It was 82 degrees today. This is my perfect temperature. I love warm weather. Warm to the point that most people are uncomfortable is the perfect temperature for me.
I would have loved to have been home working in the gardens today. There is a lot of work to be done.
But instead, I was working at my very necessary paying job.
So after I got home from work and stopping by to check on my parents, I spent some time just walking around in my yard to see what will be waiting for me this weekend.
I just hope the weather cooperates with my plans.
A couple of weeks ago I took a few hours to quickly plant a few things that should already have been done but with the exceptionally cold weather this spring I waited.
And then . . . Dad went into the hospital.
So, after almost 2 weeks of looking at hospital walls, I drove home from Iowa City for just a few hours while my Uncle stayed with my parents so I could get some things done at home. Then I jumped in the car and headed back that evening.
While I was home I planted all the onions.
I have a few different kinds of onions. There are shallots, white, yellow, red, leeks, and scallions,
Some of them are starting to come up.
I also planted the spinach, and 2 kinds of romaine lettuces.
Sugar snap peas and peas for shelling.
The sugar snap peas are just starting to break through the soil.
Then I planted carrots, beets and radishes.
The radishes are peaking through the ground and pretty soon will need to be thinned.
I also planted the potato towers.
I had hoped to show the whole process of how I did this but, since my time was limited in getting this done before “flying” back to Iowa City, the camera didn’t make it to the garden.
This is what they look like now.
I have never planted potatoes like this before so we’ll see if anything happens.
I planted them in layers around the inside edges of the chicken wire towers with the eye’s pointing out to the outside. So I’m hoping the plants will break through the straw with the potatoes forming in the middle where it is filled with dirt.
I’ll keep you posted on this experiment.
Also in just a couple of days, the strawberries have gone from just turning green to flowering.
Hopefully we’ll get a few strawberries this year.
I don’t expect many since this is a new bed and I was negligent is covering it with straw in the fall.
The raspberries are thriving very well. This is one of the plants I planted last year. It was just a puny little twig last year.
The Viburnum is in full bloom.
Here is a closeup.
This is one of the most fragrant flowering shrubs you’ll ever see smell.
I think it’s even way more fragrant than lilacs. Although, I am able to enjoy those too. My neighbor has a few of them along the property line that divides our land.
The crabapple trees are starting to bloom. This is a close up of the white tree in my back yard.
I also have a purple flowering crabapple that won’t be far behind in the blooming process.
The tulips are budding.
The hostas are starting to push through the ground.
The herb garden is beginning to come to life.
The oregano,
chives,
tarragon (whoops no photo of the tarragon), and mint (you have to be careful with mint. . . it will take over if you don’t stay on it)
are well on their way to getting used in the kitchen. Soon other herbs will follow. Sage, basil, thyme, rosemary, flatleaf parsley, and dill.
There are still so many vegetables and flowers to plant and things to watch as they come back out of winter hibernation.
But . . . Spring is finally on it’s way!
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