Garden update:

-  We took a class on separating perennials at the Huntsville Botanical Garden this spring and were sent home with a bunch of perennials we planted in our yard - including these awesome irises that have just started blooming!  I'm not normally one to get excited about irises, but I think these are pretty awesome.

-  I think we're close to getting all our vegetables planted.  So far, we've put swiss chard, radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, basil, parsley, cilantro, tomatillo, hot peppers, okra, eggplant, sage, dill, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and a bunch of different types of tomatoes in the ground.  All we have left is squash and melons - I think.  The swiss chard is going wild!  And even the broccoli is hanging in there - what a trooper!

Note:  I added Labels to this post and blogger republished it as a new post; not sure what's up with that.

Last Thursday Lee McBride from Foodscapes came over for a garden coaching session with us.  The meeting was great and got us reinvigorated to make some progress!  We're working on finishing the rock bed on the south side of the garden - Michael is almost done with the front row of rocks.  I weeded and turned over several of the beds.  I also photographed the winter veggies we have left - swiss chard and cabbage.  The swiss chard is fabulous, and we've really enjoyed it.  We've yet to see on the cabbage.

Today is beautiful, and we're hoping to get outside and work some more!

Michael emailed me this photo of one of the bulbs we planted in our garden blooming while I was in Idaho.  It's fabulous!

Some fun from last weekend:  Hymn for Her at Lowe Mill, Nacho enjoys a bone, Pika helps plant a dogwood tree, and both dogs help with yardwork!

Michael and I are thrilled to bits that the hydrangeas we planted in the yard have started to bloom!

This weekend we got serious about planting.  Specifically, we put four dogwood trees, one hydrangea, two yews, one bottlebrush buckeye, two flame buckeyes, two rhododendron, two mountain laurels, four deciduous azaleas, and a yaupon holly in the ground.  Michael and his stepfather Brad cut down a bunch of trash trees and bushes several weeks ago, clearing out enough room for us to plant some things we're excited about!  We also got a scoop of sifted topsoil and turned over our vegetable beds.

As far as the vegetable garden is concerned, we have swiss chard, radishes, broccoli, lettuce, parsley, thyme, and lavender in the ground.  The parsley, thyme, and lavender are from last year and are doing well!  I have high hopes for the radishes and swiss chard, but things are looking bleak for the broccoli and lettuce.  I'm going out to the garden to give them daily pep talks; I'll let you know how that goes.  

Quick rundown of recent accomplishments for my own records:

03/04 - 03/06 Weekend Accomplishments:
-  Jess biked in the rain and mud on Saturday, 03/05
-  Michael and Jess ran Upper Bear and Teddy Bear Creek on Sunday, 03/06

03/11 - 03/13 Weekend Accomplishments:
-  Michael boated on Johnnies Creek on Friday, 03/11
-  Walked dogs on Wildflower Trail (SO pretty)
-  Started building a new rock raised-bed
-  Ran/hiked 12 miles in preparation for upcoming race
-  Attended Huntsville Botanical Garden class on separating perennials
-  Planted hostas, irises, muhly grass, lemon balm, Joe-Pye weed, creeping phlox, miscanthus grass, sedum, and others

03/18 - 03/20 Weekend Accomplishments:
-  Michael dug up ten free dogwood trees he found on craigslist
-  Michael and Jess kayaked on Town Creek on Saturday, 03/19
-  Cut down lone black locust in garden (pictures to come!)
-  Repaired damage to raised beds that was the result of previous accomplishment
-  Burned stump of black locust (crazy fire inside the ground; hottest fire Michael's ever built)
-  Planted three blueberry bushes
-  Transplanted two parsley plants
-  Moved the majority of the wood pile to the street for the city to pick up
-  Stacked fire wood
-  Had friends over for dinner on Sunday, 03/20

My friend Lauren and I spent a couple hours last Sunday planting seeds for some winter vegetables, and the broccoli and radish seeds are already sprouting!  So exciting!

What a day!  Quick summary of Saturday's accomplishments:

• Weeded, shoveled up, and de-rocked a significant section of the strip.
• Removed the insane briar roots (they feel like wire!) in this same area.
• Planted four hydrangeas, one mountain laurel,  two azaleas, and fifty bulbs.  
• Composted all leaves/vines/etc., and swept gutter.
• Spent three hours at the Huntsville Botanical Garden for their Dog Days of Winter event.  Nacho chased the ball so many times at one point we thought he might have had a stroke.
• Chainsawed down some trees.  

We (well...mostly Michael) spent some time this afternoon starting where we'd left off on picking up litter on the unfinished portion of our yard, or as we call it, "the strip" (it's a narrow strip of land between two heavily trafficked roads).  This was our fist trash collection effort of 2011, and we have high hopes of getting the bulk of it done this year!  Last year Michael took over 1500 pounds of garbage out of the strip to the city dump (including the entire front end of a car!).  Lucky for us, two of those garbage carts provided by the city were among the items dumped on the strip recently, so getting rid of all the garbage we pick up has become three times as easy!  We were concerned about where these garbage carts had come from and whether or not we had an ethical obligation to call the city to come pick them up.  However, after discussing the issue with the mayor (our across-the-street neighbor) and getting his endorsement to keep the carts, we are moving forward with a clear conscience!  This week we have three full carts sitting next to the curb, containing everything from old steel beer cans to long, dirt-filled lengths of tubing previously used for city signage!