Favorite Day

Our cold-hot, rainy-sunny, winter-spring weather continues on the first day of Daylight Savings Time. This weekend has been filled with family time, with yesterday almost a mini-vacation at home. We hiked the big hill with our neighbors, taking it slow for Ella, and for Deva, who is 8 months pregnant. Ella fell a lot, simply because she is learning to walk in her own big feet. When we reached the top, we all laid down in the grass on the south side of the knob, the sunny, and leeward side. With the green velvet valley spread out before us, we loafed in the warm sun for a long time, having adult conversation, while Ella and Maple rolled a little ways down the hill, and made grass braids.

But today, Drew, Ella and I worked all together in the garden, preparing beds, planting seeds, catching up on tasks that are past due. This was simply divine, and I realized that this is the life that I want, spending Sunday gardening with my family. Yesterday, we helped Deva dig up some extraneous raspberry canes that were sprouting in the bed next to their intended home, and she sent us home with them. This was a serendipitous moment, as we have been planning on getting raspberries. So we prepped their future home today, by mowing the cover crop, forking the soil, and sheet mulching the beds.


Raspberry Beds Settling In and Waiting for Plants


Raspberry Plants Ready to Go

Then we moved on to preparing the bed for our peas, by removing all that runner-type grass, adding some chicken manure compost, and oyster shell flour (to lower the pH). Then we had to build a trellis out of old fence posts and wire. At last, after lunch, I sowed the seeds, and mulched the bed and watered things in. This year, I'm growing both sugar snap peas and shelling peas. I've never tried the shelling peas before, and I'm hoping I'll have enough to freeze.


Sowing Shelling Peas


Pea Bed All Ready with Trellis

The other day, I transplanted the long-awaited artichokes. I can't wait to eat their yumminess. The artichoke and raspberry beds should behave as a wind barrier to protect the annual garden plants from the northeast wind that swoops down out of the sky during the late spring and summer.


'Romanesco' Artichoke

One of the best parts of having Drew and Ella out there with me is that SO much more got done than if it had just been me alone. That same amount of work would have taken me at least a week. Amazing what we can do when we do it together! And Ella is increasingly helpful. She worked very hard scooping oyster shell flour, and planting pea seeds, all with a little help, of course.

Then as a grand finale for today, an amazing rainbow arched its vibrant colors directly over our homestead, from the back of our flat, to the other side of our house, which I luckily captured on film to share with all of you. Looking forward to eating all those veggies and fruits coming our way.


The Pot of Gold...