Everything is lookin' good

The cucumbers and squash are really growing...

...closer...

...and even closer

Our first little cucumber. And the first pea blossom on the vine. What a lovely flower.

What a difference a month makes!

It's been nearly a month since I last posted to this blog and look how things have grown.

Cucumbers, squash and Swiss Chard - and now in that bed since yesterday are 4 heads of lettuce plants, 20 bean plants, and 2 Brussels sprouts.

Mesclun, Lettuce and peas. The peas are on their way up the mesh and if it looks something's been eating the lettuce - it has - Terri and I.  Oh, and Buddy the rabbit.

It's hard to see the tomatoes and peppers except for the 2 at the end in the sun. I transplanted them 3 weeks ago and then it turned cold and they were very unhappy for a while. But now the moon has changed and they are sprouting right up the mesh. Yesterday Terri transplanted 18 Sunflowers and planted 6 watermelon seeds[ you can see that bed through the mesh in the cucumber bed and along the fence.] and I planted [besides the stuff in the cucumber bed] Hollyhocks in the back corner of the yard. Food for the spirit.

I think it may be Spring

Today Terri, Holly and I transplanted the first plants into one of the garden beds: 3 cucumbers and 2 yellow squash. Holly helped water the second bed where we will plant some seeds in a few days. The "lasagna" bed (built up with layers like compost) has peas up and lettuce, radishes and mesclun. Yep, I think Spring is here.

The beds are made

But not with sheets and blankets and stuff. We made these beds with compost, vermiculite and peat moss. As soon as the weather warms up a little we can put out some of the seedlings. There is a different bed next to the back door where the pea, radish and lettuce seeds will be planted when the ground dries out a little.
You can see we had a little help with the fourth generation.

the seedlings are up

Aren't they great? The huge ones are cucumbers And even if you can't see them, the tomatoes have already been transplanted from the starter cells to individual pots.Terri and I finished the frames for the first three beds and on Sunday we will fill them with soil and they will be ready for the lettuce, radishes, peas and mesclun. In about three weeks we can get some other stuff started.

It's not Spring yet

The reason why this picture only shows the lumber for the raised beds, and does not show us building them as we planned, is that the temperature is 36 degrees and it is windy. It's sunny but too cold! So we may get something done this week or at least next Sunday.  But not today. Terri's going to do homework and I'll take a nap.

Fourth week

It's still too early to do much outside. But this Sunday Terri put up the clothes line. (Of Course. She always dresses nicely to do carpentry.) Elizabeth is making a bed along the back of the house for cucumbers and squash.  It should be ready for planting by the time it is warm enough to plant the seeds. The seeds for the tomatoes (our main commercial crop), the coleus and zinnias will be started inside this week with a little warmth to get them started. Pictures of soil in little plastic containers would be boring so we'll wait to take a picture until the little green leaves appear.