Wildlife Photo's

Long time, no post.... There is still not much happening in the garden but the weather is starting to improve. I am hoping to get the rest of the garden cleaned up this week, in between the rain. The post on my seedlings is also overdo as well! Until then I am going to share some wildlife photo's I have taken over the last few months:

Pileated Woodpecker


Nesting Sandhill Crane


Sandhill Cranes


Painted Turtle


Trumpeter Swans, wild nesting pair.


Wood Ducks


Northern Shoveler Duck


Redheaded Duck

Bald Eagle


Bald Eagle

More Spring Seeding

It appears that spring weather has finally arrived, It seemed to take ages this year. With the cold start I am quite a bit behind compared to last year. I will likely now have spring crops in spots that need summer crops in a few months. I am sure it will all get figured out when the time comes though.

Monday evening I started quite a few things. First I had to replant half the pea's do to some deaths. I placed them out in the coldframe a while ago and the cool, cloudy days rotted a few shoots. I also started some late sown Broccoli in hopes of stagering the harvest a bit, both crown & sprouting broccoli was started. The last thing that was sown was all the tomatoes. I wanted to start them a little sooner this year but neglect to follow through. I am hoping to find room for the following tomato varieties this year:

• Black Cherry
• Velvet Red
• Sungold
• Cherokee Purple
• Japanese Black Trifele
• Roman Candle (Seed from EG)
• Purple Calabash
• Hillbilly Potato Loaf
• Feuerwerk
• Pink Berkley Tie Dye
• Mortgage Lifter
• Giant Belgium
• Black Brandywine (Early Sown in January)

I'll end with a couple shots of Charlie out for a little adventure.

Look for a post on my seedlings in a few days....

Pea Planting

Earlier this week I planted all my peas & broad beans. There will be quite a few varieties this year. I forgot to mention them on my garden plans below this post. They will mostly be planted on the trellises and they will be replaced by the melons and what not once summer arrives. Here is what will be grown:

• Sugar Sprint Snap Pea - these will be the main crop of peas. I like that you can eat the whole pod which greatly increase the pea harvest.
• Salmon Flowered Pea (shared by Matron) - These have a really nice salmon flower. From what I read they are best picked as a young shelling peas or use the older starchy ones for soup.
• Blue Pod Capucijners Pea - A purple podded pea that also is a starchy one.
  
• Oregon Sugar Snow Pea - Always nice to have a few snow peas in the spring.
• Crimson Flowered Broad Bean - I am growing out a bunch of these to replenish my seed stock.
  

They were all planted in rootrainers and placed on top of the fridge. The heat mat is in use at the moment so the fridge heat will have to do. As soon as they start germinating I will place them out in the coldframe. Hopefully in about 2-3 weeks they will all be planted out in the beds.

Today the first Iris reticulata's opened. There is hope that spring is coming.....