Today was Moving Day!

Finally, the forecast was good (above freezing for the next 10 days, mostly cloudy and lots of rainy days) and the ground is solid enough to allow me to move flats from the basement to the greenhouse! It’s a brief window of opportunity before more rain arrives, so I made the most of it. It began as a foggy day, because warm air is flowing over the cold ground but that’s fine. In fact, allowed the plants to adjust a bit to new surroundings. So pansies, violas, onions, cipollini, cabbages, lettuce, snapdragons, blue salvia, broccoli, cauliflower, and perennials were all transferred, making room so more peppers, tomatoes, coleus and marigolds can be transplanted into individual pots and the next round of seeding can take place. 1268 plants are now in the greenhouse! They are smaller than usual, since I delayed seeding due to traveling in January and February, but they will catch up quickly now that they are out of the basement.

After lunch, with plenty of time and some stamina left, twelve bags of composted cow manure (purchased before the shut-down) was moved from the back of the truck to the potager. Beds of growing garlic got a side dressing of lime and a layer of the composted manure.

Overwintered spinach.

Next the existing rows of spinach got a side dressing. After months of growing they needed a feeding so that hopefully they’ll produce lots more nice green leaves before bolting.

Strawberry bed 2e

Only one of the five strawberry beds got a top dressing of compost. It was 4 o’clock, and I was out of steam, so I put the tools away and called it a day.

In the basement, the light stand was refilled and the main bench is now totally empty, which will allow the next round of seeding (tomorrow as it rains!) This round of seeding will consist of early veggies sown into 4-packs to be planted into the potager: lettuces, spinach, beets, chard and a few perennial flower seeds that just arrived.

One last job: the earliest pansies are now in the big container by the front door, ready to greet visitors, although with the shut-down there won’t be any! I’ll enjoy them, as well as the hundreds of crocus and dwarf iris in the Front Garden. There were all kinds of bees busily working in the crocus blooms. Nearby there are several daffodils ready to open, and over 60 winter aconite blooms, but so far I haven’t seen any bees on those. Spring is definitely here. There were lots of birds singing, and as evening approached the spring peepers along the creek were singing.

It was just so great to be out in the sunshine, working in the soil. There’s lots more to do. The leaves need to come out of the Deck Garden, the Addition Garden has not had a spring cleaning, and more beds in the potager need compost. But there’s no rush. I intend to savor every moment.

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