The creme de cognac dahlia bloomed! This was the one dahlia that I bought last year, that was the saddest little tuber you ever did see. It at least leafed out nicely, but it never did bloom. I figured if it did survive the winter, I’d give it another go this year. And look at […]

The garden didn’t do too badly while I was gone. I enlisted my mother to come over and water. There were some nice sunny days, so some things grew in quite nicely. It hasn’t been warm enough for the peppers and basil to be thrilled, but they’re doing ok. I was pleasantly surprised by how

The dahlias are out of the greenhouse, and I’ve switched it over to the net covering, and put that over the brassicas. It’s a bit big for the space, but it’s tall enough, so we’ll see how it goes this year. The bottom doesn’t have a complete seal, so I’ve piled up the straw at

Planting out is done. Thankfully, everything got through the nor’easter on Thursday intact, and I’ve filled up the rest of the back bed. I do still need to move the dahlias out of the greenhouse – I’ll do that tomorrow. I can then move that over the brassicas, and switch it over to the net

Did some planting after work today. Not because the weather was great, but because it’s going to get worse, and I really need to get things in the ground by Monday at the latest. So everything I thought would ok in the ground went in today. The remaining small pots have totes at the ready

The brassicas are in the ground. Which really should have happened a couple weeks ago. My winter sown broccoli looks great, and I had a single kale and single romesco. So I bought some more kale to pad that out. But I had to deal with this: It took me two days to dig out

Garden activity is starting to ramp up. I got the dahlias out in the pots on my lunch break on Thursday. I did have to get rid of one (cactus Tamboro), which had molded. Only some had sprouted, and all of them had when I planted last year, so we’ll see if that bodes ill.

First seedling haul of the season: the yellow dahlia we like for the front bed, bidens (also for the front bed), basil, oregano and alyssum. I also got some zucchini seeds. They’re outside for now, but I will be keeping an eye out to make sure it doesn’t get too cold at night.

The front bed is clear of its winter leaf bed, and holy god are there a lot of maple seedlings! I always expect to see some, but I swear, it’s a regular carpet right now. I don’t remember a bumper crop of helicopters last year, but there apparently was one.

Things are coming together. It’s warming up (like we left the heat off overnight a few nights this week.) I’ve got the hose out, and today, I set up the dahlia greenhouse. I need to check on the dahlias and see if they’re waking up yet. I don’t want them out until sometime in May,