Back in the Garden

Ah Spring. This year you decided to shower us with almost 4 straight weeks of rain. You know I'm getting desperate to get in the garden when I'm out in the rain (as I was this morning). But it's time to get out there and get planting! And this year we are not just committed to having a fantastic edible garden, we are also beautifying and removing more grass. Huzzah!

So far we have:

1. filled in the herb garden with parsley, lemon verbena (as requested by the 9-year-old), rosemary, and two types of basil, among the already thriving sage, and two types of thyme. Also noticed some wild dill and mint making it's way up!
2. planted two bottom boxes with onions, Copra to be precise. Should make great storage onions. If you're unfamiliar with raised bed planting, I HIGHLY recommend Bountiful Container, by McGee and Stuckey.
3. planted a whiskey barrel of beets
4. planted a whiskey barrel of carrots
5. planted 2 whiskey barrels with green chiles - hoping for a bountiful harvest to freeze.
6. planted a complete shade garden under our pear trees which includes: Wild Ginger, Royal Helleborus, and Spiderwort, and removed encroaching grass, putting bed back to rightful size
7. planted a new peony, Queen Wilhelmina, in the pink garden
8. planted 6 azalea bushes, two in the pink garden, and the rest on the sunny side of the house
9. transplanted briar rose from wild common area of neighborhood to our pergola.

Yet to do:

1. put in 10 tomato plants (which arrived yesterday)
2. plant two asters we picked up at a garden sale at the local Art Museum
3. move one of our boxes into sunny spot as our Maple has now grown so tall it is in complete shade.
4. plant green beans, fava beans, limas, and edamame
5. plant butternut squash
6. plant peruvian wonderflowers on side of patio (after that container is completely weeded)
7. plant flowering fern in front shade garden
8. plant Virgina Bluebells (from same Art Museum sale) in side shade garden
9. get and plant cukes and sweet peppers

We've got our work cut out for us, but in truth, I'm just happy to be getting outside! Here's to some sunny days so the work can get done.