Monday, May 1, 2017

Garden Beginnings





















The winter doldrums' are about to be over.  I look forward to this season every year, but it really is the kick start to our busiest time of the year.  Gardening season is knocking at my back door here in the Pacific Northwest.  Our family is just waiting patiently for the sun to come out for more than one day a month.  I say that tongue and cheek, but really I think we have had rain solid for the last 4 months.  Once the sun returns, Mr. Sunshine will warm up the soil enough to begin planting.   I have learned over the years that being patient while gardening is just one of the many character traits every gardener learns.

This year was a treat for us, because my friend Heather at Mountain Home Quilts invited the girls and I up to Crescent City to a little farm called the Dutch Gardener.  We piled into the car and drove the two hours over several patches of roads that quite literally scare the living daylights out of me to drive upon.  I happened to catch one selfie while stopped at a traffic light of course, and the girls were both engrossed in their reading.























That just meant that I got to listen to my 80's jam a little bit longer!




Our haul home included two rhubarb plants, because for some unknown reason, I killed off my gigantic rhubarb plant that I've had for 4 years, 5 marigolds, 7 tomato plants, 2 jalapeno pepper plants, basil, lettuce, celery, parsley, and a couple of assorted flowers and herbs.  There were thirty - 4 inch pots in the back of my van.  Somehow I managed to forget buying zucchini starts, to which my kids will be ecstatic!  They absolutely hate zucchini and all of the many ways that I try to hide it in their foods.

I had already ordered my seeds from Territorial Seed Company back in March.  We have had the best germination rate with seeds from Territorial.  It is most likely due to the fact that they are an Oregon based company with their seeds already acclimated to our wet, rainy and cold weather.




Back in March, the General Manager had 50 tons of manure dumped onto our front lawn.  This is what said manure pile looks like after it is hauled in the garden.  You'll probably notice the deep, deep ruts left in the lawn by the tractor.  These ruts caused said General Manager to kick himself for days.  Have no fear dear, it's growing back in nicely.  Soon we won't even remember how wet, rainy, dreary and overly saturated our front lawn really was!


HAPPY GARDENING!


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