The weather has been keeping us on our toes here. It'll be cold and rainy and snow for a week, then one day the rain stops, the sun comes out, and the next day it hits 70, only to plummet below freezing 24 hours later and more rain and snow falls. I keep telling folks that this is what it means to be spring, but everyone wants it to be summer and call that spring.
Anywho, a couple weeks ago, on one of those rare sunny warm days, I grabbed the seeds and headed out to the garden. Peas, I said, peas and greens are cold-hardy - I'll get them started.
Last year the rabbits did a number on the peas. Now that the dog is gone, I will have to be more vigilant in my garden patrols, and I will have to make some amendments to my fencing. In the meantime, I thought that perhaps the row covers might add a little bit of protection while the seeds sprout and seedlings start to grow. I hope.
While I was busy planting, and schlepping compost, and raking the beds, the mail carrier stopped up at the house - "You have some bulbs here," she called. "It's my onions!" I called back. And sure enough, my onion order had arrived. So, peas, greens and onions went it. Must've planted 150+ copra and maybe 50 walla-wallas. Had terrible luck with onions last year...maybe this year will prove better.
I also got in a few rows of nasturiums and cosmos as companions to some of the peas. Several years ago, when I put in my first veg garden in Newcomb, I diligently planted all sorts of flowers and herbs as companion plants - the gardens was lovely and full off buzzing life. By last year my companions were essentially non-existent. I vowed this winter to make a better effort...I missed all the color.
I also need to expand the garden - there's just not enough room for everything I want to plant. This year I'm only doing basics: peas, beans, carrots, greens, onions, butternut squash (but not as many as last year) and corn. It's not much.
I've passed on the potatoes this year - a difficult decision since I love my German butterballs, but the Colorado potato beetles were just too much for me last year - and the potato harvest was poor (and my storage was awful - lost most of what I grew).
I still haven't started any tomatoes yet, either...and it's almost too late. Didn't order any tomato seeds this year - figured I have plenty from past years still in the fridge. Maybe this weekend I'll try to start a few, and perhaps a handful of peppers - I still have great hopes for the chocolate peppers.
