Monday, April 2

Note to Caroline:Very Late Start this Year


Hi there. Unlike your amazing burst of unusually warm weather we are in the running for having the wettest March ever. Not sure if I am using this as an excuse, but this is my first day working in the gardening this year. My back is already killing me and all I did was take a good look around, removed some burlap and used the hoe to chop down some cover crops. The photo above is the bed I covered with burlap over layers of green and brown plant materials in the fall.  You can't tell by the photo, but the soil is totally satuated. I also found lots of critters who have seemed to make the burlap coffee bags a cozy home.

Here is the cover crop I planted in the fall. I did notice that I don't have beds upon beds of weeds to deal with. Because of this I think I will grow a green manure or cover crop every year. I might put in a spring cover crop too.

Here is a photo of what they suggest to do with the cover crop Rye. I
Chopped it down with the hoe and tried to get it into the
soil. According to what I have read the bed will be ready in 2 weeks to plant.

Here is some over wintered Chard.

My Parsley looks pretty healthy


A messy bed. It does not look wet, but right now I think it is too wet to work. We have a week of weather in the 60's and not as much rain as we are used to, so my goal is to get the lettuce, potatoes and peas in the ground if the soil dries out a little more.

Doesn't this look pretty?I found this lettuce tucked away from some seeds that must not have sprouted last year. How is your garden doing? Last I heard you were going to plant  peas and potatoes too. It seems strange that we are planting at the same time of year, as usually I am way ahead of you, but then you catch up in June.

What to do when it is just too Darn hot to Garden?

It has been a very hot summer everywhere. From what I have been told it is normal to get 100 plus days from the months here from  May to Oct...