Tuesday, April 22, 2014

April Showers...

April showers...bring May flowers, right?

I hope they also help bring up the seeds I just planted this morning!

I'm trying again this year, to plant some things in the pallets along the edge of the garden.  I've planted a few things that are hard to hoe around...and things that I don't like the dirt splashing up on, in between the slats of the pallets.

In the front is lettuce, and those small plants you can hardly see in the farther pallet are kale.  In the rows in between, I planted radishes and beets...


The chickens have now officially been banned from the garden, because I'm sure they would make short work of my plants!

They're NOT happy!

I've not yet found the ideal place to plant my herbs.  They need to be some place close to the house, so I can easily get to them, so I'm trying again in the pig trough on the porch.  Last year I tried a raised bed, but the cats wouldn't leave them alone.  Cats and herbs are not an appealing combination!

It's still too cool for most herbs, but the parsley and rosemary should be fine...


I think the rest of the herbs will go in pots in the pump trough, when it warms up some more.  The cats ought to leave them alone in these two spots!

We also had the big maple tree in front of the porch trimmed back really hard this spring, so there should be plenty of sun on the porch this year, both for the herbs and for keeping my hanging baskets of petunias blooming!

Aren't they pretty?  I can't take credit for growing them...they came from Jim's cousin's greenhouse...


I was hoping to plant my potatoes this afternoon too...after all, it's already mid April. :)   My Amish neighbors probably have potato plants who knows how high  (but who's comparing?!)  The rain came a little earlier than I was expecting, so here they sit...cut and ready to plant in a day or so...


They're Norland Reds.  I can hardly wait to bite into a new potato with it's thin skin...covered in browned butter, of course!

Here's hoping the cold winter killed the potato beetles!  Wishful thinking perhaps?

What's growing in your garden doing right now?

19 comments:

  1. You are so far ahead of me. I haven't even started thinking about a garden yet. But I did notice my asparagus is starting to come up, yum.

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  2. you made my mouth water with the potatoes! good luck with the herbs and pallet garden, too. your baskets of flowers really dress up your porch!

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  3. All looks and sounds great ! The only thing in my gardens are my spring flowers for now . Our planting doesn't start till our May long weekend ! Thanks for sharing . Have a good week !

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  4. You have an impressive palette garden and you are way ahead of me. Your petunias are so pretty on your white veranda. We still have the back yard under snow still. The only thing that I could clean was the raised flower beds near the house. I've started some begonias, lobelias, petunias, peppers and tomatoes seeds in the house under light.

    The flood water is still very high and we are still under flood alert as we are getting a few days of heavy rain coming.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  5. I like all of your new plants. My chickens have been banned too and they are really not happy either.
    I have a row of sunflowers that just came up. I am so excited. That is about it. Even though it feels warm the nights are cold and the ground isn't that warm yet.
    I bet you are having so much fun.

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  6. I like the way you're using those pallets. We're trying a raised bed garden for the first time this year. We enclosed most of it and put doors on it so we can get to the plants but the deer can't. :-) So far I've planted lettuce, onions, radishes, carrots, and broccoli. I planted some cucumbers, but I'm afraid the freeze last week got them. I'll have to replant those. And more!

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  7. Oh pallet planting...that's a good idea. Gosh I don't remember ever banning the chickens from the garden, I let them have free range....who knows maybe they didn't realize there was a garden around the corner...hahahahaa

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  8. Looks like you've got a good jump on the Summer gardens!
    Love the hanging plants on your porch. That's something that we like to do as well.... hang plants from the porch. It always looks so welcoming.

    As for us... we have nothing planted. We are most likely moving, and around these parts it is not safe to plant until after Mother's Day anyway.

    Lots of my perennials are coming up, and lots of herbs too. Hope the new home owners will enjoy them~~~*grin**.

    Smiles :)
    K.

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  9. Goodness. I haven't even though of a garden yet. I don't know how I always seem to be behind on yard work. I love the idea of the pallets. I'm looking forward to seeing how they work for you.

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  10. I've eaten some kale, lettuce, beet greens, and spinach from my garden. I started really early this year, putting window panes on straw bales. But I still can't get my carrots to grow! Your palette and trough gardens look beautiful!

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  11. You have been busy. I can't believe how much is growing in your garden. I wanted to get my potatoes in last weekend. Maybe this weekend. Thanks for the update.

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  12. Sounds so exciting. My chickens and ducks have been banned from the gardens to. But moving the chicken run to areas where I want the grass cleared is working out well for me. I found the pocket door organizer hung and planted with my herbs to be convenient near the kitchen porch. My cats do not bother them. In one of my posts you can see my hanging garden.

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  13. This is all so exciting. Thanks for sharing your pallet garden. I grow my herbs in my hanging gardens beside the kitchen porch. I grow them in shoe organizers. You can read about it in my blog. My cats do not bother them. I'll be back to see your garden.c

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  14. Very exciting! I never have much luck with herbs. So strange. I do have a few other things planted though.

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  15. Look at all of this! You are so productive! And the front of your house looks like Green Gables. Would you ever do a house tour? ;-)

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  16. Glad to see all your siblings. The way you have kept is also good. You have left more space between the plants. All the best for your potatoes!

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  17. It's still rather cold here in New England but I have had my Rosemary out for about a week now. What a great porch you have !

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  18. What a great idea with the pallets! Our soil is clay, rocks, and more rocks. Pallets will contain good soil and make it so much easier to care for the garden. Now to be on the lookout for someone discarding pallets.
    Thanks for the idea!

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