Saturday, April 25, 2009

April... on "April"

Happy April from April! Teehee. You would not believe how many times I've been called "April May June" or asked (since it's my month!) "Were you born in April?" Short answer... NO. :-) But I digress...

It's April! An EXTREMELY busy time in the gardening year. It seems like everything is screaming to get done ALL AT ONCE! The greens, potatoes, carrots, onions, and peas all need to be planted. The peppers and tomatoes are needing bigger pots since it will still be a week or two before they can go in the garden. Tilling needs to be finished, mulch to be ..ummm.. mulched. And on and on and on. And then there's those pesky front flowerbeds that need to be groomed in time for the upcoming graduation party (I was smart, though, and planted a bunch of perennials last year, so a bunch of my planting is DONE. Just need to fill in a few annuals, plant the windowboxes, and put down some more woodchips.) It really is enough to keep one hopping!

Well, here's how things are looking right now at Chicken Scratch Farm: I put together two compost bins and the son enthusiastically played, I mean drove, the skidsteer to move my old messy spread-out pile into the bins. They are just 6-8 foot diameter circles made out of welded wire. The first section of the garden is tilled and a few rows of peas and spinach are planted. I got them in on April 18, just before a nice steady rain. Nothing like perfect timing! I still need to plant a few beds of lettuce and carrots. The onions are content for the moment in their pots--they will be introduced to garden soil after the early seeds are all in. Today I planted a few flats of broccoli, caulifower, and cabbage. They are out in the greenhouse (it's still getting down in the low 40's and colder at night) until they sprout. The peppers and tomatoes are completely out of control. It cannot warm up fast enough for them! They are huge. A few of the tomatillos are even starting to flower! Time to do some pollinating.

Well, it's been a very busy month, and will even get busier! But I'm having a blast!

Sunday, April 12, 2009