Soil can now be worked

Guess who's soil can now be worked?
You guessed it....My garden is completely melted out and planting is under way!

Trying a "new to us" Open Pollinated Seed from Turtle Tree Seeds. You can click over to their link here: Turtle Tree Seeds Schweizer Riesen Snow Peas

and the peas that I had neglected to harvest last fall, have already begun to reseed and sprout themselves.

A bonus for me!!!

Inside the garden Gate

Oh..... the joy of opening my garden gate after the longest Winter ever!

I took advantage of this Sunday afternoon to plant some Poppy seeds and pull some spuds from the mini root cellar.

If you remember last fall...

I decided to try and store the potatoes in the ground through the Winter. You can read more about that here: Always something to be thankful for!

We never did get around to that piece of plywood covering before the snow came....We improvised and threw and old saucer sled on for a make-shift lid and a bag of leaves for insulation and good measure.

I am happy to report...It worked like a charm!

The spuds are perfect, ready to eat and exactly the way I left them last fall.

I also found a few surprises in the garden that have just freshly melted from under the snow...Turnips...Peas...and Onions!

2017 Gardening has officially started!

Melting

We are FINALLY showing signs of this yucky old snow starting to melt...

 Good riddance!

 A corner of the garden is peaking out and the chickens are just as happy as their gardener.

With plenty of rain in the forecast, the snow is sure to disappear.

Couldn't stand it any longer

 Glorious sunshine.... Oh, how I've missed you!

I just couldn't stand it any longer and had to shovel my way out to the cold frames. Although the snow is still knee deep, it was so worth the 30 minutes of shoveling!!!

I worked up enough of a sweat to take my hoodie off and soak up some much-needed vitamin D.

For me this marks the first sign of Spring...I look forward to cracking them open after a long Winter.

Worth the effort... I was rewarded with green things, beautiful green things... 

The quintessential color of March!

Four Seasons Lettuce

Tom Thumb Lettuce

Golden Acre Cabbage

 monstrueux de viroflay Spinach

and loads of tiny Mache'

She waits...........

This sweetest little garden angel and trowel melted out from under a blanket of ice and snow yesterday.

Like the gardener, the little angel waits...

Snow today and even more snow to come this week, we shall muster up a little more patience!

An old saying states, that if there is an abundance of pine cones on the trees before winter...It's a sign of a harsh Winter to come.

I don't necessarily think it's been a harsh Winter, but it has indeed been a rather long one! 

Cabin Fever is real.....People!

CABIN FEVER

irritability, listlessness, and similar symptoms resulting from long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter.

The above photos were taken this afternoon and the photo below was taken February 23rd. of  last year.

Poppy Fever

Last Summer I was bitten by the Poppy Bug.....and as a result, I ended up catching Poppy Fever!

If there is such a thing?

Here are a few of the Poppies and their seed sources, I plan on adding to my garden.

Fruit Punch photo source: swallowtailgardenseeds

Beauty of Livermere photo source: swallowtailgardenseeds

Danish Flag photo source :swallowtailgardenseeds.com

Pink Fringe Full Pom Pom  photo source: Shelley*

Scarlet Peony photo source: onestoppoppyshoppe.com 

Red & White Taffeta photo source:onestoppoppyshoppe.com

and.....That's not all!

• I also saved seed from my everblooming Tangerine Spanish Poppies
• Unknown Red Poppy seeds from my mother's garden 

along with unknown seeds a friend saved from her garden in shades of

• light pink
•  pink
• light purple
• purple 
• burgandy

13 different Poppies! 

What was I thinking???

Well, here's to adding more color to the garden this year!

Tokajer

photo source: https://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com

Tokajer Gaillardia aka Blanket Flower

Started this variety of Gaillardia from seed last week and they are already proving to be little Rock Stars! The seedlings emerged within a couple of days and are coming up strong! I'm looking forward to these beauties in the garden and I think the bees will love them too!

Can you feel it?

Find your Persephone Days Here

As of February 10th. the duration of daylight hours here in my neck of the woods has finally passed above 10hrs. 

While the daylight hours grow longer, I am noticing the changes in the growth of my starts... 

They can feel it too and benefit from the extra light hours.

Learn More about Persephone days here 

Little sprouts

It's mid-February and my little greenhouse is still well buried amidst the snow.

No heat in the greenhouse means we have to fire up the grow lights in the house to get a jump on the growing season. 

The Peppers, Petunias, Pansy, Viola and Onion were started mid-January 

A few lettuce varieties and spinach were started early to see what we could grow in the house for an early harvest with many more successions planned.

The onions starts are looking great and have come up good and strong this year.

 The Pansy and Petunias are taking their sweet little time and are supplemented by the heat mat

Tomatoes, Eggplant, Kale, Chinese Lantern, Gaillardia and more lettuce seeds were all started yesterday. 

We are full steam ahead and the growing season has began!

Seed line up for 2017

Gearing up for the 2017 growing season, I have finally put together my seed list.

Some varieties are tried and true and among my favorites to grow, while other will be new to me and my garden and might be a push for a short growing season.

Drum roll......

🍃BEANS

• BlueLake 274 53 days
• Royal Burgundy  55 days*new to the Beanstalk
• Gold Crop 56 days*new to the Beanstalk
• 
  
• Tongue of Fire 60 days

🍃BEET

• Chioggia 55-65 days

🍃BROCCOLI

• Green Goliath 60-90 days
• Waltham 29 85 days

🍃BRUSSEL SPROUTS

• Long Island Improved 80-115 days *new to the Beanstalk

🍃CABBAGE

• Brunswick 85 days*new to the  Beanstalk
• Golden Acre  58 days
• January King 3  90-120days
• Pak Choi 30-45 days*new to the Beanstalk

🍃CARROT

• Tendersweet 75 days

🍃CAULIFLOWER

• Sicilian Violet  68 days

🍃CORN

• Honey Select 79 days*new to the Beanstalk

🍃CUCUMBERS

• Boston Pickling 52 days
• Homemade Pickles 54 days

🍃EGGPLANT

• Shooting Stars 57days*new to the Beanstalk

🍃KALE

• Scarlet Kale   55 days  
• Dinosaur Kale 70 days

🍃LETTUCE

• Tom Thumb 47 days 
• Four Seasons 65 days
• Forellenschluess

🍃MACHE'

• Verte D'etampes

🍃ONION

• Ailsa Craig 105days

🍃PEAS

• Early Frosty Pea 60 days

🍃PEPPER

• Tam Jalapeno 70 days*new to the Beanstalk

🍃PUMPKIN

• Casper 90-95 days*new to the Beanstalk
• Squash Dickinson Pumpkin 100 days *new to the Beanstalk

🍃RADISH

• Cherry belle 24 days

🍃SQUASH

• Bush Zucchini 45 days

🍃SPINACH

• Monstrueux de Viroflay 28-50 days

🍃TOMATO

• Paul Robeson 90 days*new to the Beanstalk
• Rutgers 73 days 
• Pink Bumble Bee  60-70 days*new to the Beanstalk
• Black Vernissage 75 days*new to  the Beanstalk

🍃WATERMELON

• Dixie Queen*new to the Beanstalk