Garden Friday

Welcome to Garden Friday!

There's a lot going on in the garden this week,

and an array of projects in midstream.

After visiting the farmers' market last weekend,

I am still scouting the perfect spot 

for the lovelies that made their way home with me.

One of the tasks on my list was to get the cover crops mowed down.
This was the first winter I've grown cover crops 
and I plan to repeat it in late fall.
The crops sown are there to add nutrients to the soil,
keep weeds at bay, and allow for earlier planting come spring.
I used hedge trimmers to do the job quickly.

Green beans and cucumbers were planted in two of the four rows.
Sunflowers were sown at the ends to attract pollinators
and add a little perty to the beds.
 These are all companion plants, which is this spring's focus.
I will be using more flowers in general in the veggie beds than in the past,
in order to make it easier for pollinators to find the veg.

This is the beginning of the wattle fence project.
Big K has been able to get the wooden pieces that will be used as stakes.
The line was strung (see the arrows?) to keep some semblance of a straight row
for the stakes to line up against.
Me and straight lines don't get along too well,
so we need all the help we can get.
For now, the plan is to fence in two sides of the veggie garden,
and if I like it as much as I think I will,
I'll have to scratch up some more grapevine or willow branches.
Sometimes materials for these types of projects
can be acquired on Craig's List or Next Door
just for the asking.

The "spa" room, as we call it, 
has been transformed into a greenhouse.
Seeds have done well in the space,
as it gets a good amount of morning light.
This week began the sowing of melon and watermelon seeds.
Actually, I just noticed last night that the watermelon is up!
They will be grown on the arches we created on the northeast side of the garden.
Soon this room will be converted into a laundry room,
so I will lose my greenhouse.
It's a fair exchange.

 The garden is starting to fill with color.
The consistently warm temperatures are nurturing
the lettuce, kale, chard, peas, leek and cabbage growing in the hugelkultur bed.
It's been so wonderful to finally be able to harvest enough greens
for a week's worth of salads.

 The garlic is happy as a clam.
It was recently fertilized with Mighty Grow,
and will be fed once more before harvest.
The shallots are starting to form flowers.
I've read conflicting things about that.
Some sources say to leave the flowers to collect the seeds,
and others say to cut off the flowers to encourage energy to the bulb.
A call to Extension might be in order.
I'll report what I find out.
 This parsley has impressed me,
making it through the whole winter with no problem.

Another chore that needs to be done 
is to top off the entire garden with the free mulch
we got from our local landfill.
Free is good.

This kale is the Premier variety,
and although I prefer the taste of some others,
this one has bounded back over the past few weeks
and is producing quite well.
If you look closely, you can see some red lettuce
popping up to the right of the kale.

With a rainy few days expected,
the garden should get a good dousing.
Less work for the gardener.
There will be plenty to do once it's over.

How's your spring garden coming along?