garden update

I thinned beets today.

I started replacing straw mulch on some of the beds- a very light layer, not even a half inch thick- will add more when the plants are bigger. Around the collard greens

and tokyo bekana

and chard.

I have a lot more peas now-

though still all mostly on one side (the left of the 'L' bottom edge- top half of this bed, viewed from the deck, is tatsoi and lettuces).

I didn't put any around the turnips- they still seem too small

some are rather close together but perhaps I will eat them young.

Two bunches of leeks are in the middle of the turnips. Came up on their own.

And a surprise in the greenhouse- on a whim I had stuck that sprouting almond in a pot, weeks ago. I'ts now growing leaves!

fixed

my coldframe. A temporary repair. 

All the boards across the back are rotting, so it was loose and wouldn't support the window lid when propped open. (That's what I get for leaving it outside in the weather all winter).

I just took off the top horizontal board, and the top half of the backstops/verticals. I thought there was not enough solid wood on the ends of the side boards for the screws to bite in again, but they're holding fine.

Put new vertical backstops on,

and now it is serviceable again.

Well, there is a gap on the back under the top board- I plugged it with a small plastic pane and a piece of foam. It will probably make it through this spring, then I have to replace more pieces or rebuild the whole thing entirely.

Not bad that this thing has held up for seven years! with one paint job halfway through. And I didn't buy a thing this time- leftover wood from other projects, tools we had on hand, even reused a few screws that came out of the rotted wood. Though my husband says when I really need to rebuild it, we'll go buy new, properly treated lumber to last longer.

something new

I've been wanting a long time to grow asparagus. Few years ago saw some lovely tall delicate ferny plants in a small local nursery- it was asparagus for sale, in pots! But wrong time of year to plant them (fall) so I went back in spring, and the nursery was gone. Closed. So disappointed. I asked at the other local-owned nursery nearby and they never carry asparagus. So I bought seed.

I should have mail-ordered crowns instead. The packet tells me it takes up to two months for the seed to germinate, to start indoors ten to twelve weeks before the last frost date. My timing is off. Should have done this in Feb. (Our frost date is supposed to be April 20 this year). Well, I have them now so still going to try, even though growing seed that takes a long germination period has usually failed for me. I sowed two small trays, four seeds each (three mature crowns would fit in bed 1). I put one in my usual seed-starting spot, on top of the fridge, and the other out in the greenhouse uncovered. The problem I've had in the past is either the seed simply fails or mold grows on the soil, from me trying to keep it evenly moist so long...

Happy outside to see more plants emerging- columbines, lungwort, cranesbill (wild geranium) and shoots of peony in the front flower bed. My crabapple tree is glorious with blossoms (I think because I actually pruned it some last year). Ajuga is budding, vinca (though I want to pull it all out) making tiny blossoms and turtlehead coming up. 

More growth in my pot of chocolate mint (though the parsley next to it is still very much dead).

All my young tomato plants, dill and green onions are staying in the coldframe now, easier to just put the lid on and off when the temperature shifts. Though they will still have to come inside a few nights before the frost date.

And my coldframe needs repair, but more on that later.

a few more seeds

started today. In indoor trays, parsley (harvested from my mother's plant, many years ago!)

and an ornamental grass. No idea what it actually is, or if it will grow, but I'm just going to see on a whim. 

My kid plucked a stem from a plant next to a parking lot this past fall, brought it home to play with our cats- (they were super excited about that). When I separated it out, 23 actual seeds. An experiment!

I also sowed directly outside, a few leaf beet chard and tatsoi to fill some blank spaces in the garden beds.

last to sprout

My carrots have finally come up! 

and there are more peas emerging in bed 6.

I had planted two varieties- on one side nearly everything has come up, and on the other side only about a third are germinating so far. I thought I would remember which is where but now I don't.

potted up

Dill

rocks and plants

More weeding, cleaning up the edge where fence line will go. Happily discovered that most of the nepitella I planted along the outside edge of bed 4, are still alive! The tiny leaves look velvety.

For years (it feels like) there's been a heap of broken rock on my garden bench- waiting for me to dig them in as a mowing strip around some garden beds. I don't know now, why that was taking me so long. I took a few hours to just sit down and shove them all into the ground, and then tossed the smallest broken bits as a mulch layer. Here on the short side of bed 1 against the house- cleared all the mock strawberry and purple dead nettle- dug in the larger stones to fit patchwork alongside each other.

And here at the end of the path between beds 2 and 3- where it's always muddy and soggy. Very makeshift but already I am pleased to not get my feet wet in that spot, and have a solid place to step right out from under the deck. As more broken rock becomes available (from my rock-collecting spouse) I will extend it.

Few days later I did my usual annual chore of lifting out some edging bricks to re-straighten a row. The left side of this path has been wonky for a long time. Of course it's still not perfect, but much better and I'm not embarrassed to look at it anymore.

Rainy today. I dug up and moved to the front mailbox spot, two borage that were growing in bed 1 (where I want to plant asparagus!) Really they are a bit large for transplanting at this point- with the taproot this is tricky- but I did my best and there are other seedlings coming up in this spot now so if they don't make it, no great loss.

edible

I used to eat the purple dead nettle from the backyard- but now don't make the only recipe I liked it in anymore, so pull most of it. However I took a blurry photo (the little white flower sits high on the stalk above rosette) to identify this plant which is all over the place in spring. When the flower heads turn into dry seedpods, they catapult the seeds everywhere at the slightest touch. 

I found out it's called hairy bittercress and it's edible! 

So I tried it. After plucking off only the cleanest, nicest leaves (no bug holes, mud or slug slime for me, thanks) gave them a good rinse.

I tried some fresh on leftover chicken and rice, some tossed into scrambled eggs and a bit more added to a soup, on different days. The name is a misnomer- you don't even notice the hairs (minuscule) and the taste isn't bitter- it just has a slight kick. Not as tangy as sorrel, and not quite so pepper bite as arugula. I liked it best with the chicken or eggs, not so much in the soup, though I haven't tried doing purée yet.

Oh, and my cat sampled some too: