted a crabapple about a year and a half ago, and this year it's flowering for the first time. I think it's still too small to get any apples yet.

Nina, when we put all the parts of the world together, we get year round spring. :)

Brenda said...

My crocuses are all up and my tulips and hyacinths are still making strong efforts. I've never heard of "Fall planting" vegies like; rutabagas, garlic etc. Could you humour a flower Gardener with a brief education? I love the idea of getting these going in the fall but also wonder if they would be o.k. here in Oshawa Ontario.
How's that very due to deliver Momma Goat of yours?
Cheers from Oshawa Ontario.

DFW said...

Wow Leigh,

You have been very busy! All your plants look great, especially the strawberry plant. Can't wait to get some of those in the ground.

Michelle said...

Some light planting here, but still waiting for the first of May, when the chance of frost is at its lowest. You are seriously on top of things!

Anonymous said...

Very lovely.....Spring....YAY!!!! :)

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

I'm happy to hear your having a wonderful spring. Our spring hasn't been really nice lately. Between the cold and the storms gardening has been almost a bust. I'm praying for the opportunity to be able to really plant this weekend. Your vegetables are looking really good and extremely healthy. How are the goats doing?

Michelle said...

I'm chomping at the bit, but we are still having freezing temps about once a week. Tonight's low is forecasted to be 29, and tomorrow night is much the same. Enjoy all the fresh, green goodness!

Leigh said...

Brenda, in Ontario, I doubt you'll find any fall and winter gardening. I'm about 800 miles south of you, which means the ground never gets truly frozen hard. We get below freezing most winter nights, but it rarely stays below freezing during the day. If I put a heavy mulch on my root crops, I can harvest them all winter long. I've done well with kale and collards too. Next winter I'd like to see what a hoop cover can do.

I'm expecting Ziggy to kid next week!

DFW, I can't wait for strawberries. Hopefully the birds will leave us some!

Michelle, I'm trying to be. Last year the kitchen took up all my time so this year I'm making a concentrated effort to getting back to gardening.

Pam yay indeed!

Sandy, I confess I'm doing some planting in the mud.

The goats are doing well. Alphie is growing at an amazing rate. Surprise is still mad about Ziggy getting "her" stall, and Ziggy will kid within the week. :)

Michelle, it's hard waiting on the end of frosts and freezes!

Bridget said...

Gosh! You've been busy. Everything looks so healthy too.

Renee Nefe said...

As soon as Robin Hood is over (this Sunday) I'll start some seeds inside. It is still too cold outside (we had a blizzard on Tuesday!) to plant out doors. I think my poor fruit trees are toast for this season. :(

wish I could come to your garden!

Ellen and Adrian said...

Silly to admit that I have walking onions and have no real idea how they're supposed to be used! I usually wind up completely forgetting about them. Could you enlighten me please?

Mama Pea said...

Oh, my gosh! Your garden is really coming along. It's so nice to see your pictures of greenery and blossoms emerging. We're getting more snow (after 2" last night) as I type . . . up to 8" more, they say. (Garden? What garden??)

daisy g said...

Whoo-hoo! Your garden is growing so well. You'll have plenty to eat!

Leigh said...

Renee, I'm so sorry about your fruit trees! If we can escape a late frost, mine will probably do pretty well.

Ellen & Adrian, use them just like regular onions. :) The biggest and best of them can be saved to be planted the next year. It's great because it means onions every year.

Mama Pea, I do not envy your snow! On the other hand, I doubt you'll envy our sweltering heat in a few months!

Daisy, here's hoping it continues as well as it's begun!

Sherri B. said...

Your apple blossoms are so pretty. Our apple trees haven't gotten there quite yet, can't wait though.

Love all of the photos of your garden, you really have a great start already..yeah! xo

Anonymous said...

It looks fabulous Leigh!

Unknown said...

Yay happy to hear Spring found you. Your garden looks awesome! I have just finished harvesting most of my cold veggies and picked a truck load of kale, yum. How is Ziggy no news?

Leigh said...

Bridget, I just realized I missed your comment, sorry! Yes, I've been very busy. :)

Sherri, thanks! Hopefully no late frosts will kill them. That's a potential problem for us every year.

Stephanie, thanks!

Jen, me too! I'm thinking, though, that my spring planted cool weather veggies won't have much of a chance before hot weather sets in.

I think Ziggy is getting close! The kids have dropped and today she lost her "plug." That could still mean several more days, but at least I know to keep an extra close eye on her.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh Leigh!!!! You are so lucky!!! They all look amazing! I live in the high desert and it's very hard to grow in the soil I have! Plus temps are so cold at night still that it's hard to grow anything now! :( I'm so jealous and amazed at your energy that you always have! Thanks for being such an inspiration! :) have you published your book yet? Can't wait to buy it! So amber

Anonymous said...

I swear, if I didn't have 3 little ones at home, I would make arrangements to come and visit and help you work for a few weeks so I could get hands on experience with gardening!!! I wish so bad that I was your neighbor! Everything you do is so interesting to me! It's incredible how much you have learned....about everything!!!! Xo amber

Leigh said...

Amber, I don't know if I'd make a very good "tutor" for gardening. I'm too hodge podge, LOL.

Thanks for asking about the book. The last chapter and conclusion have been sent off to be proof read. On my end, I'm currently adding page numbers and finishing up the front matter and index. Adding page numbers to the index will be a pretty big chore I think. Other than that, and designing the cover, I'll do an aloud read through to make sure nothing weird pops up. Then, I think, it's onward with getting it to the printer. :)