Garden Thoughts and a Few Cool Pictures.

I finally got around to taking pictures of our new garden area. It will be a challenge for sure since we'll have about 5 feet of usable area at the thinnest part and about 10-12 feet at the widest. Fortunately we'll have about 70 or 80 feet to work with (we haven't formally measured it yet).  It's actually an easement for the neighbor's driveway that my father-in-law owns.  But it is the sunniest part of the property--except for my father-in-law's front yard, of course.  ;-)

Garden area looking west.

Garden area looking east.

The new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts our last frost date at about 2 weeks earlier--but possibly up to 4 weeks.  So I'm getting an early start on planting my seedlings.  I've gotten my rhubarb (already sprouting), asparagus, peppers and tomatoes planted and plan to plant my brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc...), herb, flower and stratified seeds this weekend.  Some of them are a bit early but that's ok.  :-)  Gardening isn't an exact science and I'm hoping to plant a bit early this year anyway.

I was shocked when I opened up my box of seeds earlier this week to discover that last spring I must have just carelessly tossed my tomato seed packets back into the box (without sealing them in a plastic bag) and they had somehow gotten wet, resulting in some mold on the packages.  I'm usually very careful and have great luck even with old seeds.  About 15 packages were affected.  So I planted a couple of seeds from the best ones but thankfully I had a package of mixed heirloom seeds (60 different varieties!!) that I had ordered from Botanikka Seeds a couple of years ago that were sealed in plastic with a mylar outer package.  I planted most of my tomato seeds as the mixed kind--which is a bit of a stretch for me.  I'm a bit OCD in making sure that I know what all of my plants are and that they are all labeled properly and documented.  So this is a bit out of my "comfort zone".  I've purposed to see it as an act of faith and am looking forward to enjoying the tomatoes that the Lord decides to bless us with.  :-)

I planted 23 Jiffy Peat cells with the mixed heirloom seeds (I tried to eye up what looked to be the most diverse to make sure that I planted lots of variety).  I also planted:

• Aunt Ruby's German Green
• Ananas Noir
• Chocolate Cherry
• Delicious (huge beefesteaks that hold many world records!)
• Jerry's German Giant
• Pineapple
• White Beauty

I've ordered my Indigo Rose tomato seeds and will plant those as soon as they arrive.  I can't wait until they are grown and ready to eat!!

We also have to plant Daughter #3's tomato seeds that she saved from a couple of plants she grew last summer (from a commercial tomato).  Her tomatoes grew and produced way better than mine.  But you have to understand that she has the best, most natural green thumb of anyone I have ever known!!  I do hope that she will cultivate her skills (pun intended!!) and put them to good use as she gets older and goes on to have her own garden.

Sadly my onion seeds never sprouted--I think that it was just too cold in our little mobile home.  So I will be buying sets this spring.

 In a couple of weeks it will be time to get the peas and spinach out.

The robins did not migrate this winter.  I'm kind of sad that I won't get to jump around, hollering wildly about seeing my first robin--a harbinger of spring--this year.  Yes, I really do that!!  My kids think I'm a total nut job (I suspect they might be right but I refuse to admit it!!) but I just can't help it!!  I LOVE SPRING!! 

My only shot of a Robin so far.

If I go out and see them I don't have my camera.

If I go out with my camera looking for them I can't find any.

:-P

A couple random but cool pictures...

An icy mudpuddle in the driveway.

Reminds me of a topography map.

Sunrise this morning.  Gorgeous!!