Garden Awakening

First, let me start by saying I am so behind on posting!  I started a few drafts this past week and never finished any of them off.....so here is my collection of photographs from this past week, along with a garden update.

I just did ANOTHER order from Johnny's.  I was labeling cow pots for transplants and came to the realization I don't have enough.  I had been eyeing a few seeds as well, mostly thinking ahead for Fall and Winter harvests.

The spuds from Moose Tubers were delivered this week, boy do I hope I have a better potato season in 2010.  They look lovely, I only had to toss a few with rotten spots.  LaRatte, Purple Viking, Red Gold, and Keuka Gold are being chited.

Everything is budding, blooming, and breaking ground in the garden/yard.  My asparagus is growing an inch a day (or so it seems), I gave it a top dressing of amendments and compost a few days ago to help it along.  This is a picture from earlier in the week, I should start measuring the growth they actually put out in a day, it would be funny wouldn't it?

Fruit trees and bushes budding out (Currant, Apple, Raspberry, Strawberry etc).........the only fruit not showing any signs of life is the grape vine.

I had taken some pictures of the standing ground water, here is a shot of my driveway, and our wetlands- otherwise known as the backyard:

We were very fortunate not to have a wet basement, crazy how many things were (and are) under water here in MA and RI.

In other news, I have been having one heck of a time getting some varieties to germinate this year.  Last year I had just about 100% all around, this year I am far from it.  I am not sure if it is the seed sources (heirlooms from various sources) that is the difference, I guess I will sow more than 2 seeds for peppers and tomatoes going forward.  Most of the nightshades are needing to be thinned, but a couple tomatoes (Pink Brandywine and Amish Paste) along with most of my new peppers and some onion varieties from last year are not cooperating.  Last year it was the string beans that would not germinate for me, looks as though this year it is peppers.  Sigh.

I planted some Egyptian Onions that I took from my Mom's house last summer, they should have gone in back in October, but I forgot.  These will multiply over the years and provide some green onions for garnishing  with if they take.  (In this picture you see the top of the onion which I cut last year and planted in a corner of one bed.)

I like the idea of multiplier onions.  Of anything that is perennial in the kitchen garden I guess.....I will try my hand with yellow "potato onions" this year as well.  I hope they be happy this far North.  I have only seen them in Southern seed catalogs, so I am guessing that is their preferred local.  I would be quite pleased to not have to grow out onions every year going forward, seeds are a pain and sets are costly.....it would be sweet to have the potato onions as a main source through out the year.

Enjoy the weekend everyone, we will be mulching the beds and playing in the dirt for most of the day.  :)

The Winter Work

Well, the seeds have been organized and ordered.  More fruit plants have been ordered (Reliance Grape, 5 Blackberries, 4 low bush blueberries, a white currant, a mandarin orange tree, and rhubarb), the new garden expansion plans are in place and my NOFA bulk order just needs to be mailed out.  Whew, my mind has been 'garden-garden-garden-' for days on end.....now I need to sit back and relax until seed germination begins.  Oh, and did I mention I have over 1,000 pea seeds?  YIKES!  I should have paid more attention, Johnny's shelling pea packets have a minimum of 375 seeds.  I ordered three varieties.

We are continuing to enjoy the fruits from the freezer and the canned goods from the pantry shelf.  I am eating some blueberry pancakes right now as a matter of fact!  Freezing all those berries and pie filling was a good move.  Speaking of berries, this year's purchases are once again breaking the bank so I have decided not to do the CSA this year.  Fingers crossed I will have access to a beef order another way at the end of the year, I would just rather invest the money in my own garden.

It has been a challenge to streamline my plantings into something more functional and less fun for the 2010 season.  Sadly there are many seeds in my stash that will not be sown this year, last year I seemed to have too many or not enough of many things......too many tomatoes for fresh eating, but not enough to process; too few green beans for a side dish or salad; too many cukes for fresh eating, not enough to pickle etc..  Because my space is limited I am considering doing an every other year type planting schedule for pickling cukes and tomatoes.  If I grow both I am limiting my abilities to can, especially on the tomatoes.  If I alternate years I can do sauce/salsa one year, and pickles the next.  I am out of my mind to even consider this??? (I would still grow a few tomatoes for fresh eating.)

Lastly, anyone have a favorite salsa tomato?  Can you use any type?  (Last year I was going to make lots of fresh salsa and it didn't happen once.)