Saturday, April 19, 2014

First garden starts are in the ground

Looking good after two days of rain
Last week when it was sunny and warm, I went to Joe's Gardens for some starts. I know it's early enough that I could just put seeds in the ground, but I always like to have them a little bigger so that the critters (especially slugs) are not likely to eat them right away. On the left are six red cabbages, in the middle some lettuce, broccoli behind, and the strawberries left from last fall.
Sugar snap peas
Behind the strawberries are the sugar snap peas, and I put a bunch of the actual peas in the ground along with the starts but haven't seen any sign of them yet. Hopefully I'll have plenty, because these were the highlight of last year's garden. And where I had the nasturtiums last year, several plants are coming up and I'll need to thin them, obviously. I also put in some beet starts, but they aren't doing nearly as well as these others; I may have to plant them again. And I also have a package of purple carrots to go into the ground. It's still a little bit too muddy out there to work in the garden, but every day it's a little drier.

I walked almost seven miles with the Fairhaven walking group this morning, and I am pleased to report that my knee is just fine! Last time I did this particular walk, it was sore for two days afterwards. While it will never be healed, I'm glad to see that taking care of my knee is giving me a chance to resume my usual activities without too much pain.

Tomorrow is Easter, and the sun is supposed to return. I'll spend some time in my garden, but mostly I'll take time to be thankful. It's a beautiful time of the year in the Pacific Northwest.
:-)

27 comments:

  1. hooray for sprouts, starts, dirt and warmth. :) happy easter day to you and smart guy.

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  2. Grubbing/grovelling in the garden becomes addictive doesn't it? And the rewards are huge.
    I am so very happy that your knee is behaving.

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  3. hope you get that sun....we worked outside for a bit today as well...mowing (1st of the year) and working the flower beds still...have one large pesky root i need to take out......glad your knee is ok...

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  4. Looks like some good eatin' is in your future!
    Hugs,
    J.

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  5. Your garden is looking good! We don't have anything planted except peas yet. The soil just needs to warm up more in our less that full sun plot.

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  6. Never heard of purple carrots before. Are they actually purple? I am glad your knee is fine for now.

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  7. Your garden is off to a great start DJan. Come summer you are going to have some really tasty veggies. Spring has find arrived in our part of the country and it is so nice.

    Happy Easter!

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  8. Okay, for slugs. Get a head lamp. Go to your garden when it's dark. Then any slug you see you can pick up and dispose of it as you like. It's the only way to control slugs.

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  9. Glad your garden is getting a good start. Too much shade in our back to do much gardening. But I will start my hanging herb baskets in the front soon. We are supposed to get rain tomorrow... but now the weatherman is predicting "only later in the evening". Hopefully he is right. Enjoy your day!

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  10. Your garden is looking good with so much already sprouting. Good to hear your knee is feeling good. Happy Easter from a very wet and miserable London today.

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  11. Looking good. Nothing more rewarding than sprouts gaining health. It's what makes gardening a pure joy.

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  12. I would give you the same advice as REd gave you, but I found if I placed Dulse or Seaweed around the garden, slugs won't crawl through it. My Dad n Uncles used it all the time. Happy Easter to YOU n Family DJan.

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  13. i am always thrilled to see a garden!! Lovely shades of green.

    happy easter.....

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  14. Lovely new growth happening there. So glad your knee is feeling fine. Happy Easter to you and yours.

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  15. Looks like you are getting some runners with the strawberries...as soon as they have attached to the ground and hove some roots you can cut the cord and transplant them...sometimes strawberries need a bit more space. Just my 2 cents worth...your garden is looking good! I love purple cabbage:)

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  16. Buying plants is probably smart. I started with seeds, mainly because I have had so many gardening failures and refused to put much $$ into this year's project. I had the peat pots and the potting soil already.

    My cilantro seeds sprouted like crazy. I had enough cilantro to feed the neighborhood, that is until I planted the seedlings in the blocks on the greenhouse pad. All I have now are stalks, and dying stalks at that. I guess cilantro can't continue living without its leaves.

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  17. Good news on the knee and Happy Easter. Home grown is the best and you've made a good start...:)

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  18. Yay! The DJan garden is underway! I will be curious to know how you keep bugs away from the strawberries.

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  19. I look at your garden, and wonder if I'll have anything growing in the place covered in snow. Ah well. It's only April, I suppose.

    Blessings and Bear hugs, Jan.

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  20. I walked for 4-5 miles yesterday and saw Swans, Snakes and the even the Sun!

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  21. Dear DJan, I'm slowly getting back into walking after not doing it for a couple of months because of the snow and cold. But oh, I'm not walking far at all. I need to work back up to the 3 miles I was doing a day.

    Today's Easter Monday and I still feel great gratitude for my life and for my family, especially my brother who is so dear to me. Peace.

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  22. Been planting my (balcony) garden and it all looks good except two of the basil plants. Love this time of year and join you in feeling gratitude for life and health.

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  23. Yep, we got some starts going too. Isn't it all so fun. YAY! Spring. MB

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  24. Your garden looks good. I like the plant selection. I look forward to reading all about it.

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  25. Young plants are a big part of spring--even if I would pass on the beets--LOL! ;)
    Glad your knee has healed up nicely--whoohoo! :)

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  26. I hope you had a fabulous Easter, DJan. Your garden looks like it's going to provide you with a lot of healthy produce.

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