Spring!

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Winter has been over for weeks here in Southeastern NC. Despite a doozie of a head cold I stumbled outside in bursts to plant according to the Mother Earth News, "What to Plant Now" monthly guide. Call it global warming or luck, I did not have to cover beds because temps were in the 70's and 80's. I did have to water.

We now have a transition garden with direct seeding of lettuce, carrots, onions, potatoes, beets and radishes up and at 'em. Rutabagas and kale are the winter hold overs. The potatoes are a shock. They are already pushing up. The ground is warm enough for them to do that.

I stumbled into a fabulous throw back to the 1970's while in Charlottesville, VA. recently. Like falling down Alice's rabbit hole it was a hippy throwback owned by two hippy women about my age. The only thing missing were the macrame hanging plant holders. I came away with hundreds of dollars worth of organic, heritage seeds, potting mix and garden ephemera. The very best find was seedling mix that is not hydrophobic. Hallelujah! I also caved and bought a heating pad for seedlings and grow light. Uh, duh. Why did I wait so long?

Following what I hope will be a soaking rain today, we will put an herb/flower bed in where the tree-that-died-after-Matthew was. It is currently a big, ugly, scar in our backyard. Losing a tree abruptly is hard for many reasons but this was a very serviceable shade tree. I miss it. All this to say that my annual new, exciting plants will be herbs I've never grown-borage, chamomile, horseradish and others with the anchor being a Serviceberry. Soon the whole world will be green and blooming!

We Are Off!

Final count: 24

Spring has come early. Very early. Reading the tea leaves, because second guessing Mother Nature is like that, I planted onion, potato, lettuce, carrot, radish, peas seeds last week. More will go in today. Upstairs under grow lights broccoli and herbs are germinated and growing. Rough estimates show about thirty, that's right 30, broccoli plants, most are DiCicco. Yikes.

All the tiny seeds and seedlings must be watered daily or kaput. All that work for nothing.

Rutabagas are almost ready to eat. Kale is harvested weekly. Romaine lettuce, that overwintered, has put on growth from warm days and is wonderfully tender. Cabbages are coming out one by one. Because I planted the parsley where it could be covered it survived "The Epic Cold of January 2018" and we are eating it in something every day.

Referencing the heat and cold here:  Chives are up, thyme died. Oregano and mint were seriously knocked back. Rosemary took the cold well. Parsley, I covered and even then some died. Bay, growing in a pot, has minor leaf damage.

Radishes and Lettuce

Today I will plant both in one of the raised beds. Gosh. I hope it works. I will take photos if they germinate. Stay tuned folks.