What's Growing?

Besides, me, that is. . .

It's been a very cool spring, and I feel like I've hardly been outside at all. However, we did start our garden early in April, and there are definitely things coming up. The strawberries came up all on their own, although grass is starting to infiltrate. I keep meaning to do something about that, and then I think about how hard it is to get onto the ground, now that I'm so round.

We'll see how the strawberry crop does, without any help from me. This year, by the time the strawberries start ripening, I should have the baby. Last year, they were ready right at the beginning of June. I'm scheduled for my c-section June 9th, so I'm counting on coming home to some nice, ripe strawberries, even if they're a week or two late.



I still haven't put seedlings in my regular garden yet, mostly because it's been so cold. Last year, I planted them the last day of April, but it's still getting down into the 30s many nights, so I want to wait another week or so. For now, it's just spinach, carrots, and peas growing in my big garden. I haven't considered what I'm going to do when it's time to plant. You see, Greg didn't make any kind of gate to walk through, so you have to step over the 3 foot fence in order to gain garden access. I cannot climb over a three foot anything right now, so we might have to take the whole thing down just to plant the seedlings.

I did have to repot most of the seedlings, though, because they had totally outgrown the seed starting greenhouses I put them in, way back in March. They're still up in my bedroom, under the lights.

I guess they're doing alright, although I'm hoping to get them in the ground very soon. I planted peppers, tomatoes, sage, thyme, cilantro, parsley, basil, broccoli, and some other seeds I don't remember. Unfortunately, I've lost the labels once again, so I will have to guess what these plants are when they get bigger. I'm starting to learn just by looking at them.

I have everything planted in a hodgepodge of peat pots, old plastic pots leftover from things I bought last year, and empty tupperware containers.

My garden certainly isn't as ambitious as last year's project, but I feel good about what I accomplished, despite being pregnant. Hopefully at least I'll get some produce and herbs to use.

Gardening Update

We finally got the garden ready for spring on Sunday. Despite the threat of rain, we went to Lowe's and filled the cart with soil, compost, mulch, a new rake, and some anti-rabbit fencing. I'm determined to defeat the bunnies this year.

It didn't end up raining until after dark, and Sunday turned out to be lovely--it even got into the 70s. We added the good stuff into the soil and mixed it all up, and Greg put up the bunny fence. Do you think it will work? (Oh, how I hope so!) I'm so proud of how we all worked together to get the garden ready. Greg was really helpful, now that I'm getting bigger and can't lift anything.

I planted spinach, early peas, and tons of carrots so far. I also planted a bunch more seeds to go under the lights inside. I'm hoping we'll be able to eat some spinach this year, unless we have kamikaze bunnies who try to jump the fence. Last year they ate every single morsel of spinach.

Oh, and remember when I had to rake leaves with a snow shovel, because we didn't have a rake? Not only did Greg buy a new rake, we also found a little man rake for Nick. He loves it, though he hasn't mastered the art of actually raking quite yet. But he's trying.  :)

Desperate times call for desperate measures

I was determined to plant some of my seedlings tonight. Nicholas was determined to prevent me from doing so. . . even to the point of stealing my shovel. This boy loves the dirt already.

I got home from work around 5 p.m., and I decided that today was the day. I have been meaning to put some plants in the cold frame and in the rest of the garden, but I Greg hasn't been home in the evenings to watch Nick. Today I figured I'd better improvise. So I had to resort to desperate measures. I got out the baby leash, and wrapped it around my foot while I planted seedlings. Is that crazy? Possibly, but I couldn't figure out any other way of ensuring that Nick didn't run out to the street during my planting.

I ended up planting (left to right) broccoli, sweet peppers, and some sort of herb. I'm not sure which one because the labels all washed off of my sticks. I learned a lesson today about starting seeds--I am never again using the plastic greenhouses. Getting the seedlings out of those little plastic squares was incredibly difficult, and I think I may have damaged a root here and there. I don't know if I planted them too closely together. It didn't seem like it when I was out there, but looking at the picture now they might be too close. I'm also not sure if I chose the right plants to put in the cold frame. Live and learn, I guess. I've been researching for months, but I can't get consistent advice on when to plant and how to correctly time plantings with a cold frame. So I guessed.

I let Nick dig in the empty spot right near me. Notice his digging technique--not bad for a 17 month old. He was a happy camper, but he did keep whacking my plants with the shovel while I wasn't looking. The first row of spinach came up, so I planted a second row. All of the books say to plant it over time, so you have a more continuous harvest. I love spinach, so hopefully it'll work. Here's what my spinach looks like now.

So I know what you're thinking now. This girl is a party animal--taking pictures of her spinach seedlings on a Friday night. Yup. That's me. Always ready for a good time.

About this time Nick started pulling on the leash, and I started hoping Greg would get home soon. Amazingly, as soon as I thought this, he magically drove up in the driveway, and I handed over the baby leash to Daddy. Relieved to be without a leash wrapped around my ankle, I planted carrots and another herb (basil? I think).  Hmm, I didn't label anyything, so I'm not actually sure what I planted.  Then I noticed that the sky was looking ominous. I do believe it's going to really rain later tonight. Hmm. Rain is good for plants, right? I suppose a raised bed garden is better for not flooding out the seeds, since it drains well. . . I hope everything makes it through the night.

I like this picture for the way you can actually see how Nick is in perpetual motion. You can even see him waving around the mini rake and shovel as he runs down the sidewalk, with his daddy close behind.

I'm still trying to figure out the best time to plant my tomatoes. They're tired of being under the lights, but it might still be too early to plant them outside, because of the risk of frost. I will keep deliberating.