garden journal // april 13

It’s warming up here, and is really feeling like spring is here to stay. So happy for that! I hope to plant carrots and beets this weekend, which will be some of the first things I will be planting directly into the ground.

Last week we built the foundation for a pea trellis, in an effort to better support them this year, and to keep them a bit further from the nibbling deer on the other side of the fence. I started 2 dozen peas indoors and they outgrew the peas that I had direct seeded by at least triple, in half the time. A little warmth goes a long way. It’s amazing. Another dozen pea plants have been started, and should be ready to go into the ground next week.

We also put up a wind break last week, to deflect the cold air that can often come blowing off the lake. Conveniently, this also happens to be the north side so we didn’t have to worry about loss of light. This will make a huge difference in providing plants the added warmth and calm needed to get well established. The break was made with old fence pickets, that we recently tore out. That funky old fence has come in handy for so many little projects! It’s satisfying to see it have a new life, even when it seemed so far gone.

The last photo up there is something I had never seen until a couple days ago. One of our rhubarb plants is about to flower. The experts say that’s not a great sign, and to cut the flowering stalk off (and fertilize or replace your plant!). I must say though, I have a lot of curiosity about seeing it bloom.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. It’s supposed to be sunny here, and I am excited to spend a lot of time in the garden!