3rd week of March 2010

Bee in Crocus The snow is gone, I washed the kids' snow pants to put away for the season and I shed my long johns. I think spring is finally here and we are thoroughly enjoying the 60 degree weather. While doing her school work one morning our daughter declared that she couldn't think because the weather was so warm. I agree that it is hard to stay indoors when the sunshine is luring us outside to see what new things are popping up all over. Spring is such a beautiful gift after an especially snowy winter - thank you Lord! The children are keeping us informed of every new clump of crocuses and they even found a bee busy at work. The daffodils and other spring bulbs seemed to grow a couple inches overnight.

March makes everything in the greenhouse pop back into action. Our salads are getting bigger and we are enjoying fresh chives and garlic chives on dishes like mashed potatoes. A few lucky folks have even bought their first salad bags of the season. With the snow gone, I could go around and check the two dozen or so barrel halves in the garden. Some have lovely spinach and greens still growing but I found a group of them that had become a luxurious mouse kingdom over the winter. There wasn't a plant left in sight but there were plenty of tunnels and even a mousy castle built from straw and shredded paper..... I'll have to figure out a plan to discourage them from moving in next year.

Salad and Mashed Potatoes Even though most of the garden is still quite swampy, I was able to plant a small double row of peas to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The ground under some of the barrels was dry enough that I could just scratch a little and toss in the peas. I also planted some lettuce, mache, spinach and mixed green seed under a couple barrel halves. As things continue to dry out I will be planting more early greens in beds that just need a quick raking. Until then, there are plenty of seedlings to keep my busy. The broccoli is ready for transplanting to 4 packs, the main crop of tomatoes can be seeded anytime and I'm still waiting for the peppers to germinate. Meanwhile, I have a pile of upcoming talks to prepare and continue to be the unofficial "garden hotline" for local folks. Of course, I'll be needing to frequently escape outdoors to breath in the lovely spring air.