more things growing

Peas are coming up!

and turnips. 

The only thing that hasn't grow yet now is my carrots.

But lovage is resprouting

and my purplish hellebores look nicer than ever

My biological marker is blooming in the landscape: forsythia. 

So it's time to plant lettuces and the other cold-happy ones. 

As you can see in the photo above, half of my lettuce trays did not germinate. I didn't get any crisp mint, grand rapids, ceasar/romaine cross or 'leaf' lettuce (saved seed from I didn't really know which plant). So those packets will be getting tossed. Most of the other trays grew plenty of each, though my chards have been looking rather sad- collapsing stems- 

I think really they do better planted straight in the ground. I pricked them out first, swiss chard in bed 2

and leaf beet chard in bed 3.

Lettuces (they look so small!)

and tatsoi in bed 6,

collards 

blue 

and yellow, in bed 10.

Then realized I hadn't any spot for the tokyo bekana. I cleared straw out of bed 4 where the tomatoes are going to go, used the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket to mark rough circles where the tomato cages will be, and planted the chinese cabbage around them:

It's a good new start.

warming up

It's going to be 80° today.  My thyme plant is greening up

and the chocolate mint is showing new leaves

Out front the tulips were getting eaten by deer (or rabbits?) but I have been sprinkling cat fur (there's always a fresh supply around my house!) and human hair (likewise from my hairbrush) around the plants, and it seems to have stopped.

They don't touch the alliums growing in nearly the same spot. I have a nice row of those going partway across the front bed now, and hope to remember to divide some of the larger clumps after they bloom, to extend it further.

It's nice to see other things coming back as well- the clary sage and groundcovers-

the smaller lungwort I moved here in the fall- didn't dig up and transplant enough of the 'autumn joy' sedums right next to it though.

Guess I haven't lost that old habit after all, of walking around in the spring taking pictures of the same things over and over, because I'm so pleased to see them again. Still alive and well.

seedling progress

Two days ago my beets started sprouting 

along with something I wish wasn't growing- the sticks of virburnum I used as pea supports. Well, that tells me I could just shove trimmings in the ground to extend the hedge!

Tatsoi and tokyo bekana have grown their first true leaves- I'll probably plant them straight out into the garden (skipping potting up)

My collards,

chard

and lettuces all have first true leaves also. (Lettuces are not doing so well as the others).

Had a few mishaps already- I accidentally dropped two seedling trays facedown on the floor. Rescued these tomato seedlings and they seem okay after a few days- although now I can't tell which are the sweetie 100's and which are the black cherry tomatoes!

The other tray I faceplanted had chives and dill- they didn't fare so well. (But these I can tell apart).

So I made some mistakes, but here's something that's gone well: that patch of grass I sowed in the backyard where there's a sunken spot (in the fall). It's greener than anything! (see the surrounding "lawn").

I am honestly quite surprised. All these years I thought I had done well to mix grass seed with compost and ashes, or to scatter just compost and ashes to feed the lawn. This grew far better, and stayed way greener, and looks much healthier. Forget saving ashes for the lawn anymore. Pro mix and a handful of compost, on top of bare clay soil seemed to work! 

more protection

Cold nights, so I covered tomato seedlings with extra plastic cloche.

Didn't like the benches as barriers, so I made a wire box, and put the rest of the seedling trays inside an empty aquarium for one night.

The tools and remnants

and the wire box:

I liked that so much better that the next day I took some broken poles from my outdoor compost bin, and some straights sticks picked up off the yard, whittled off the bark-

and stretched window screen material over a frame to make this:

and then used a saw, nails and wood glue to make a similar open-bottom box out of wood scrap:

So now all my seedlings are protected thus:

The cats have not bothered them yet 

and during the day when the plants go out into my little greenhouse I stack the cages off to the side, so kitties can enjoy the bench in the sun.

protection

The temperature swings again- yesterday was warmer (I moved a patch of turtlehead and trimmed the euonymus) and today it's droping with thunderstorms, possibly tornadoes rolling through and then several nights of temps near freezing. I moved the few deck pots into the greenhouse again, and brought the seedlings back inside to the window space. Made the little cage easier to use- cut the clips off the bottom edge (that held it to the tray base before), took off the ties holding corners together down one side, so I can swing the whole side open. Shelves of cardboard.

The rest of the seedling trays, I put them on the long bench and laid two smaller benches on their sides around them.

Then covered with wire shelving piece. Very effective at keeping the cats off, and easy to reach the trays by just lifting off the shelving.

Though I don't like it because from the room side, I can't sit and admire the small things growing. So still trying to come up with better solution.

Leaf beet chard looks best of them all (quite a few of the tokyo bekana and tomatoes are kinda floppy).

sorrel leaves

One of the first things we've eaten from my garden this year: sorrel. Side to a pork roast (rubbed with honey and thyme). I like the combination of savoury/sweet and sharpness- almost sour- from the leaf. I also like to eat fresh sorrel with meatloaf.

snowfall

Yesterday it was 80°. Today it is snowing.

I moved my three pots of herbs on the deck into the greenhouse (which is still holding at 38°) and brought all the seedling trays inside. Some of them- the tatsoi and tokyo bekana- could probably be fine out there, but I prefer not to take chances. Not now, when I'm still getting back into managing the plants and taking care of all the tasks.

I put the seedling trays into shallow boxes and affixed wire mesh over, to keep my cats from messing with it. The wire is in narrow strips that used to cover my planter boxes on the deck railings (which I removed last year, they were cracking and sun faded and split apart) but it seems to be enough- kitties have stood up to sniff at it but not tried to jump on top or stick their paws in.

A few in the wire cage are under the bench too.

They are all safe from the cold and getting enough light (to survive), and in a few days I can move them back out again.