They're Here!

You know what this means, don't you?

That's right. It won't be long before we're picking strawberries from the strawberry patch.

I love strawberries--almost as much as I love cannolis--so this is a big deal in our house.

Soon we'll be elbow deep in strawberry shortcake. Strawberry jam. Strawberry sorbet. Strawberry soup...

Yeah, I'm a happy woman. Have a great day!

Mystery Tomatoes

This year's garden plan calls for a row of Early Girl tomatoes, a row of Roma tomatoes and a row of mystery tomatoes.

Mystery tomatoes? When I planned the garden I hadn't decided what type the third row would be, so they were a mystery. Fits, right?

Yesterday we went to the greenhouse to solve the mystery. There were so many varieties to choose from, it was no easy task. Determinate or indeterminate? Heirloom or hybrid? Yellow? Red? Orange? Or maybe striped?

Eventually I wandered off to sniff the pots of herbs. I left my dad and husband in charge of choosing the mystery tomatoes.

Know what they decided on? Big Boys. That's right, the third row of tomatoes will be Big Boy tomatoes. Now, doesn't that just figure? *G*

Bushels of Spuds

I planted four bushel baskets with seed potatoes

(like the ones shown above)

and four additional mounds of them

in the garden.

Guess what?

They've sprouted!

Look out world--

the spuds are on the way!

Seen and Not Eaten

Hi. It's me, Piglet.

Thought I'd show you some of the

early spring sights from

here on the farm.

Just so you know,

I didn't eat any of them.

Really.

Really.

All right...

Maybe I nibbled on the pink phlox.

But just a little.

Only a bite or two, okay?

These pink tulips make me smile.

Cherry blossoms.

Hmm...
Do you think there will be cherries?

And...
Do cats like cherries?
Hmm?

Yeah, these are the
pink phlox.

Don't look too closely
at the fuzzy ends.

I just took a bite.
Maybe two.

Fennel, Anyone?

My husband loves fennel. He eats it fresh, cooked, sauteed--any way he can get it. Me? I like it, too, but I'm not as gung-ho as he is.

Last year I grew fennel in the small garden beside the greenhouse. It grew, and the willowy fronds were lovely blowing in the breeze, but it didn't grow as well as I'd hoped it would. The trouble, I think, was that I weeded too vigorously around the plants. The garden was a new one, so there were more weeds than there would be if the space had been planted before. Of course I am a stickler for weeding, and I honestly think I disturbed the fennel too often for its taste.

This year I've planted some fennel seeds in a long terra-cotta planter. I've got it in the greenhouse now but I'll move it outsde when the nights get warmer.

I hope the fennel thrives in the planter. If not, next year I'll try something different. That's one of the best parts of gardening, I think. Even though things are planted in the Earth, there's no commitment to place them in exactly the same spot every year. I love the hit-or-miss thrill of planting.

Come summer, when the fennel is growing, I'll post some fennel recipes. It's amazing what one small plant can do!

Cool Cabbages

Cabbages are "cool weather" crops, which means that even if we get a chilly night they'll be fine. They don't require the soil temperature high for planting, and begin to thrive almost from the moment they're in the ground.

We planted nine green cabbage. Aren't they cute? Granted, they don't look like cabbage heads yet, but trust me, they will. Soon.

And you're probably wondering what on earth I'll do with nine heads of cabbage, right? I mean, cabbage is okay but after the slaw what's a woman to do with a bushel of cabbage? I'm not big on sauerkraut (too stinky!) so that's not an option. But Hubby loves cabbage with corned beef so last year I quartered, rinsed, dried, then froze the spare cabbages. He ate cabbage all winter long, with beef and without, and the frozen cabbage was just as yummy as the fresh stuff was.

So if you've got a glut of cabbage, freeze 'em! After all, they're "cool" cabbages!

From the Greenhouse

I didn't plant an awful lot this year but the seeds I did plant have sprouted. I love to watch them grow! Once they've germinated and pushed through the soil, they really take off and everything seems to grow overnight.

Pickling cucumbers.

Peppers.
These seeds came from Italy.

It's fuzzy but take my word for it,

this is a nasturtium.

More Italian seeds.
Honestly, I was tickled when I found the
small assortment of Italian seeds.

These are tomatoes.
Ciao!