Time to Cut the Mustard

The over-wintered mustard is bolting. Time to cut it all and cook up a big pot of "tender-green" goodness! The arugula and Asian Yukina Savoy greens are starting to go, too. The center stalks of broccoli are forming nicely... Dark green florets. The spring harvest is looking good!

Dry Conditions and a Sick Chicken

I spent the weekend at Holden Beach with "the mothers" of Mothers' Group. I came back this afternoon to a sick chicken. No obvious signs of illness or injury. She's just lethargic. I isolated her, gave her some antibiotics -just in case - and will have to wait to see how she does.

Friday brought some strong and steady winds to the area. We are in a pretty serious drought condition and the wind simply made matters worse. The raised beds are very dry. This afternoon I removed the row covers and gave everything a shot of good ol' H2O. I'm not seeing any sign of sprouting peas or radishes, but then, I haven't been keeping the soil consistently moist.

Noah and Ashley were home this weekend. We enjoyed a big bowl of fresh salad greens out of the garden and edemame out of the freezer (put up from last year's harvest) before they headed back to Asheville this evening.

Early Plantings

I spent a pleasant afternoon in the garden, doing basic clean-up and getting some seed in the ground. I planted three rows of sugar snaps and one row of radishes. I switched out the row cover on the broccoli / cabbage bed. The original had several holes torn in it. I want to be sure to keep the cabbage moths out!

Plants put in the ground this past fall have wintered over very well.  The center stalks of the broccoli are starting to form.  Cabbage is thriving.  Collard leaves are finally getting some size on them. The mesclin mix, endive, and spinach are all filling out.  The Asian greens have been delicious in salads.  The mustard is living up to its name - "tender-green".  The baby kale have served us well, providing interest and variety to the soup pot or the bean dish.  You simply can not beat late winter greens!

The Black Raspberries are Cleaned Up

Last weekend I cleaned up the wineberries.  This Sunday, it was the black raspberries' turn.  I cut out the old canes, clipped back little trees that were trying to move in, pulled up honeysuckle / other weeds, and cleared a little path across the patch for easier access to ALL the berries.

Then I cleaned up two beds worth of last year's pole beans.  The brown, dried up plants were still hanging on to their respective string trellises.  I'll be moving my potato crop into those beds this year.

The garden art got an overhaul, too.  I sprayed new bamboo chimes with varnish and hung them in place.  I love the soft sound of bamboo chimes. These feature a brightly painted bird whose neck and head move with the wind.  They replace similar chimes that Rouse and I bought at the botanical gardens in Sarasota, FL the year my brother, Bill, and Amber got married.  They finally fell apart this winter. The chimes, that is, not the married couple!

I shored up my "angel tree". Andrew made the structure several years ago.  Four cedar posts tied together with grapevine form a tepee shape. The grapevine makes a little "nest" that holds a silver gazing ball. The grapevine must be replaced every year, which I did today. The garden guardian angel, a gift from my mother-in-law, perches on top. Some metal chimes and a chicken angel ornament round out the goofiness!

Winnowing the Wineberries

Last Saturday was the first spring-like day we've had all winter, but I spent it indoors teaching a hammered dulcimer workshop.  Then on Sunday I went to church.  It was Fr. Carl Edwards' last Sunday.  The outdoor temperature was so pleasant, the front doors of St. Bartholomew's were thrown wide open for most of the 10:30am service!  But after church, Abi and I had plans for our first foray into the wedding gown scene.  We spent the afternoon indoors at David's Bridal.  BTW ... Abi will be a beautiful bride!  Anyway, I've been itching to get at some garden chores while basking in warm air.

Today has been another lovely day, but I had plans to play music with friends ... indoors.   I did manage to spend an enjoyable hour in the garden cleaning up the wineberry patch.   I removed the old canes and tucked the new ones into the bed.  I came away with a few scratches and visions of berry cobbler dancing in my head.