Feels good to be planting!

It is still too early to plant much - but after a full week of rain it was nice to be able to get out in the garden and plant something.  I only planted 3 things - but all 3 can take a little cold.  As you can see, I planted carrots (scarlet nantes) snow peas (mammoth melting sugar) and Beauty Heart Radishes. 

I can't wait for them to grow and to be able to eat them!  My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures. 

Have you planted anything yet?  Leave me a comment and let me know what you are planting.

Today's harvest

It is so nice to be harvesting daily from my garden.  This is just the veggies that I picked today - I also picked raspberries and plums and I'm about to go and pick enough apples for a crisp. 

Today's harvest included a few sugar snap peas - they are really done and I need to pull the plants up but since there were a few on there I picked them, pole beans - both yellow and green, tomatoes - both roma and grape, cucumbers and bell peppers.

What are you harvesting?

Damn Rabbits!

I have coexisted with rabbits while gardening for decades. They have always done minimal damage and I never thought too much about them. This year, however, one of them decided to raise her babies in my currant bushes - and use my garden to feed them! I came home from work yesterday to find all of my cauliflower plants looking like this!

Evidently they don't like cabbage, or they were saving it for later - this cabbage sits right beside the cauliflower.

They also started in on my brussels sprouts! They only got about half way through them. The thought of not having brussels sprouts for Thanksgiving motivated me into immediate action.

The garden is now sporting a shiny new fence all around it - take that bunnies!

The rest of the garden is looking good. Look at these nice looking pea pods!

How are your gardens doing?

Slowly but surely

In spite of a stormy weekend, I did squeeze some gardening in - the ground was really wet but you gotta squeeze gardening time in when you can.

The peas are growing nicely. I can't wait for fresh peas!

The potatoes are coming up already.

I planted cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli this weekend.

Golden Rave Tomatoes are hanging out on the patio getting used to the weather and waiting their turn to be planted.

I still have Roma Tomatoes, Watermelon, Bell and Hot Peppers in the basement under the lights.

It is starting to actually feel like spring.

It finally looks like spring!

Pea plants are up and looking healthy!

Brussels Sprouts are outside getting used to the weather before I plant them.

And my beautiful apple tree is in full bloom!

Finally a beautiful day!

The rumor I heard was true! It is 81 degrees as I type this! After a very cold and rainy and almost nonexistent spring - warmer weather has arrived! It is going to cool down and be closer to normal temps by the weekend, but compared to how cold it has been, I will take normal!

If you look really closely here, you can see a pea starting to peek through the soil. In spite of a late planting, I think it will be a good year for peas.

The seedlings in the basement are also behind schedule - also planted late - but they are very healthy looking and I have confidence that they will do well and catch up once they are outdoors.

The apple tree is about to burst into bloom. I can't wait. I love how the apple tree looks when it is covered in flowers - and the kids love picking little green apples, which can't happen without flowers first.

I hope all of my fellow gardeners are enjoying this glorious day!

Lots of early bounty in my garden

I continue to be amazed at how well everything is doing this year - and how early it still is! I just can't believe that it is barely June and I am eating from my garden! I love it!

Look at those pea plants. I know you are probably getting tired of seeing pictures of my peas, but I haven't grown peas in several years. I am so glad that Andy suggested we should grow them - they are so tasty and yummy!

And here is some of today's harvest of peas - this is the second time I have picked them. The first time two nights ago I added them to the bourbon chicken I made for dinner - so very yummy. I think I will just steam these for tonight's dinner.

And look at this - a ripe raspberry! Going to be a good raspberry year - the bushes are loaded and to think that they are already ripening!

This is all I picked today - but it was a tasty start - I think there may have been more but the kid beat me to them. Speaking of the kid, it is hard to believe that he was preschool when I started this blog and he is going to middle school in the fall! Where has the time gone? They grow up way too fast.

And here is today's harvest of strawberries. I think they are nearing their end already - this is the smallest amount I have picked in a single day - of course the kid and his friends could have beaten me to them also............

I hope all of your gardens are doing as well as mine! Happy Gardening!

What a great spring!

I am really loving this spring. I finished planting most of my garden last week - phenomenal to have it done so early. I do have a couple of tomatoes and some herbs that are still on the patio waiting to be planted - but otherwise it is done - and thriving!

Take a look at the peas! Aren't they gorgeous? Mmmmm I can already taste them and they haven't even flowered yet - but I know that isn't long now.

And look what is popping up less than a week after planting - green beans! Those helicopters from the neighbor's maple tree are also plentiful this year!

I have already eaten lettuce, radishes, rhubarb and even a couple of strawberries from the garden - and it isn't even Memorial Day yet! Here's to hoping the rest of the growing season is just as great!

I just LOVE this time of year!

What's not to love about spring? Especially an early spring like this year. It is just so heartwarming to witness everything in nature coming back to life. Hope springs eternal this time of year.

I'm still afraid to plant too much for fear that winter might come back but I have planted a lot more than in previous years.

Look at those beautiful pea plants. They are doing so great. Rain is coming in this evening and we are going to have a rainy weekend which is going to make those plants really start to climb.

The lettuce plants actually look like lettuce now. Yum yum - those delectable babies are going to welcome the rain as well.

I just planted the onion plants so they don't look so hot but give them a week and they will bounce right back.

What's this? Blossoms on my replacement peach tree that I just planted last year? Wow - I sure didn't expect that this year. We'll see if any of them actually set any fruit. That would be a pleasant surprise. I guess I know the new tree is healthy.

My strawberries are also blooming. It won't be long and we will be enjoying fresh everything from the garden.

I have also planted carrots outside. The peppers I planted inside never came up and it is too late now to try and plant more so I am just going to buy pepper plants this year. Everything else that is started indoors is thriving.

Did I mention how much I LOVE spring? I really do. Even if my allergies don't!

My peas say "Thank You" for the morning rain!

I can't believe I have peas growing already. It is only April 13th! This is Minnesota! I'm not complaining though. I'm loving having an early spring. And my peas are enjoying the rain this morning!

They might be barely out of the ground right now, but it won't be long and we will be enjoying them with our dinner!

Here's a closer shot of the sprouts!

And a fuzzy shot of lettuce and/or radish sprouts - kind of hard to tell which is which when they are this little.

And a couple of pics of the seedlings in the basement - all that are up are doing great!

Another shot from under the lights indoors!

My pepper plants (both the bells and the hot ones) have not sprouted yet - nor have my golden rave tomatoes. I'm thinking I may need to replant those - they should have sprouted my now.