Garden Friday

We've had a marvelous mix of cool nights, sunshine and a blast of rain.

On Wednesday, it gently rained almost all day,

giving the garden a good dose of just what it needed.

I'm not sure if it's the season, or the rain, or a combination of things,

but the seedlings seemed to be very happy in their little containers. 

Yesterday, transplanting was in order.

Our side yard garden is making good progress.

I've been harvesting the Romaine lettuce for the last couple of weeks.

 The snap peas are tall enough to need staking.

Did you know you can eat the tendrils and leaves too?

It's a good idea to let them grow big and tall before using them.

They make a tasty addition to any salad.

 The bucket o'carrots is starting to fill in.

As soon as I get another large bucket, I will be sowing more.

 The first beets will be a welcome addition to the table.

We've planted both red and orange.

It's been a while since I've had home-grown.

 The broccoli doesn't mind being in a 5-gallon bucket.

There are a few more seedlings to find containers for.

I was hoping to acquire buckets from our local grocery store,

but they seldom have them available.

I'll need to find another resource.

 This styrofoam packing material came with a recent order.

It'll come in handy in the garden.

It gets broken into large pieces and placed in the buckets.

This allows us to use less potting soil,

which saves us money and also keeps the pots lighter 

in case they need to be moved. 

It also keeps the soil from washing out of the containers.

We should have an abundance of lettuce to harvest in a few weeks!

 Another task that needed attention 

was the transplanting of these sunflowers.

We used our toilet paper rolls to sow the seeds.

They always germinate well.

These are the Mammoth sunflower variety.

The only thing you need to remember 

is to unfold the bottom before placing it in the hole.

This allows the roots to find their way into the soil.

Some got planted this way in the front of the house.

We will most likely add them in a few other spots

and use the direct sowing method.

Sunflowers are one of the easiest things to grow at this time of year.

They make a great first impression on young gardeners,

especially when they mature and tower over them!

This beautiful jasmine bush frames the front porch.

The smell is heavenly.

I'll have to remember to collect some seeds to take with us when we move.

What's growing in your garden on this fine spring day?

Remember, 

tomorrow 

is 

EARTH DAY!