Seedlings

There's something magical each spring when those first seeds germinate and the new life shows itself as a tender shoot reaching up for light.

I planted 6 varieties of tomatoes and so far 4 have germinated: Rutgers, Amish paste, Goldie and Market Miracle (from Daphne).  Two pots of basil have also germinated.  My two varieties of peppers and the remaining two varieties of tomatoes are still residing in the warmth of the mechanical room awaiting their magic time.

So this isn't a harvest but it's a foreshadowing of harvests yet to come.  Check out other harvests at Daphne's Dandelions.

Sounds of Spring

I had a video with the sounds of the frog in the pond.  They appeared for the first time this spring bright and early this morning.  First one that I tried to capture on a video but all I got was the sounds of the birds.  Then later a chorus of frogs singing to the start of spring on this March 1st.  Unfortunately I'm unable to upload it to the video to this blog. I get error messages.  Oh well!

We had lots of rain yesterday.  That may be why the frogs decided to rise out of the mud where they've been buried this winter. My new gauge was put to work recording the amount.

Flowers are busting through.  The hyacinth I bought in flower last spring and transplanted to the garden later.

Safeway had a great buy with daffodils so I bought three bunches.  They were solid buds when I brought them home yesterday afternoon and immediately started to open.

I'd much rather have the stems from others' gardens than pick mine.

Finally here are the frogs without the sound.

Now I wonder if I'll be able to clean out the pond without disturbing the eggs they're sure to lay.

Spring To Do List

We all have it - that Spring to do list.  This week it finally looks like the weather will be conducive for me to start tackling my list.

1. The Perennial Garden.

 All the old growth from last year needs to be cut down and composted.

 The leaves that cover the beds need to be removed or dug in so the new growth can get the sunlight.  These crocuses have pushed through those leaves.

 The stone walls of each bed need to be straightened.

 2. The Pond Garden

 The pond needs cleaning out of the leaves that accumulated there.  We never had the long frozen spell that would have let me walk on the ice to cut down the cattails.  I'll have to put my boots on and wade in there to cut them.  The Joe Pye and the butterfly bushes and all the irises around the pond will have to be trimmed.

 The grasses need to be cut and divided and divisions moved to other locations.
 3. The Vegetable Garden

 The garlic is growing.  I don't think it ever stopped this winter.

 The other beds need compost added and then peas, spinach, lettuce and other spring crops can be planted.

 One small patch of spinach that wintered over but it was disappointing.

4. The Front Garden

 The Russian sage will have to be cut back.

 As will the butterfly bushes and hydrangeas.

 The hibiscus will need a cut back of dead limbs.

 The sedum will soon put out new green growth so I need to help it along by cutting the old flower stalks.

 I left my pots out all year in the front and the Daisy Miller may come back but nothing else will.

These pots wintered over in the vestibule.  All the plants survived and soon will be putting out new growth.  I'll need to freshen them up and when temps allow move them to the back deck for another season of growth.

Agatha Christie Challenge continued

Finished another of the Miss Marple series "The Body in the Library" by Agatha Christie.  I had taken a break from reading these books in order to read my book club's selection "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton which six of us discussed here after dinner last night.  That's one I  recommend to readers out there.

"The Body in the Library" opens with just that except the owners of the library have no idea who the body is or how and when it got there.  It's actually quite a sad tale but Christie knows how to soften the blow in her telling of these mysteries.  To write any more about this story will just spoil it for you, so let me just say it's a quick read, as most of her mysteries are, and you'll be astonished at the skills of Miss Marple to cut to the basics in solving the mystery.

I cleaned off the shelves at the library of Miss Marple books so have here in my stack to read:  "The Tuesday Club Murders", "The Moving Finger", "4:50 from Paddington", and "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side".

Last Friday, the 17th we had a chance to go to a local theatre production of "The Hollow" by Agatha Christie.  It wasn't a story I was familiar with but of all of us I was the one who picked out who did it.  I guess I've read too many of these, but I must admit I don't usually figure it out.