Fall is starting..

All the classic signs of fall are starting to show. The spiders are spinning big, thick webs outside and many are attempting to come into the house. The geese are flocking up and flying around in big formations. The potatoes and peas are well past their prime. My garden is vastly huger than I could have imagined it would become back in June.

This year our peas, potatoes, and onions did very well. The onions were a triumph for me because I kept planting them all the way under the dirt and getting small little onions. This year I planted some starts half way under and they are now gorgeous and brown and bulging out of the ground. I'm going to pull them out soon. I have a good cherry tomato and pear tomato crop coming and our blueberries and pears are having their best year ever.

It's time to plant the fall crops of kale, lettuce, carrots and beets. I'm considering plant fava beans all over for winter color, a nutrient soil refresh, and because I will be gone in the early spring and won't be fretting to have them out of the ground until I get back in March.

More Spring Flowers

Tulip

Daffodils

Ferns Unfolding

Hyacinths

For My Tomatoes

I installed 11 wall-o-waters around tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in hopes of a better harvest this year. So far so good.

Introducing...

Clematis Huldine - "Emma"

Clematis Montana Rubens - "Billy"

Clematis Montana Brewster - "Jennifer"

White Dawn Climbing Rose - "Betty"

Clematis Comtesse de Bouchaud - "Oscar"

Joseph's Coat Climbing Rose - "Romeo"

Dirt and Baby Onions

My delivery of dairy compost came today. I made more planting mix, filled some containers and the bed along the fence that I'm going to attempt a row of corn in. Composted all the existing beds and containers, fun fun fun!! Can't wait to get it all worked in and the beds cleaned up. I've been waiting on this to get going on planting salad greens, spinach, carrots, all my cool season plants. Now I have lots to do. Yay! I'm going to start some of my tomatoes, eggplants and peppers soon with wall o waters.

Planted some of my onion starts today in containers. Did not get big onions last year and am hoping to reverse that this year. More sunshine, early start. Hopefully it will work.

Images of Spring At My House

Photo 1: I need to look up what these bushes are, but I'm so glad to have them in front of our house. They flower in spring and summer and have a soft trailing branches in a pretty green yellow through the fall.

Photo 2: Fava Bean Survivors! These fava beans weathered our unusually snowy winter and are blossoming. Yay!!

Photo 3: Heal All. I used this medicinal herb as one of my winter ground covers and am now indecisive about what to do with it. It can be invasive in wet ground (which I have) so I should take it all out NOW but it's an amazingly useful herb to use. As a tea it can help with a range of internal ailments from sore throats to liver healing. You can apply a solution of it to clear up pink eye and irritated allergy eye problems and a paste to help wounds. I want to grow some of it. I'll probably choose one spot to grow it and take the rest out.

Photo 4: My first tulip!! The tulips are all very short so far. My daffodils are tall but the tulips are almost at ground level. Hmmm.. too much clay perhaps?

New Garage Lights Set Up

Patrick set up my shop grow lights in the garage. It turned out so well! I can adjust each light as I need to. My plants are very happy. Now I have room to start a new batch upstairs.