THE GARDEN TAKES OVER

We have suddenly reached the time in the spring when there is so much to do in and for the gardens that much of what we had been doing all winter is almost squeezed out.  I’ve been starting seedlings in the house for nine weeks.  I started the last batch this week – 3 kinds of zucchini, patty pans, sunflowers.  I had to replant the marjoram as the previous attempt didn’t germinate.  Most of the seedlings I began in February and up to last week are in the greenhouse, demanding they get into the soil right now.  They are banging their little non-heads on the greenhouse ceiling.  We had to get the broccoli plants out, even though Woody had a 3 pm live radio interview and didn’t get back here till after 4 pm on Wednesday. 

The outdoors is delightful this time of year, with so many bulbs blooming, especially daffodils in the hundreds.  My garden, the uppermost of the three, now contains cilantro plants and lettuces I transplanted and many lettuce seeds of five other varieties.  In the farthest raised bed, I planted arugula, garden cress radishes and mustard.  Then I helped Woody plant broccoli, more lettuce plants  and red cabbage.

The greenhouse has hardy plants on the upper shelf without bottom heat, and the lower shelf on that side and the only shelf on another side have tender plants that get bottom heat at night or if it gets chilly.  The facing side to that is the door, and then the north side gets summer bulbs I’ve starting – dahlias, calla lilies.  Acidanthera doesn’t need to be started early but just put in the ground some time in May as it doesn’t blossom until very late summer and into the fall.

I said it was delightful outside, but that was before the temperature passed 80 on Thursday when we were planting red cabbage seedings and more lettuce seedlings.  I don’t have shorts of short sleeved tees out of storage in the hall closet yet.  Saturday, it’s supposed to get back to seasonal temperatures of 50s during the day and 40s at night all next week. I just wish it would rain and get rid of the very high tree pollen.  I cough and sneeze and have a running nose all day.  I’ve never had a pollen allergy this bad of anything like it.

I started at Seashore point seeing a physical therapist for my left elbow this week.  It has been quite painful since it was immobilized for seven weeks. The birds that go into mating plumage are all it lit up now.  I’m hoping I can get into the lower garden for the first time this year and plant shallots and parsnip and beet seeds in the long raised bed where I usually plant pumpkins. For the last two years, critters have eaten our pumpkins and we got NONE of either kind we grow.  So we’re taking a year off from pumpkins. That’s not as bad as it would have been before we discovered a good local source of organic pumpkins.

Dale has been out with Covid this week. I don’t know if he’s be well enough to come in Monday.  Since I work cosely with him, I rook a test, but fortunately I tested negative. Sometimes we forget it’s still around.  We were in three groups at parties so might have been exposed, but so far, we’re lucky.

My instructions now are to try to keep the elbow still [not really possible] and to ice it  three times a day for 15 minutes each time.  That I can do.