What have you done today in the Garden?

We have been having proper spring weather for the last few days. I transplanted cauliflowers outside and tomatoes into bigger pots. I planted lettuce seeds, weeded a strawberry bed. My carrots have germinated. Next week is predicted snow and frosts. I harvested a cabbage and lettuces, rucola, lambs lettuce and the first few radishes.

 

watered a few hanging baskets, planted up tomatoes into patio pots, put all the hangers on the hanging baskets I have one pot without a hanger but thats ok... I have some more in another house I am certain. then all 350 baskets should be filled. planted 500 rosemary seeds of which I hope I can get a few to germinate. these are the hardest seeds to germinate. notoriously poor germination. next year I will order rooted cuttings. done with seeds for them. next I will get tomato seeds started/ peppers are on the heat mat germinating. I see petunias peeking through... the season is upon us here in zone 5 or 6 or whatever zone I live in.

 

Flower containers on the balcony planted---vinca, tyme and violettes.
Checked the bees and all looks pretty good. Just one colony seems too small. I shall keep an eye on them. They got treated for varroa a few weeks ago.

 

Turning and sieving compost and weeding the tunnels.

 

Temps in the high 70's, sunshine, and gardens ready to plant! After cleaning house, doing two loads of laundry and hanging them out, I finally got to go play in the dirt. Two rows of peas and a row of turnips planted, all four raised beds watered, and the path around the seasonal garden raked again. It's 2 in the afternoon, and I'm tired out.
I know, I know, Carolyn would have all of the above done by 9:30 a.m. and be ready to transplant, seed, and fix a good dinner. She's a hardier woman than I (also more efficient!).

 

Still, I'm impressed MG

 

Well I fed my plants in my tunnels with a bacterial mix that I brewed up. I fed the chickens like everyday. I turned a compost. I was then about to stop for the morning when I couldn't find my phone. I retraced every step I had taken this morning three times. I undid and redid the compost. I then got the bright Idea to get my wife to phone me repeatedly until I answered. Eventually I was in the cellar when I heard it ringing. Panic over.

 

Nothing to plant out yet, but my plants are up...well, most of them, at least.

 

The lettuce look good even before the weeding.

 

Odi---I can't say enough positive about this posting and foto of yours.
It is nothing less than magnificent to see your lettuces.
Somehow I never expected that they would be so far along, even with protective tenting.

 

Broad beans on the left and Toms on the right



Four sorts of spuds.

Spring is on the way. I shall plant the toms on when the second set of leaves develop. The spuds may go in at the end of march.

 

Sjoerd, I planted our potatoes yesterday, using your trench method. Digging a trench, then covering the potato chits, and then filling in the trench after the greenery shows is soooo much easier than hilling! We used your method last year and had a great potato crop.
Today I've done absolutely nothing in the garden, not even watering. This is the first day of spring (?) and our temps are in the low 50's with a cutting wind blowing. The plants I'm hardening off before planting outside stayed in the barn today--too windy and too darned cold for the tender plants to be on the garden table.
However, I did bake four loaves of foccacia bread, using dried herbs from the fall garden. Does that count?

 

What a thrill to hear that you had success with that method...and that you are still using it ! Wow.
Here's hoping that you'll have success again this year. I hope that there won't be too much rain there though.

 

I have started the earliest spring seeds: leeks, tatsoi, suko pac choi, lettuce mix & buttercrunch lettuce under lights indoors. All but the leeks & the buttercrunch are up! Most of these are seeds from last year. I did a germination test on them & discovered they were still viable.

I also just ordered a comfrey bocking 14 to plant in the community garden for manure tea. ( @Sjoerd .... do you hear this?)

Last Sunday, my husband & I attended a garden club meeting & heard a talk about getting ready for spring. The part that was most helpful was a demonstration on how to sharpen pruning shears.

Yes. I bet I am not the only one with numerous shears of different sizes & types, all of them dull. I am inspired. The last time I used our pruning shears, I had to put so much muscle into them that when the branch was cut, I proceeded to clunk myself in the forehead. I still am sporting a welt in the middle of my forehead.

So I have now purchased a pruner file. Stay tuned. I'll let you know how it goes.