La Belle's Hobby Farm: Fickle Spring Planting

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. 
~ Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Since the "Frigid" cover reveal was yesterday, I’m publishing my Garden Post today.

 

K

eeping a journal is a useful habit, especially when gardening.  I don’t remember a March being this unpredictable, but then, I haven’t been keeping track.

But seriously: snow two days after it was 60 degrees!?!?

Needless to say, tt has been hit or miss getting my direct sow seeds in the ground.  If you work the ground too soon, it clumps up and hardens and the seeds suffocate.  You wait too long, and the seeds forget to come up.

And let's not forget my social calendar.  My extrovert side needs people as much as my introvert side needs to be alone in my garden.

And so it was that on March 16, my friend Pearl and her wee ones came down to help me plant some seeds.  Between insane schedules and traffic, I endedup getting ready for a dinner, and she ended up planting a few seeds.  Meanwhile, her youngest (an introvert) quietly sampled some fine organic dirt (yum!) and her oldest talked a blue streak about the cats, the dog, and every blade of grass she stepped on (definitely an extrovert).  They were both absolutely adorable.  Remember: no age is too young to be exposed to gardening!

So both sides of my personality were pleased with the day's outcome.

So what got planted?  Well, not all the direct sow seeds had come in, so what we did have and what we had time to plant went in: lettuce and spinach.  Then this past week, I added two rows of sugar snaps and prayed that they would remember to pop up.  I hadn't planned on putting lettace and spinach in this garden, so the garden plan now looks like this: 



M. Deigh Revised Garden Plan from Garden Planner

This past weekend was a good weekend to plant, but I was busy buying hats (I really need to tell you about my latest addiction!) and didn’t spend any quality time in the dirt.  However, with Easter coming this weekend, I hope to get more weeds pulled, more seeds in the ground, and some in little pots!  Will post pictures next week!

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

It’s not too late, I swear!  What didn't make it into your garden?

La Belle's Hobby Farm: The Plan Unveiled!

‎The best laid schemes of mice and men. . .
~ Robert Burns

I was going to publish this on my regular Wednesday Hobby Farm post, but with all the Pope news going on, I waited a day. 

 

A

nd gardeners too!

Last weekend, I planned on getting some direct sow seeds into the ground but the soil was still too sodden and unworkable.  Garden gloves fingers crossed that this weekend the rain holds off and I can finally get those sugar snaps in the ground ~ along with a bunch of other direct sow beauties.

Given my love for lists, spreadsheets, and plans in general ~ whether I follow them or not is beside the point! ~ I signed up for an online Garden Planner with the Farmer’s Almanac. It is awesomesauce!  It must be the same one that powers the Mother Earth News one, because it looks the same.  But my free trial ran out on that one, so I signed up again. 

Here is my current draft plan for my direct sow / herb garden. 

I’ll print it out this weekend and see if my vision matches up with reality.  It rarely does, but hey ~ that’s why we dream!

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Did you get any seeds in the ground last weekend?  What are you doing in the garden this weekend?