Spring Surprise!

Snow is not what I really what I want to see in the garden by the end of March. I guess when the weather man said Chicago is 90% done with snow by the first day of spring I should have keyed into the 10% chance of snow part. At least it's mostly melted in the sunny spots by the end of the day. I wondered if there are lots of minerals in snow because I swear when I went out to check the garden the plants actually looked greener and larger. I was curious about this and thanks to the internet I see that my observation is right about the plants looking greener. Apparently snow has nitrogen in it and is considered the poor man's fertilizer. I guess I should pay mother nature for my first spring dose of organic fertilizer.

Wordless Wednesday

Seedlings in Progress

My growing space is just about filled to capacity with seedlings. I really need some warmer weather so I can move some out to the unheated green house.

I planted my Tomato seeds on March 19 and I have my first few seedling sprouting on March 24. The tomatoes that I planted are Manyel, Pineapple, Coustrelle, Tigerella,Yellow Currant, Wayahead and Ultimate.

Here are some new photos of a few of my seedlings.

Broccoli, Cabage and Pak Choi


Artichokes
Strawberries

The Rose Queen

Last spring I visited my Aunt Doris in Marin County California. She is a very inspiring gardener to say the least. The roses were not in bloom when I visited but I wanted to show you a little before and after.
I think I can admit that I have rose envy. I can expect a small spring bloom on my roses before they are devoured by the evil doing Japanese Beetles in early July.

The lesson that I take from my lovely aunt is perseverance. This garden did not become this beautiful overnight but took many long years of effort and lots of pain. I try and remember that when I'm doing my spring cleaning in the garden. Thank you Aunt Doris for giving me a gardening dream to aspire to.

First Signs of Spring

Pussy Willows are beginning to bud out.

Helleborus is starting to grow.

Daffodils are up an inch.

Strawberries are starting to grow.

How the vegetable garden looks on March 9, 2009