For the record....

• Tulips and Daffodils are blooming now.....
• Days still cold, but around mid 40 on up.....
• Heard spring peepers for the first time on Friday night
• Planting peas today!
• Garlic is greening up....
• Uncovered strawberries
• Cabbage from fall looks AWESOME!

Winter Doldrums cured by catalog shopping

I actually wrote this in the winter, but never posted.  Since this is my garden journal, I am posting now....just to have it documented!

Here is a rough view of my garden orders:

• Earth's Alive " 1 8330 FRUIT TREES ALIVE BUILD; 91671 MICROGREEN GROWING KIT;  ROOT CROPS ALIVE 3#"
• Garden.com Wigwam clips- 20
• Territorial Seed "Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry; Bingo Bean; Etna Bean; Harvesting Bag; Piccolo Squash; Pineapple Ground Cherry;Organic; Yin Yang Bean;
• Fedco Moose Tubers "7090 - Classic Keepers ( 12.5#) 1 x $19.00 = $19.00; 7130 - LaRatte ( 1.0#) 1 x $6.00 = $6.00; 7190 - Dark Red Norland ( 5#) 1 x $12.50 = $12.50; 7300 - Purple Viking ( 2.5#) 1 x $6.25 = $6.25"
• Pinetree Brussel Sprouts; GONZALES MINI ; QUICK START CABBAGE; COOSA SUMMER SQUASH; SPIGARIELLO LISCIA GREENS; DWARF BLUE CURLED KALE;MINERS LETTUCE (CLAYTONIA) ;VERMICELLI SQUASH; GREEN TIGER COURGETTE
• Henry Fields weed barrier, rhubarb (crimson)
• Guerny's: 25 asparagus crowns (Jersey King Hybrid)
• Peaceful Valley speedling trays

Winter silence is over - welcome GARDEN 2011!

If I had pennies for every time I thought about writing, I would be rich!  Today I am finally on to kick off the 'spring wave' and start to garden 2011!  If this season will be like the rest of the world events (democracy demonstrations around world, earthquake and tsunami in Japan.....) then this is sure to be a challenge.Wow, it is going to be an amazing year.  I have 16 new beds just built, a new asparagus patch, and big plans!  I also know that the stink bugs, extreme heat and other evivonmental variables have plans for me too :)

Here are some recent developments:

• Placed all seed orders by mid January
• Planted first seeds in cold frame on 2/20
• got a heater for my cold frame in February
• Early March my dad built 16 new beds, including a new kitchen garden!
• Daffodils are up!  I just saw tulips come up too!
• Very successful season teaching.  Featured on 11pm news, spoke at Master Gardener's meeting, featured in Loudoun Magazine, workshops sold out at Chicama Run, and presenting at the Loudoun Earth Day festival!
• JUST uncovered my garlic so I can grow! Many were yellow and crumpled under the straw

Things I need to do:

• get manure
• find straw source for paths
• figure out how to fend animals from the kitchen garden

I have more to write, but need to just get this posted :)

Asparagus!

So yesterday, March 20th, I planted 25 crowns of Asparagus!  What a feeling of achievement!  I actually needed more room that I had allotted, so I had to move my perennial onions that I planted in the fall into my new 'kitchen garden'.  One of the beds is a huge new 'lasagna' bed.   Essentially 3 feet of organic stuff from last season covered with 6 inches of soil.  The other bed, was a similar 'heap of stuff' last year, and is now the most magical dirt ever! It is FILLED with worms...Every handful had healthy worms working the soil, what magic....  Anyhow I used the 'lasagna gardening' method to plant them and it worked very well.  So only time will tell. I got these crowns about 3 weeks ago and had them in the fridge, so I hope they are still 'alive'.  I also saw my rhubard punching through, what fun this season is going to be.

As the first day of spring, I do need to mention how magical it is to be in the garden in the spring.  With no bugs, warm breezes, and no weeds to content with- it is pure joy!  I often forget how magical it is - wonder mingled with gardne dreaming....ahh.....

Anyhow- my seedings are doing well.  I had to replant some spinach, and beets...other than that the rest did well.  I also started some tomas, cukes and other things.  Yes I am risking it being too early, but I have water wells and small solar bells- so I am going to gamble this year!  Pictures to come...

Oh ... I also pruned the fruit trees and 2 weeks ago the berry patch was trimmed up!