Sunday was a great day to be in the garden. Rain? Well yeah, a little. But plants moved in the rain never know they've been moved, or such has been my experience.
We got up and out early. The sky was threatening gray and I knew we needed to hurry if we wanted to work the ground before we planted. Larry tilled, I planted.
By 9 a.m. I'd planted broccoli, carrots, Romaine, buttercrunch and ruby lettuce seeds and Larry had the ground ready to put out half-runner beans.
I stopped to make pancakes and he worked ground for corn before coming inside to eat. I jarred up the ramps he'd dried--a full half-pint! I can't wait to start using them in recipes.
We got up and out early. The sky was threatening gray and I knew we needed to hurry if we wanted to work the ground before we planted. Larry tilled, I planted.
By 9 a.m. I'd planted broccoli, carrots, Romaine, buttercrunch and ruby lettuce seeds and Larry had the ground ready to put out half-runner beans.
I stopped to make pancakes and he worked ground for corn before coming inside to eat. I jarred up the ramps he'd dried--a full half-pint! I can't wait to start using them in recipes.
We ate and hurried to town to get seed--all the seeds I've bought but did I have the basics like corn and beans? Not exactly; I had Royal Burgundy and wax beans but not half-runners which I do not like. I had ornamental corn and broom corn but not stuff like Early Sunglow and Silver Queen. I am so sensible, aren't I?
We didn't just get seeds of course. A trip to the garden centers always yields more than that. We ended up with plants, potting soil, fenceposts and yet another electric fence charger, among other things. We had to stop at the grocery store too for that indispensable item, coffee. We ran into good friends in town and invited them out to dig up some plants that I needed out of my flowerbeds.
Back home, we hurried to get the seeds in the ground. It had been showering off and on all day, but the ground was still dry enough to plant. I planted celery plants and potted up flowers for the porch. Larry planted beans and corn. (Yes, we're about 3 weeks early, but it's worth a chance. Either the seeds will rot in the ground or get frosted--or we'll have super early veggies. Worth the chance in my book.) I pulled radishes for salad later.
Our friends came out and we ladies dug up plants while the guys went mushroom hunting. When they came back after a successful hunt for mollymoochers (morels) we cooked while Larry and a little friend cleaned out the chick's box and put down new bedding. We made salad from the garden--lettuce, green onions and radishes. I made rice flavored with ramps and added our eggs. Dinner was delicious--salad, morels and rice. We drank Irish Breakfast tea while the guys did dishes and talked about honeybees, mushrooms, tilling gardens and chickens.
Our friends left laden with many plants:
- Lemon balm
- Copper fennel seedlings
- Purple bergamot (also called bee balm)
- Lily of the Valley
- Oregano
- Cosmos seedlings
- Coreopsis
- Southernwood
- Sweet Annie
- Red Coneflower
And there is plenty more of each of these, a testament to the richness of this West Virginia earth.
It was a very, very good day.
oh boy, you forgot to invite me. I would have been a big help, digging plants. Oh well. Maybe next time.
ReplyDeleteThe best sort of day - gardening and good friends. Wish I could come and dig a few plants from your garden!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great day.
ReplyDeleteI'd forgot about Sweet Annie until you mentioned it. I adore Sweet Annie, I added it to my homemade lye soap, and it smelled great. Mom planted me a Sweet Annie plants under my bedroom window back home so when I'm there we can smell Sweet Annie all night long as the breeze carried the scent into the bedroom.
I don't care for fresh half-runner beans either, but I love, love, love them when they're made into leather britches. The flavor is completely changed. My personal favorite beans are Scarlet Runners. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Glad to read that Larry is still talking about the bees, he filled me in on them on our trip a couple of weeks ago. I've never been around bee's but think I would love to work them. I've tried to get Mom & Dad to get some on the mountain but one of their neighbors tried them a few years ago and the bears tore the hives apart. I tried to get her to put them in an outbuilding...wonder if that would work? The bee's could still get in and out.......
Are there any morels left in Jackson County? I figure Larry has found them all by now. My Aunt is starting to find the early one's in Pendleton County. The little black one's, not the white or yellow one's. Probably next week or so before it's peak season.
Needless to say, I liked this post!
Matthew
It sounds like you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew more about gardening and had a good place to put out a veggie garden. I just do flowers and a few herbs that I buy from my friend. I did notice that my lemon balm is coming up...I'm so excited!
That sounds like the most awesome day! The pics of the goodies and wonderful - It's gloomy here, so seeing that makes it feel a little more like Spring!
ReplyDeleteso inspiring! I feel like such a slacker by comparison.
ReplyDeleteI did just put some of my plants out on the deck. I think it's safe now. . . There has been speculation that houseplants coming inside may have been my frog's avenue into my house. If so, he was quiet for two months, not speaking up until mid-December. I've planted some herbs a friend gave me, and some are sprouting. The citrus plant the great-nephews and nieces planted several years back needs the outdoor sun to flourish. Other plants don't seem to care as much, but they look good out there. If I weren't the "poster child for allergies," I'd have sought a spot with more ground under my thumb.
I wish you were my nextdoor neighbor. I sure could learn a lot. I'm trying to learn how to garden so I can have a lot of flowers to use in floral still life images I take. If it wasn't for my husband most of my transplanted flowers wouldn't have lived. Mostly I sow seeds directly into the ground.
ReplyDeleteToday, on my blog I posted an image of some lily-of-the-valley blossoms I did several years ago. Come by my blog and "smell the flowers" at http://photographyhints.blogspot.com
I am sorry to not be responding as much as I would like. It's been a busy week and it's only Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteNance and Rowan, yall come by anytime and we'll dig! Tammy, you might think about putting in a little border of lettuce--it's pretty and useful. Or mixing a few onions in among the flowers--the blue-green spikes can be an attractive accent and green onions are great for cooking or salads.
Other ways to add veggies to your gardens--carrots and dill have beautiful ferny foliage, tomatoes can be in the back on trellises or stakes, and strawberries make a nice border too.
Pines, when you're ready to plant, let me know. We can mail plants, maybe! or at least a few seeds to get you started.
Mary, you do what you can with what you've got. Severe allergies aren't something to play with, I know. Your herbs will give you great delight.
Photos01, I just peeked at your site--amazing! and thank you for becoming my 50th follower:-)
I planted Lily of the Valley recently. I can't wait till it is mature. Its such a beautiful plant.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the best time to transplant and/or plant is in the rain. The plants love it. After this last drop in temp, I believe its tonight, I'm going to plant my fennel and cilantro - the other stuff isn't ready.
Oh and I completely forgot to get a little sprig of forcynthia (sp?) the last time I visited.
You can dig up a started bush when you come, Jaime. There are plenty. Odie wants one too but we forgot to dig one of those on Sunday. Wish you could come down and get some plants!
ReplyDeleteI would love to come down and get some plants. The Vandalia music festival is in the end of May - right? Let me know the date - I am so there.
ReplyDelete