Photo: Andrew Montgomery
Spring is here! The leaves are opening, the wild hawthorn is in bloom (if all goes as planned, you'll see some of these white-puffed branches come Friday) the lilac buds are still tight, but promising, and the lawns have been mowed twice in the last handful of days. It all feels fresh and exciting.
We welcomed with gratitude the offering from the moisture-laden skies last week, but oh how good it is to finally see the sun! Ongoing internet/blog platform difficulties, aside, I couldn't help but give my best effort at posting something for you this morning. Though the photo isn't mine, nor is the garden, it may help you to imagine this very thing was happening in my own garden just yesterday, with wheelbarrow and tools aplenty.
Turn the soil, prepare the beds, so when I have that five or ten open minutes, I can dash out and plant the peas, cool-weather greens, and maybe even some radishes. Walls O' Water are on my list to get set up in the tomato bed this week so they can begin to warm the soil beneath for tomato plants. I'm determined about those tomato plants this year! Right this minute, trucking across the country to my neck of the woods, are these soaker hoses, for the perennial beds around the house, and this sprinkler for the garden.
After rooting through my collection of garden seeds a while back, it was clear that I won't have to buy any seed, save for some kale and maybe more carrots. Use what you have and all that. And as far as ornamentals go, I saved a coleus plant from my flower pots last year, which has in recent weeks gone bonkers in the little house (out of hand, truly). I'll soon trim it down to size and propagate the cuttings for this year's flower pots.
In the herb garden I found oregano, chives, thyme, sage, and tarragon all coming back (thrilling!), and in the next bed over, the volunteer spinach was enough for a dinner salad last night, spiced by the green of an onion from last year's patch. These early harvests certainly douse the gardener with anticipation of what's to come.
How about you, friends? How is spring looking where you are?
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