front yard

The strawberries are looking lovely and the rhubarb is going great. This was the first year we were able to eat off the the rhubarb and it was a huge treat! They said to only pick lightly this year, but next year the feasting will begin! The strawberries are just barely starting to flower, so we have them to look forward to. I have both these in our front yard. I also have two apple trees and several blueberry bushes. And flowers.

february thaw

It is lovely today. The sort of February day that makes me hope for spring, but dread the inevitable freeze that will destroy the young buds. If the trees and plants start thinking it is spring we're guaranteed to get a killing frost. Still, I'm looking forward to spring. I've got a tray full of early plants going. On nice days, like today, I can take them outside for a serious dose of sunshine. Get them used to being outdoors. The broccoli and cabbage are doing well. I'm trying Chinese cabbage this year, for the first time. I'm going to use netting over them all. Last year this pretty little white butterfly tried to destroy my entire crop. When I saw a good price on netting at the local fabric store (it was going out of business, it was a REALLY good sale) I bought a couple of bolts. I could end up with an entire garden dressed in tulle!

let the gardening begin

This is my plant starting set up. You can see the florescent grow lights over the plastic bucket. See the heating pad underneath. Notice the toilet paper tubes. I also have a fan, but I haven't started that up yet. The broccoli and cabbage only took a couple of days to germinate. It was amazing. This is all set up in our basement on some wire shelving. I have room for a lot more when the need arises. The heating pads are the only pricey item.