I did get some early red potatoes in by St. Patrick´s Day. But the forecast is for rain and frost next week, so I´m not too worried about the main crop yet.
Sowed parsnips, carrots, spinach, red lettuce and peas. Planted some baby rhubarb that miraculously survived the winter in their little pots. And transplanted some thriving parsley that was in the way of the new raised rose beds. The good news is the veg beds are really easy to turn over after all that digging last year.
Someone please send me an email next January telling me I don´t need more bare root roses. Not that it will do any good, I suppose. The beds are double dug, a layer of horse manure and leaves, topped with the original soil and amended with bagged manure and worm castings. Using the many, many rocks for drainage channels, to keep the plants from having wet feet.
Ghislaine de Feligonde is in a big pot on the northeast side of the house where she gets sun from about 9 in the morning until about 2 in the afternoon, in March. She should get to about 10 feet.
The beds from last year are coming to life. Including a mushroom that hitched a ride on the leaves I picked up last year.
Hyacinths are still blooming.
And the azaleas are starting up. Hope the chilly weather doesn´t do them in.
And now I´m going to have a Guiness or three.
Well deserved! Good to see progress
ReplyDeleteHi Coco,
ReplyDeleteI really like how the soil looks where you've added the manures. It looks very rich. And the stone work is just beautiful. I hope you are getting your seedlings going inside and ready to plant? It is tomato central here now! Yum!
Rats are a problem in firewood as they make winter nests out of the bark. And the chickens are a problem aren't they for all of the reasons you mentioned. Chickens almost feels as if it is a compromise on all fronts, sort of solution? Dunno. I constructed a hutch and enclosure and then tore it down and rebuilt it using everything that I'd learned from the process. Many things are like that.
Chris
Thanks GZ! I always overdo it early in spring. Am looking forward to a bit of a break.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
The amended veg beds are much, much better now than last year. Whew. Nowhere near peak rocks down where the roses are going. I had to lever a few out with a crowbar.
I have a lot to learn about seed starting, last year was pretty disasterous. But with no grow lights, or heating pads, or hoop house and iffy sunlight, we´ll see how it goes this year. Fingers crossed.