More seedlings!

My onion sets and scallion seeds are sprouting! I also think I have the first set of carrots coming up...but I won't know for sure until I get back from my trip.

The butterfly garden is also coming along nicely. The hyacinths are blooming and the Asiatic Lilies are coming up nicely!

We had a downpour last night, enough to give us 2" of rain! Off for a few days, but will be back for the weekend!

Dinner

So I know this is a gardening blog and our Sunday night dinner menu is a bit off topic, but tonight I made a roast duck with a baby greens salad, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, and a lovely syrah.  We finished it off with a little lemon and raspberry sorbet.  It was delicious! 

Live Trap 1 - Ground Squirrel 0

We woke up to a big, healthy ground squirrel in our live trap this morning!  He is currently on his way to some naturalised lands outside of town a few miles away.  We set the trap up at the entrance of the den, so I'm pretty sure we got the guy chomping on the veggies.  If he wasn't eating my garden, I'd probably let him stay...he's pretty cute!

The little mouse-like rodent (a vole maybe?) was not to be found...but maybe now that the pile of grass clippings is gone, he won't come around anymore.

Big thanks goes out to Brad for the rodent removal!

Butterfly Garden, April 2012

The Lilacs started blooming yesterday!  Not such great news as we're supposed to have another chance at frost overnight, but I have faith they'll make it through.  I've also included a picture of the butterfly garden in April.  I was doing some spring cleaning in the garden and started pulling up perennials, so I decided to stop.

On a side note, it was so nice out yesterday we got the pool out for Honey.  This is her hunting bubbles.


Bubble Hunting, April 2012

Potatoes

I've planted about half of the potatoes (the other half will go in the ground after we catch that rodent) and a second planting of kohlrabi, green and red romaine, and green butterhead lettuce.

Most importantly, the live trap is in the ground!

Now it's a beautiful, 70F day out hear so I'm going to go back outside and enjoy it!

Trellis

The first trellis for the peas is officially in the garden!  If the peas seem to like it, we'll put in another 2-3 for the 2nd pea planting and the pole beans.  For about $40, I don't think it's too bad for a 4-sided pyramid trellis.  We get 8 feet of plantings in a 2'x2' square!

We didn't get the potatoes in the ground tonight - decided to go out and play BINGO instead ("we" won $99!).  Won't get done tomorrow either, but Saturday is looking promising.

We did get the live trap though - hopefully it'll go in the ground tomorrow.  Rascally rodent.

We have our second planting of spinach, beets and a couple of the lettuces coming up (I didn't have time to check which ones - but I'll check this weekend).

Grrr

The rodent under the shed ate half my pea sprouts.  grrrr.  We did get the pea trellis assembled however, will take pictures tomorrow when it's light out.

Another frost warning tonight.  More of the same.

Didn't have time to get the potatoes in, but with this rodent issue I'm not sure I want to put them in the ground right by his nest...

More tomorrow.

One more time...

No frost damage to report.  My tulip blooms looked quite sad this morning, but by my return from work they had perked right back up.  I cut them off tonight and brought them inside to enjoy for a few days just in case the 26F temps decide to wipe them out.  I also cut up the potatoes so they can develop a "scab" over their cut sides before putting them in the ground, hopefully tomorrow if it warms up a bit.  They're taking over my kitchen counter.

Unfortunately, the trellis will have to be put on hold as work calls tonight.  Hopefully that can get put together tomorrow too.

We saw evidence of our little rodent frenemy who lives under the shed today.  I had noticed the last few days that their appeared to be little nibbles taken out of our radish leaves and the new strawberry leaves, as well as some of the tiny lettuces.  Not complete demolition, but more like taste testing.  I wasn't sure what was doing it, since the fence is up, but tonight we saw a fresh hole coming from under the shed (we can blockaded off his last one).  Next steps:  live traps.  He must think my garden is the creme de la creme!

On a related note, there was a VERY large bunny in our yard this morning.  I think she's the one who has gone to town on our blueberries this winter.  We may need to cage those up as well...supposedly they love them!

Tonight we've gone through the same frost preparation - a nice watering and old bedsheets over the top.  Hopefully we can make it successfully through one more night.