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Spring Garden

For me there is nothing more beautiful than a Spring Garden flush with new blooms, green garden grass, the seasons first vegetables being pulled from the ground and chickens enjoying time in the garden.

Spring Garden 2-1

Spring has finally arrived and I have been spending countless hours each day enjoying the garden.  This year I am not even a grumpy weed puller I am so happy to just be able to finally get out there.  Compared to last year the garden is a bit over a month behind on its growth because of the cold spring temperatures.  However, I am not going to complain because my garden has finally started to explode with color and I am enjoying every minute of it.

The Primrose was spectacular this year, probably because of the long cool days.  They bloomed in abundance and I took countless photos because I couldn’t resist their beauty.

Spring Garden 11

The peonies will be opening in the next few days, one bud is partially open, but because of the variety that I have planted they will bloom for several weeks.  Their fragrance will float through the garden, enticing me to get in there and pull any weeds just so I can have an excuse to hang out and enjoy their glorious blooms.   The Irises will bloom along with the Peonies waving their tall slender heads above their shorter garden companion.   (When doing garden clean up of peonies and irises DO NOT compost).  If you are interested in finding out more about Peonies, check out my post ‘A Love Affair’

The vegetable “kitchen” garden has just produced its first produce of radishes.  I planted a ‘rainbow mix’, which as you can see, are just beautiful.  I planted my first batch of radish seeds along with my sweet peas.  The radishes act as a natural pest repellent for my peas, and the radishes are ready for picking long before the peas are tall and block the sun.

The strawberries are ripening from their flowers and I will have berries in a few weeks.  The lettuce will be able to be cut next week, and will continue to produce through several more cuts before I will have to pull them and reseed.  You can plant rows of radishes between your lettuce rows as well.

Spring Garden 12-1

The chickens did a good job removing any bugs in the garden over the last month, but sadly they will be banned from the vegetable garden.  I caught several hens and a rooster, rolling in the cilantro bed together.  Needless to say, the cilantro will have to be replanted.  Naughty girls.

The girls have been laying a collective dozen or more eggs a day.  Ms. Grace one of my older hens has decided to go “Broody” again, which means she wants to be a mom and refuses to leave the coop and proceeds to roll every egg laid under her fluffy butt everyday.  I go and pop her off the eggs (several times a day), avoiding her trying to peck me and plop her outside the coop.  She fluffs up her feathers and tells me off each time.  It’s a fun little game we play!  Not really- it’s annoying, she is lucky she is so cute.

The beehives have had an adequate spring.  My three hives seem to be getting off to a good start, but Liz has had to combine two hives and it seems the other is laying too many drones “boys”, which is bad, because the female bees are the workers of the hive.  They are the ones who go and get the pollen and nectar, turn it into honey, care and nurse the larvae, and build comb.   While the drones’ main function is to be ready to fertilize a receptive queen and do no work to grow the hive.   Liz took a frame of larvae from one of the healthy hives, brushed off all the bees and added to the drone-laying hive, in hopes that a new queen will be born and start to lay workers instead of drones.

Phew, no wonder I am tired.  However, spring is my **favorite** time in the garden.  I will be planting more radishes, beets, lettuce and my eggplant and a few more peppers for the hubby tomorrow.  (If it doesn’t rain).

I hope you have been enjoying your garden and remember to keep weeding it builds character, at least that’s what I tell my boys.  Also, water if it doesn’t rain every two to three days, as the days get longer and warmer the newer plants will not survive through a single dry spell without a little help.

Xo, Amy

Grace

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3 comments on “Spring Garden”

  1. Avatar photo
    Ron in Sunny Florida

    Yes the Garden has “Sprung” into action! [My attempt at a lil play on words.]
    Even for us here in Florida spring came late, though not as late as the midwest. April showers bring May flowers!!!And oh-boy did it ever…I wish I could share pictures with you of our yard, which “is” our garden. It consists of mainly flowers and blooming shrubs and trees native to Florida; Indian Blanket Flower, Blue Porter Weed, Blue Curl, Cassia, Coral Bean, Sunshine Mimosa, Tropical Sage, Gay Flower, Florida Wild Cherry (actual cherry’s), Jasmine, Baby Sunrose, Wild Coffee, Beauty Berry, Spotted Horsemint, East Palatka Holly, Royal Ponciena, Necklace Pod, Jacaranda, just to name a few. 😉 The Indian Blanket Flower – also known as Galardia – we planted one 4″ pot 5 years ago and every year it has self seeded to were it has spread to all parts of the yard…It looks like a meadow on the north side of our house. Fortunaltly our neighbors love the look and don’t mind that it has spread to their yards too. From past comments you may recall that I do not live in one of those “nazi gated communities”, aka 55 and older community, where it seems “most” people hate mother nature and all here joyous wonders.
    Our veggie/herb garden is alive too. Spagetti Squash, Roma, Beef, and Husky Cherry Tomatoes, 5 varieties of sweet and hot peppers. We do grow Basil, lettuce, and Green Beans but they are short lived in Fl. Basil I can stretch out into the summer if I keep it on the north side of the house out of the brutal summer sun.
    To solve our water problem, and to be in sink with enviromentally responsable landscaping/gardening, we installed a few strategically placed rain barrels. Even though we have a well it just doesn’t make sense to waste water. Besides the veggie/herb garden none of the plants in our yard need supplemental watering once they are established. Hence why we went with plants that are native to Florida instead of exotics and invasive species.
    Almost year round our yard is alive with colour and wildlife. We spot Humming Birds daily, along with Cardinals, Blue Jays, Sparrows, and countless other song birds; right now I am listening to the calls of the Great American Fly Catcher…Not even Vivaldi could write notes as cheerfull. And yesterday our neighbors were telling us that the Logger Head Sea Turttles are starting to nest…Ahh yes Spring, a truely joyous and colourful time of year.

    Cheers to you and your garden! 🙂

    1. Hi Ron,
      Would love for you to share your garden photos on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ahealthylifeforme. I love to see others gardens, inspiration, inspiration, inspiration. I just started a meadow garden near the Naturalizing bed. I lost two of my dear sweet dogs over the winter and they were buried in the center, so as a bit of a tribute I have four squares of natural grass growing around their graves.
      It sounds like your veggie garden is further along then mine, with our very cold spring (it snowed April 1st) I couldn’t plant until May. Though the herbs and onions were hardy and I have been cutting and using them in the kitchen for the last several weeks. I have been thinking of putting a few rain barrels with a small roof and gutter to the side of the vegetable garden, however in Cincinnati, I would most likely go through water faster than it would be filled.
      I put up the hummingbird feeders last week and the ladies and gents have been visiting regularly. I was told by a birding friend to make use twice the amount hummingbird feed to water content through spring because they are in desperate need from their travels and building nest,and tending to young. I hope you are enjoying your garden today, it is raining here (we need it) so I will most likely be cooking in the kitchen for an upcoming recipe. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
      xo Amy

      1. Avatar photo
        Ron In Sunny Florida

        Thank you for the link to your facebook page…I will post some pictures soon.

        Cheers
        Ron

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