Thursday, February 24, 2011

Peas!


It's time, it really is time, to plant peas! Mine went in the ground on Sunday, and I am hoping to see little new pea shoots like these (from last March), within the next week. Tomorrow I plan to scope out some garden centers to see what transplants are available. If I find some I like, lettuces will go in the ground this coming weekend, along with lettuce seeds for later harvests. Beets and carrots to follow soon, and the garden is off and running. Hah! Take that winter!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Sunshine and sharing




I really needed this weekend, especially the warm sunshine and breezes to dry up all the excess water. The hens got two treats: fresh straw down in the run for them to scratch and pick through while keeping their toes (and as a result, our eggs) free of mud, plus some beautiful kale and collard leaves that were perfect, but I decided to share anyway. I can't get over how round and healthy and beautiful they all look!

Now a bit of a dilemma: when I dumped all my extra seeds for greens into one bed early this winter, I didn't expect much. Now I have a beautiful bed full of mixed greens, but the ones that I like cooked are intertwined with the lettuce that needs to be eaten fresh. Guess I will be sorting as I rinse when I take my first harvest from this bed next weekend.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Turnip bouquet


The hints of warm weather and all the rain have boosted growth of those garden plants that sat quietly through the winter. My favorite this weekend was this beautiful bouquet of Hakurei turnips. Very sweet, with just a little heat, they have a short growing season, and tripled in size in the last couple of weeks. Also putting on a growth spurt are the Asian greens (pac choi and tatsoi) that are in my mixed greens bed. The baby pac chois are a good 5 inches tall, and just about perfect for harvest.

The biggest news though is the impact the slightly longer days have had on the hens. We missed checking the nest one day, as neither of us felt like slogging through the wet yard. When we got out the next day: 5 beautiful eggs!