A month ago in the Big Garden…
and this week…
The last of the snow has disappeared from on top of the beds…and we turned the soil over, helping to quicken the composting of last fall’s sheep manure from the barn. In the deep black soil, my kids gleefully scrounged for worms…of which there are plenty.
We were delighted to spy some brave garlic tops poking through their thick quilt of mulch…
The spring irises are cheering up the damp, brown flower garden…and the bright poppy leaves amaze me with their early spring surge of lush growth. It won’t be long til we have our first nettle pie…we discovered that our patch is ever expanding when left to its own devices. A little wild woodland magic, that is.
leftover pea seeds are fed to the happy hens
On a blustery March day, we planted peas in the flower garden and down in the Big Garden. We soak them overnight in water, and when it came time to plant, it was windy and cold, with little stabs of rain falling on us. But we were unfazed by the elements as it was exciting planting the first crop outdoors.
Indoors, basking beneath the lights and atop the heat pad, our leeks and onion starts have been joined by tomatoes and peppers. What would spring be like without the crowded start tables by our entryway?
On another day, little garden statues were added to each of the children’s beds. Gifts from Valentine’s Day, these two gnomes and a fairy preside over the flowers…and there is much re-arrangement and accomodating until everything fits just right.
Beneath the old oak tree (which is, ironically only 25 years old…so what does that make me, I wonder?)…our spring bulbs are boasting their showy colours. Sunshine loves to show off the snowdrops, crocuses and irises to anyone who comes a-visiting.
my homeschooled kids love to play “school bus” in this part of the garden
It feels so good to be grounded in our gardens again…to feel the crumbly soil caked beneath our fingernails.
While the disappearing snow revealed the tired state of our yard and gardens, there are indeed promises of life peeking up all over ~ if you choose to look for them.
Hello out there, I'm happy you stopped by! My name is Jules and I am grateful to share my family's homegrown adventures here...from homeschooling to homesteading.
This space is my own reminder to savour the beauty amidst the chaos and messes of motherhood...to see the extraordinary in the everyday ordinary. Thank you for joining me.
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2 Comments
Dear Jules, how wonderful to be out in the garden! You’ve inspired me to get out spring things going… We have peas, greens, and beets seeds waiting to go in! We just need to get a fence set up for our handful of free ranging hens or they’ll dig up all our efforts!
Love the school bus. Homeschool bus, that is! 😉
Ahhh, free range hens can be a right bit insensitive to the toil of a gardener. I hope you get the fence up soon…I do so love being out there again!
xo Jules