April garden update - and I cause wind storms
Garden on 1 April 2016. The new raised bed in front of the chickens will be for my daughter to fill - she's already been discussing the relative merits or radishes and carrots.
The last few days have felt like someone switched on spring. Plants have been rushing to bloom (including the last of my overwinter greens) and there is new growth everywhere. I've been able to putter outside in just my t-shirt - and the monster mud pit is starting to dry up.
At the beginning of March we finally got the greenhouse covered, but not strapped down yet. Within 24 hours we had a major wind storm that nearly blew it away. That day I was out there holding the greenhouse down (not easy to do) while my husband was screwing the strapping on (my three-year old ran around inside delighted with the excitement). For the next few weeks we had a windstorm every other day - since windstorms around here are a November thing, I've concluded putting up the greenhouse caused them. We'll need to do some fixing, but the greenhouse has survived and is now filled with young plants.
Inside the greenhouse - originally I got specifically-for-outside-poly clear tape to hold the cover on, but it didn't stick. So we resorted to the red tape, which is ugly, but holding well.
The front food forest has been a bit of a deer-ravaged-weed-zone, but I've started to get a handle on it. The perennials, bushes and trees are coming to life and I hope will grow enough this year to drown out some of the weeds. And, even though the deer have been eating my sprouting broccoli, there was still plenty left over for me to harvest. On the agenda for April is putting up a better fence!
The sawdust paths are looking more defined and it looks like I'll get boatloads of blueberries.
Blooming honey berries, which should be the first berries ready to eat.
I know these aren't edible, but they are pretty
Primroses in the morning - these are edible, but not tasty
The plum behind my back fence is putting on a nice show of blooms - and there have been plenty of bees.