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

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.....