So Far, So Good.

Sorry for the absence.  I've been completely absorbed with gardening at the moment.  I almost feel rushed trying to get things into my raised beds before summer-like weather really hits us here.  And it seems like it will hit us REALLY soon!  I think we're supposed to be close to the mid to upper 80s today. Way too hot for April.  I'm really hoping my cool weather veggies don't just wilt and die before I get to eat them.  So some great surprises happened in my gardening misadventures.  Months ago, we had a crazy, windy storm that blew over my greenhouse.  My columbine seeds ended up completely mixed up and all over the place.  I thought I had totally lost these expensive ass seeds but of course, I kept the Ziploc bags with hopes that something would sprout.  Well, it did a month later!! I had a single plant growing but alas it was not to be.  The poor thing just up and died not too long ago BUT I had dumped the rest of the seed starting mix with the columbine seeds in a flat tray and bought another columbine variety to sprinkle onto the mix (I hate to waste good seed starting mix).  Lo and behold.... by the end of March, all of these columbines started to sprout!!

In the raised beds, yes I bought another LARGER bed, I transplanted my kale and collards, started bunching onions, dill, cilantro, transplanted some chives from my original pot, started arugula, a mix of lettuces and daikon radishes, sugar snap peas (my favorite), chamomile, spinach, transplanted my thyme and dotted both beds with marigolds.  Surprisingly, everything is growing,although my thyme doesn't look as healthy as it used to. Today, I planted cucumber, zucchini and carrot seeds. 

I was given a cabbage plant, which was not in my big gardening plan.  It's supposed to be enormous so I planted the cabbage in its own bed...

I finally transplanted my bee balm into a half whiskey barrel.  I really hope the bee balm flowers this year. 

My napa cabbages should be able to go into the raised bed in a couple of days...

On a sad note, my peppers haven't done well.  I wanted to grow Korean peppers, and two varieties of paprika peppers; one hot and one sweet.  The sweet paprika variety is growing well but slowly. I lost the hot paprika plants and possibly both Korean peppers.  I actually decided to start more Korean peppers today.  We'll see how it goes.  It's probably way too late now.

These little green bugs, I think they're aphids, have completely ravaged my tulips. So sad. The tulips were doing so well and it was almost overnight that these horrible little bugs showed up. At least my lupines are o.k.  My lupines were being eaten by slugs but I sprinkled coffee grounds around the seedlings and the lupines have not been attacked since.  The amazing power of coffee!!

I've been a very busy girl but my mad vision for my dream garden is finally coming together!! There's so much more to do!!