A New Garden Season

Things have been warming up around here, and spring is just around the corner. Starting in February, we finally get a reminder that sun does exist behind all those clouds in the Northwest, and that it will stop raining someday. The few glorious days are enough to start the spring fever, big time.

I started in the garden much sooner this year, knowing a little bit more about than last year. For instance, instead of putting strawberries in starter pots inside, I put them outside right away. Anthony and I cleared out a bed of iris bulbs mid February and I planted the strawberries in their place. A much better use for the soil if you ask me.

The strawberries are thriving well, sending out new leaves, and I’ve even found a few buds. They live right under our bedroom window, which I try to look out at them and check on their progress often. Can you tell that I’m excited about our first harvest? The strawberries are tristar ever-bearing strawberries. They should produce a heavy crop in spring and then continue slowly over the summer. They should also last for many years to come, and produce new plants to replace the old.

Since today was a nice enough day to get outside and work in the yard we also did quite a bit of digging.

I leave all plant destruction to Anthony. So while I was planting our seed starts for the summer (tomatoes, cauliflower, okra, peppers, artichokes, and several herbs) Anthony worked away at clearing out beds. We have slowly been working on turning our yard into our vision instead of that of the previous owner. The back bed is destined to become home to plants I can use as natural dyes and some herbs. The dark bed received new seeds today including sugar snap peas, mesclun, kolrabi, golden beets and bok choy. That was my only vegetable bed last year, but this year we should be making at least one more.

Plus, some of the perennials from last year are starting to show.

Asparagus peeking out to say hello.

The Madder plant is also showing new growth.

Newly transplanted Rosemary that I started from seed last year.

Obviously we have some big plans for the yard this year. As I start planning out where I want things to go and what I want to include, I try to keep my garden theme in mind; The Imagination Garden. Most of all I want our yard to be somewhere I can go to retreat from the world, to divine inspiration and to help us lead more sustainable lives. Now for the hard part, waiting for everything to grow! Do you have any garden plans for this year?