It's coming...

This week something fantastic happened: highs in the mid 50s made it into the 10 day forecast. Yes! We're talking a day or two in the upper 50s, which rounds up to 60, which is almost an appropriately comfortable household temperature. OUTSIDE. Spring is on its way, folks!!

This winter has been a much easier one for me than the last. 

Remember last year's bitter cold? Like, kids in the Northern Midwest missing school because it's so cold? Apparently 10 degrees vs -20 degrees does make a difference in how miserable a winter feels. And I thought for sure it was going to be a very tough winter with a new little baby keeping me inside, but it's been mild this year and not so bad. 

However, truly warm temps are coming, like they do every year, and we're starting to get ready for some gardening fun around here!

Mike's got some of our maples tapped and ready for the sap to rise. It's been so great having real maple syrup all year long, made from our own backyard, so much so that Mike is thinking about building an outdoor evaporator stove to make syrup on, maybe next year.

He was also able to attend the MOSES organic farming conference last week, where he learned about grafting apple trees, legal issues in organic farming, permaculture, and a lot of other farming topics he gets excited about. This year he plans to apply to sell at our Saturday farmer's market, which may or may not work out, but every step is a little closer to an organic farming career for him.

I'm looking forward to filling my new planters with colorful annuals, now that my perennials are complete (enough) in the front yard. Browsing briefly through the online catalog for Baker Creek Seeds reminded me just how delightful it is to grow beautiful things! Mike's already purchased his seeds; still have to shop for mine!

In the pursuit of fresh inspiration, I opened Pinterest and once again wished there was a Pinterest created entirely for the garden, because many of the articles are just... gimmicky... and don't strike a cord with what a person really needs to garden well. DIY stepping stones, growing vegetables from grocery store cuttings, little tricks with overzealous promises: these are not the things that make gardening great. Pinterest has some good stuff, but I have yet to find many inspiring places on the web for those who love to dig and deadhead. Perhaps that's because so many hardcore gardeners are OUTSIDE working in the dirt instead of online!

Random duck in my driveway, trying to keep me from leaving for work.  Had to get out and chase him away. Pretty sure he didn't see my car inching toward him because he was daydreaming about Spring

Well, we'll all be outside again soon! In the meantime, I'd better go order my seeds so I can stake out a chunk of grow light space before Mike claims it all!

Happy almost-Spring!

Post Frost

The first week of October, I awoke to some wilty sweet potato vines:

 

which could only mean one thing-- frost! So I got some pictures of the rest of the garden and gathered up some zinnias for some last bouquets, and the next morning the yard was encrusted with water crystals, and that first hard frost did away with the rest of our tender, cold-fearing plants. 

zinnias, planted late so didn't get seeds, but eventually got lots of nice flowers

 

I spent almost all of the beautiful Fall weather sitting inside, looking out at this, half asleep and nursing a baby

last zinnia bouquet of 2014

 

shelling Christmas lima beans

peak color behind the house

after frost; zinnias and sunflowers crisped to brown

still looking good

walking up the drive; sun going down and shining on the bluff behind the house

 And just to show the progression of the Fall season:

mid September

pre-frost October

post-frost October

 Today, Mike collected the seeds from his sunflower heads, including this giant one:

And I took some pictures around the front yard. It reached almost 70 degrees today; just perfect weather, and I think it really will be one of the very last comfortable-in-short-sleeves days we will have this year.

rose

barberry

green grass

scabiosa (pincushion flower)- who knew they looked so good this time of year!

color and texture- dianthus and coral bells

kid in the garden

violas

I'm very thankful to have had nice weather all the way up until now. Some years there's talk of snow already at the end of October, so this has been fantastic! Even though we didn't get outside in the warmth and Fall colors much, and Mike's farmer's market season ended early to focus on the new family addition, we still got to enjoy it all from the windows and on the occasional walk outside. I hope you get some time to enjoy it and jump in the leaves once for us!