The outside temperatures in my garden corner at this time of year are perfect for getting work done. I’ve almost convinced myself that I’m in control, but I already made at least one mistake. Gardening is definitely a learning process. Control is an illusion – my garden corner is subject to many forces beyond the influence of a mere Kansas gardener!
In this photo is the mistake I am talking about. I like to mulch my vegetable beds. Rather than go out and buy straw, since I don’t generate any, I thought I’d use chopped up leaves. Unfortunately we had a day of crazy wind just a couple of days after I added the shredded leaf mulch and much of the leaf stuff blew away leaving bare patches. I try to live and learn the lessons of the garden.
Since I wrote last week my onion seedlings came up and are looking good under the floating row cover blanket. The fall-planted spring greens (cabbage family) which started resprouting are growing at a good rate – I’m hoping to pick some to eat in a week or so. I put in vastly too many seeds for radish and lettuce and a lot of thinning is going to be required in about another week or two. The quantity of pickings will be small – I expect to get enough greens for a small salad for my family of four. This week we ate garlic greens from the garden – our first fresh produce of the season.
Other things happening in the garden in my little Kansas corner of the globe:
- tulip greens are almost full height now – no sign of the flower buds yet
- columbines have a good amount of greenery
- one of my bleeding heart plants had a couple of flowers on it this morning
- woodland violets are leafing up and self-seeded new violet plants are growing
- my red maple tree is covered in small winged seeds (I call them windmills)
- wild oats are sprouting – I have to get on top of them (don’t plant these unless you like invasives)
- mint is sprouting – another invasive plant which is trying to take over my yard bit by bit – I will pick some for salad when it’s a bit taller
- Forsythia, ornamental pear, daffodils, and magnolias are in flower – I don’t have any of these in my yard but I enjoy the display put on by my neighbors
- birds are really active – robins, cowbirds, mourning doves, black-capped chickadees, and red cardinals are the ones I see every day
What’s happening outdoors in your little corner of the globe? Have you planted seeds yet?
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Ha Ha Ha. You lucky duck–I just had 1/2 inch of snow fall again last night and 2 more predicted. Sigh. MN living can be a little hard sometimes.
BTW–any mulch can benefit from being soaked thoroughly after being laid–sometimes this can help it settle enough to not blow away later. Don’t give up on your leaf mulch quite yet! I’ve even gone as far as soaking the mulch for a few days in a row–just to help it stick together a bit more.
Good luck! I’m jealous!
Thanks Ruralmama for the suggestion to wet down the mulch. I’ve got more leaf mulch to try so I will do that this time.
I think we have a possibility of snow forecast for the weekend or Monday so I’ll have to cover up my seedlings.
Perhaps your weather will warm up soon
I don’t have a garden myself at the moment, but I have been enjoying the daffodils and crocuses blooming in my neighbor’s yard, the tiny shoots of grass coming up in the front lawn, and the Robins – who I hadn’t seen for a long time – are back every morning hunting bugs and worms in the lawn.
Yes! We planted seeds last weekend! Carrots, lettuce, lima beans, and peas. And we uncovered our strawberry beds. Of course we had a surprise dip in temperature immediately following. Of course.
Well, Gift of Green, we got about 6″ of snow just 2 days after I wrote this post. When the snow clears I’ll have to see what has happened to my radish and lettuce seedlings.