Spring is in the Garden!

 

Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

It's every gardener's eagerly awaited time of year--spring planting. Despite the bit of snow and frost we had a few weeks ago here in the Pacific Northwet, I've already put in asparagus, a few potatoes, new blueberry plants, and a three-way grafted pear tree. The pear tree replaced a plum tree whose fruits were the size of large olives and not our favorite, but we love pears.

It's every gardener's eagerly awaited time of year--spring planting. Despite the bit of snow and frost we had a few weeks ago here in the Pacific Northwet, I've already put in asparagus, a few potatoes, new blueberry plants, and a three-way grafted pear tree. The pear tree replaced a plum tree whose fruits were the size of large olives and not our favorite, but we love pears. 

Asparagus, less than a week after planting.

Beautiful ruby rhubarb shoots are also peeking out.

 

 

This year will see big changes to our front garden where we get the most sun. A new 4'x8' raised bed will be added along with an herb tower. The old 4'x4' raised bed will see its herbs moved to the tower with space for 15 varieties. In place of the herbs in the raised bed, I'll be planting honeydew melons and peas.

Source

I've found a new plant to try, Oca, or Oxalis tuberosa. Oca can be eaten raw, baked, fried, roasted, and boiled. The taste is said to be similar to potatoes that already have sour cream, with a slightly acidic flavor. It's a perennial, so should come back year after year.

While waiting for warmer weather, I've given hydroponics a try and am very happy with the results. Hydroponics entails growing plants in water with liquid nutrients. Many commercial varieties of produce are grown this way, and I've had great success with the consumer unit I purchased. 

In just three weeks we were enjoying fresh salads with lettuce and mesclun from our countertop. Two months later we're still eating salads from the original seeds. The best part? No worries of E. coli on our greens!

Having enjoyed abundant salads, I'm now trying a dwarf tomato, dwarf hot pepper, and some spinach in the hydroponics unit. Branching out hasn't been as successful and it's a learning process, but the pepper is coming along great. I'll keep trying different seeds to find those that do best, and if nothing else, we'll now have salads all year round!

 

 

Welcome, Bluebird ~ by Marj Ivancic

Photo: IndianaAudubonSociety

I enjoy learning about the origins of things, especially quirky phrases. And so, as winter gives way to spring, and I sit here watching a pair of bluebirds build a nest in their house at the back of the yard, it seems like a perfect time to go looking into the story behind their title as the harbingers of happiness.

Like most idioms, there does not appear to be one, agreed upon source for the saying, “bluebird of happiness.” Google returns results of their presence and influence across the globe and across the span of time, from the Shang Dynasty of China of the second millennium BC to the Navaho, Pueblo, and Iroquois cultures of the Americas. Though these myths and stories vary, the bluebird commonly represents knowledge, hope, and prosperity.

But nowhere in anything I read did I find the answer to the question—Why?

Why the bluebird? Why not the chickadee? Or a goldfinch? What is it about the bluebird that evokes joy and makes people feel as though God, Nature, and/or the Universe is speaking directly to them?

Since the creators of the legends are long gone, I have no one to put those questions to…so, I think that means I’m free to make up my own answer, right?  Well, here goes.

The first thing that comes to mind is a bit obvious—their coloring. In a forest crowded with browns and blacks, whites and greens, their azure hue is rather startling and unique. Not only that, blue is a primary color, one of the elementals from which other colors are born. It has been associated with positivity and calm all on its own. Who doesn’t look upon a cloudless blue sky and breathe a cleansing sigh of “Ah”? 

Photo: Sciencesource.ccom

But, interestingly enough, bluebird feathers aren’t actually blue. That beautiful coloring is an optical illusion of light waves and proteins. So perhaps it was that bit of magic that drew the bards and poets to these birds when they sought characters for their tales of enchantment and charm?

The second reason I’ve come up with is timing. Where I live, bluebirds appear as the world wakes from winter’s slumber. It is a time of birth and hope. The earth is rich and dark. The promise of good weather and fruitful crops sings on the warming breeze. Spying that bit of blue fluttering through the leafless trees is a trumpet call, hailing in the Queen of Seasons—Spring. It is our cue to crawl out of our mental and emotional hibernation and to celebrate living once again.

However, even as I write out these theories, I am wholly aware that

Photo: VectorStock.com

the reason “why” doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we continue to look for signs of hope, reminders to be joyful, evidence that we are loved and blessed. And to look for them every day, in all kinds of weather, in all places. 

Whatever form it takes for you—bluebirds, Bible verses, a song, a loved one’s voice—may you have what you need to continue to believe in a better tomorrow and in the possibility of good!

Let's Get Growing! ~ by Lexa Fisher

All the green in March isn't just for St. Patrick's Day. As spring approaches in the Pacific Northwest, plants begin to bud. Eager to see how my established and new plants are faring, I look for growth even as the rain steadily falls. 

My new cherry bush was hastily planted due to having a bad cold when it arrived. Now, about six weeks later, it is thriving despite the meager hole I was able to dig for it. 





The apple trees are coming along great. And you can see we had a break in the rain when this photo was taken.









My favorite tree is the dwarf peach. This is its second year in the garden, and it has one pink bud already. Last year started out great, but I've learned that peaches take a lot of care to avoid leaf curl. Fortunately, I found an organic spray that brought new life to the tree.



Not only fruit trees and bushes are sprouting, but the rhubarb is happy the days are longer, too. If the strawberries and rhubarb would just ripen together, we'd have strawberry-rhubarb pie. But rhubarb wins the race to the table.

Another plant that has kept me patiently waiting for its fruits to appear is my kiwi berry plant. Usually when its leaves pop out the leaf cutter bees are at work, but with frost every night for the past week, there have been no bees. Perhaps the week of sun in our forecast will bring them out. 

A couple of the herbs are making an emerald appearance, such as the parsley and lemon balm below.

Other plants I'm keeping an eye on are wintergreen, goji berries, plums, figs, raspberries (shoots and leaves popping out now), huckleberry, elderberry, blueberries, and the first fruits to come out in May--strawberries.

I love being able to harvest my own fruit and herbs (I rarely have success with vegetables). Dried herbs, frozen fruits, and jams are wonderful treats during the cold winter months, and why I eagerly look forward to seeing those first spring buds.

In Anticipation of Spring ~ by Kristine Raymond

 
Though the calendar says it's January, days like today stir in me the hope for an early Spring.  The woods are still; bare branches stretching upwards towards an azure sky, their leaves dormant beneath the bark.  A songbird trills, its song piercing the stillness, its mate responding in kind from a nearby pine.

Wisteria vines, their blooms long since withered away and scattered like dried leaves on the wind, tangle and twist around the wrought iron fence, securing a hold against the fierce winds and bitter cold still to come.




 


And yet, mere feet away, a dandelion peeks out from among the shadows, basking in golden sunlight.



 

 

Though it's early afternoon, shadows fall long across the ground, striping the fallen leaves and dormant turf.  A chill passes through me as the sun slips below the treeline, a reminder that winter's grip is firm.  





The air stirs; a gentle breeze wafting across my cheek.  A kiss from the Universe, thanking me for my appreciation of her abundant beauty and granting Her assurance that Spring's not far away.


*Photos taken by Kristine Raymond on the afternoon of January 8, 2020.  



Copyright © 2020 - Images by Kristine Raymond - All Rights Reserved.