Spring!!

It's been awhile again and I apologize.  There really wasn't much happening garden wise in my house in February or March and now that April is here it seems everything else is too :)  I have seen the turkey vultures back and soaring, the throngs of robins running around the neighbourhood and the chipmunks sitting in my bird feeders. 
Spring flowers have to be among my favourites so I wait for their arrival with excitement.  In mid March I finally started to see the sprouts of my tulips and crocuses.  It's been a few weeks now and my crocuses have flowers on them but my tulips are still growing...as long as the rabbit hasn't made them his lunch.
Here are a few of my pictures from then...I will update soon :) 

I was able to get into my backyard this weekend to clean up the debris that tends to blow in over the winter and to clean out and put up my bird boxes.  I was able to get nesting house wrens and some nuthatches last year so I hope to at least get the same or a couple others.  I had some tufted titmice at my feeders all winter, it would be good if they found a lovely home in one of my boxes :)

Sprouting Sweet Potatoes

So I have decided to try my luck at starting my own sweet potatoes this year.  Last year I bought a plant already started and got a few good sized sweet potatoes but the plant was a bit expensive.  I have been getting a veggie bag from local farmers (Loft Organics) the last few weeks and have gotten some rather tasty sweet potatoes so I thought I would try to sprout one of them.  I found this website that shows you step by step on how to go about sprouting sweet potatoes and I have completed Step 1 (except I forgot to wash my potato, I don't think it matters).  Now I wait. 

I never figured you could sprout sweet potatoes as they always seem to go bad in the cellar.  I really hope I can get some to sprout.  I have also read, the shoots (slips) need to be 1' long before planting outside and that they take a long time to grow so that is why I am starting early.

Long time no posts...

Well it has been a very, very long time between posts...My garden was less than stellar last season and hopefully will be back and much better come this summer.  With chipmunk/squirrel issues (removing my seeds and eating little plants) I couldn't seem to get anything planted.  Also, getting pregnant made my motivation drop through the floor and it was quite awkward to be doing much gardening. 

This year we start fresh and with a re-vamped plan.  I am only going to TRY to grow a few things in my backyard.  I just have too little sun to do a lot of what I want to grow.  So, I am going to plant a few things that seem to do well in my backyard and then start a plot out at my parents for the good stuff :) 

I am going to do beans, peas, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and beets, mesclun mix for sure and maybe kale and cherry tomatoes.  I will have to put chicken wire over my boxes to keep the furry critters from relocating my seeds.  At my parents I am going to to try pumpkins, watermellon, squash and parsnips.  My mom wants to do other things too...so it might be a good season...here's hopin'!

Spring has finally Sprung!!!

Well it has been awhile since I've posted something and I appologize to those out there that may be reading my blog.  Life gets in the way sometimes and it seems I was busy...not too busy to do some planting and gardening but too busy to sit down and blog about it.  So tonight I have a few spare moments.  I have lots to say (I think) and lots of pictures to post!

My husband, being the very helping and conscientious kind, built me a salad table and it's perfect.  He got all the right materials and even put wheels on it so I can wheel it around the backyard!  I have to put 2 more wheels on the one end so it can handle the weight once I add dirt but here is the finished product and my husband wants to put a bar on it to help wheel it around and to hang stuff from if I need to!  I can't wait to start planting in it!!!!  I got the general plan from Martha Stewart. 

So I planted my peas out in the garden March 27.  It was warm and sunny and was perfect to plant...I have added a couple bags of triple mix into my garden (as it was just topsoil and some compost) but I figured I'd give it some bulk by adding the triple mix.  Seems to be doing good so far.  All of my 32 Pea plants that I planted are up now and the tricky part is keeping the rabbits away.  It hasn't been getting too cold at night but I've been covering my garden with a hoop style house (what the grey tubes are holds up plastic at night) just to keep the critters out.  I will have to chop up some dried thai chillies soon to put down to discourage the rabbits, I'll just have to worry about the chipmunks, they seem to enjoy spice.  I will have to get them on a trellis, or pea wire soon too, some of them are starting to get pretty tall and sending out their climbers.  Maybe one of these nights this week...but once I put that up, I'm not sure how easily they can be covered...

The day after I planted my peas I planted my leeks.  It was a cloudy crappy day and was drizzling a bit when I planted, which was perfect.  Now I didn't cover them right away and I think they got nipped by frost but I think I may have saved a few...here's hoping.  The onion family seems to be my nemesis.  They look very very sad, especially next to my lovely peas.

I happened to find an old bag of onion and shallot bulbs and the ones that hadn't gone moldy or squishy, actually had greenery coming from them, so I planted them.  I hope they turn out ok and so far so good.  At least they look like they are growing and getting greener being outside rather inside my damp cellar.

My crocus' have been blooming the last week with all this beautiful weather we've been having but sadly it is too warm for them and they are just about done.  My tulips and daffodils are coming along nicely too.

My lungwart is also blooming like crazy...it is usually one of the first blooming in the garden.  The different coloured blooms are so pretty :) 

Sprouts and Peas

So I appologize for not posting my sprouts every day.  Seems a bit redundant so I am just going to talk about them at the end.  I have been eating my sprouts and they are delicious but not long and thick like you can get at the grocery store.  I think I should do them the other way next time in 2 plastic containers with a weight on them - apparently it's the weight that helps them grow longer and thicker.  Here is a picture of a few of my sprouts.  The seed cases are a bit of pain to separate from them at this stage but I figure I should eat them as it had been a week. 

I also plan on starting my peas outside.  I have sprouted them inside between 2 paper towels right now just to make sure the seeds are ok and should be planting them in the next few days.  It has been nice and sunny but cool out there so I think it's perfect pea weather.  At least I hope so.  I am attempting to sprout 32 plants, 8 plants per 1foot square grid.  Should give me lots of delicious peas.  They are the Sugar Snap Peas from Ontario Seed Company.

Likely when I plant my peas I am also going to plant my leeks.  Maybe they'll do better outside as they are certainly looking pretty sad inside.  Maybe it's too warm for them.  I am thinking I may also just bit the bullet and buy a fancy grow light for my tomatoes and peppers.  I need them in tip top form :)  my fishtank just isn't cutting it.