Iris Blooming

Iris started blooming last week!

Lots of buds are forming on the back fence!

Planting today

I picked up some plants at Garden Thyme on Saturday.

This evening I planted four Brussels Sprouts, four Cauliflower, four broccoli some onion sets and 8 pansies.

I ate some butter crunch lettuce and three radishes. One radish from the starts inside and then two from the Valentine radishes.

 Onion sets

 three broccoli plants

one broccoli

Some of the sugar snap peas are popping up

Finally saw some sugar snap peas popping up in the box garden!

What's growing

The phlox are beautiful along the front walk.

The grape hyacinths are lovely under the oak tree and in the back by the bird bath.

The newest peas are not up nor are the potatoes.

Pear trees are all leafed out now. The redbud is still blooming. Some of the lilacs are starting to bloom. Daffodils are very done.

We have a freeze forcasted a couple of times in the 10 day forecast.

The latest starts in the egg cartons are coming up. The beets that didn't come up the first time are sprouting with the peas and potentially some other lettuce too!

Beautiful day to plant

A lovely day to plant today!
It's 10 days after St. Patrick's Day and I still hadn't planted potatoes, but today was the day!

I saw videos about potato towers. Though many of them didn't look successful. I thought it was worth a try with a short tower.

So here's my tower with two layers of potatoes. The bottom layer of soil came from left over hanging pots. Then the second two layers was compost that we took off the bottom of the compost pile in January. I didn't have any straw to put around the outside. For the first layer I mounded up wood chips. I then tore up a flour sack and used that as an outside lining. The potato variety is Yukon Gold.

I planted potatoes on the south side of the house too. I made four hills with some of the potatoes that did not have any eyes on them with some with eyes.

I planted some Little Marvel peas as well. Two short rows around the potato tower.

A few rows near the garage window on the south side of the house.

Two rows in the box garden that I had been using as the cold frame.

Two rows in the square garden that is not raised.

I also planted some dill between potato hills and some beets by the potato hills too.

For the peas I tried something different! I put shredded paper at the bottom of the rows of the peas. Reading about this, it is supposed to hold water. The shredded paper bin is empty now!

What's up

So my planting in egg cartons and then cold frame was not successful. Most of the things that sprouted there are not growing.

Other things that I have planted in the cold frame after I put in the egg carton things are starting to sprout. I've had the lid off for the last week since it was pretty warm and rainy.

The Feb radishes are coming up nicely and will need to be thinned soon.

In another box garden I sprinkled seeds for lettuce and some of those are coming up.

The peas are not up yet.

Lots of daffodils blooming around the house.

Cool spider web this morning in the fog.

Planting peas

This evening we planted a few rows of peas. These were Dwarf Gray or something like that. The seeds were purchased last year and have been in the frig for a year. (I think only a year.)

Yesterday we brought wood chips back from the recycling center. There are lots of twigs in the chips. We put some paper bags down and then covered those with the wood chips between the rows of peas.

The plan is reclaim the south part of the garden back to yard because it does not get afternoon sun. The soil needs a lot of work and without sun, it's probably too much effort to actually get something to grow there.

I did see a sprout of asparagus yesterday!

Planted in my make shift "cold box"

Planted on 2/20. It was a beautiful day. Put cover on Sunday night. Froze Monday morning and have a cover of snow on Wednesday.

Daffodils are up all over the house. Some tips just showing, on south side of house they are up a couple of inches. I really need to thin the ones on the south side of the house.

planted in egg cartons

On Wednesday boys planted two types of beets and two types of lettuce in egg cartons with soil. They are sitting in the south window of the living room.
I hope to set them outside this weekend some for some real sun.
If they sprout then I'll put them under the shower door in a box garden as my "green house".

Daffodil tips

Daffodils are up a couple of inches on the south side of the house.
In the back next to the fence, there are lots of daffodils up.
Next to the driveway, I saw the first tips yesterday, but not up close to the rain barrel.
Wood hyacinths have been up for a long time. Their tips are burned.