Back to spring

For a few days it seemed like the weather here was going from winter to summer and bypassing spring entirely. I enjoyed the sun and warmth, but worried about the garden.  The hot, sunny weather (record-breaking 80 degrees a couple of days after the solstice) dried up the spring mud in the wetlands behind my house prematurely, and my garden was drying up fast too.
The spring rains fill the aquifer beneath my property, and it is the source of the well water that sustains us through the summer. Without the rains, and with such hot temps, what would be the consequences?  I thought of Australia, and Texas, and terrible, endless droughts.  Then I laughed at myself.  The weather may be weird, but it's not that bad yet.
And yesterday it was 50 degrees and  rainy, and I was happy.  The temps have moderated for a week, with even a light frost a couple of nights.  My spring crops like this weather, and so do I, in March and April.
Here's spinach getting it's first true leaves:

Sol and I walked in the wetlands this evening, and found deer tracks in the fresh mud:

They must have passed through at dusk, just before we walked. The smell of deer dries Sol crazy, like catnip to a cat.

Amaryllis success!

Last spring I posted about the 'Apple Blossom' Amaryllis that was blooming in my upstairs seedling room.  I challenged myself to keep it alive over the summer, and get it to rebloom this winter, rather than discarding it when the flowers faded.  This challenge was part of my reinvention as a more sustainable gardener.
Well, as the post title says, I succeeded. But there were surprises along the way.  The leaves grew large once the flowers ended, and thrived in the slightly shaded alcove by my front door.  In early summer they died back, and I put the pot in the garage and let it dry our during dormancy.  In September it began to grow again, and  I moved it out into the sun and waited for the flower bud to show.
But all I got was leaves.  Frost was imminent, so I brought the pot inside and put it in a corner.  The leaves died back again, and again I let it dry out.  I figured the bulb was regaining strength, and there might be flowers next year.
In late February I noticed a budded shoot emerging from the bulb.  I quickly watered it and moved it into a sunny spot.
The flowers are now open, and they are just as big as last year! And there is a side bud forming-- in a couple of years it could produce another flower stalk.  Just another reminder that even in our fast-paced, results now world,  patience is  still rewarded.

Summer, er I mean Spring Frenzy

Yes it is officially Spring. Last year we had snow March 21, tomorrow is expected to be in the 70's!
I'm using the great weather to do a frenzy of work in the garden  -- I'm "seizing the day and throttling it" as Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) used to say, with accompanying picture of him covered in dirt and blood.
Here's some pics of what I've done-- I'm too tired to write much.
I spray painted my garden tower blue.   I will grow only beans on it this year-- the morning glories took over last year, ans I vowed not to make the mistake of planting them with beans again.

I also brought home truckloads of mulch and compost. A tarp under the load is my secret for easy cleanup.  The mulch went mostly on paths in the garden, the compost topped off the new asparagus bed, which is now ready for the mail order asparagus crowns.... due here any day. 

And I fenced off  my older 16 ft bed, which made Sol sad, because he liked to lie on it. Then I put in a pop up fabric covered tunnel and planted kale, bok choy and purple sprouting broccoli under it. Take that, you cabbage moths.

I also manured beds, cut back perennials, weeded, and even cut some grass ( I can't believe I had to cut grass in March).  Now it's time to relax, so this post is done.

The Sound of Spring

Listen to this for the sound of frogs-- we call them 'spring peepers', but it is actually several species- calling from the pond across the road from my house.  

Yeah Spring! Spinach and garlic and chives and rosemary and chard, oh my.

So last week we had snow, but it did not last long.  Here's a pic I took before I left for work.

 By the time I got home it was melted.
Meanwhile, I planted spinach in the  coldframe on 2/26, and it sprouted on 3/5.

The garlic is sprouting nicely.

And the chives I started from seeds last year are now good clumps.

One patch of swiss chard overwintered.

And I even had one of two rosemary plants survive.

Meanwhile, I'm starting seeds inside-- more on that next post.

Digging towards spring

Yes, I'm ready to start gardening! The weather was warm enough last week to start turning over the soil in the new bed along the fence, and to begin to expand the edges of the shrub and perennial bed off the right side of the stone patio.  I plan to plant winter squash in the couple of feet of new curve beyond the arching cotoneaster. I 'm looking forward to vines wandering among the flowers.
The fence bed needs to be especially well dug because it is going to be planted with asparagus, a perennial crop. I was worried that it would be full of rock and roots (this is New England!), but  I only found a few, including this one I dispatched with my saw. Tree roots lack the flexible fibers of stems, and break easily, so the best technique for most smaller roots is just to snap them of with a sharp upward pull.

I also dug a hole and planted a ten foot high walnut branch ( a hurricane remnant) in the bed made from trex decking, then anchored it further by tying it to a metal post I pounded in next to it.  Walnut is a hard wood, and this pole for beans or morning glories (but not both together, because the morning glories will win)  should last several years.







I worked on the shape of the flower bed curves for quite a while, with Sol supervising.

Here's the curve at the end of the day. It was getting cold and very windy. I will look at the shape for a couple of weeks before I dig up the rest of the grass.  Although my raised beds are efficient and geometric,  I enjoy the whimsy and freedom of curves in the rest of the garden, and the art of getting them right for my eye.

Under construction-- A cold frame and a cedar raised bed

The weather is still mild.  I built a frame out of an old 12" plank and a piece of 6" cedar between two existing raised beds, laid a salvaged vinyl-coated window over it and made a coldframe.  I'm going to mix some manure into the soil and start spinach under it on March 1.

The gap on the right will keep it from overheating, and I can lay an old towel over it on cold nights.
I also learned that cedar splits easily, and so used coated deck screws, gently driven, to build my next project, a 16' by 4' by 12" cedar bed strengthened by 12" high  chunks of 4 by 4 pressure treated lumber.

It was almost dark by the time I attached the lower tier of cedar, which is the most precise part of the
job.  I'll finish the top soon, and then put sand under the 4 by 4's and level it before filling it with compost and topsoil.  This year I'm going to plant  this new bed  with tomatoes or potatoes, and next year I'll extend the fence to enclose it so I can grow the tastier crops (to rabbits, I mean)  like lettuce and peas.
I used three extension cords to get my old corded drill to the spot, but it did the job. Why replace it? It still works fine, even if cordless drills are all the rage-- god, I sound like a crotchety old lady!   -"Those young folks with their fancy drills"- but I'm just trying to spend mindfully.
Here are all the tools I needed: The screws even came with a drill bit.