The lupines are stunning. Fields of them surround us. It’s hard to feel I’m enjoying them enough. Today I took a walk down to the cove to see this field. It was cloudy, but still beautiful.
Beginning of June, lupine in bloom
Category: spring
Memorial Day weekend
A rainy, chilly weekend. But the side yard looked like a blueberry jungle emerging out of a light mist. The kiwi vine on the arbor is very robust this year too.
Blooming Orchard
Spring babies
It’s so much fun to observe the new growth springing up. Here’s a gallery.
Hazelnut Catkins
It’s still March. Mostly chilly and windy. Lots of mud. One has to be alert for signs of spring. I noticed our hazelnut catkins are elongating and looking more gold.
Pleasures
A quiet morning in the garden while the world suffers the realities of systemic injustice, brutality, disease, and death.
Peas and favas are up
I always get so excited to see the seeds sprout and start to grow. It’s a thrill that never gets old.
We are also being entertained by two pesky baby red squirrels who live in the front garden where the tansy is thuggishly taking over.
Good Friday snow fall
A somber day marked by overnight snowfall, power outages, struggle to grocery shop during a pandemic, and a series of beautiful snow squalls.
I had to unearth my broccoli seedlings from burial under row cover flattened by pounds upon pounds of wet heavy snow.
I took too many photos of snow. I can’t resist. More photos on my iPad, will post them later.
Peas etc.
A big day in gardening at our house. It’s always exciting when we get the peas in the ground. This year they have their own private trellis instead of climbing up the outside of the chicken run. The chickens were not kind to the pea vines last year. We’re planting very early for Maine, but it’s been such a mild winter and the soil was in good shape for planting.
We planted Red Kitten spinach down one side and Winter Lettuce down the other to fill in the bed as the peas climb.
There is also continuing activity in making up soil blocks and caring for seedlings. Tomatoes, tomatillo, ground cherry, broccoli, leeks, shallots, Cippollini onions, cabbage, cauliflower, celery. Started three types of pepper today: King of the North, Jimmy Nardello, and Red Rocket (hot – more on that below).
On the other side of the gardening lifecycle, I decided to process the dried Red Rocket peppers that have been hanging in the kitchen since last fall. First goal was to get some seeds to plant, then I decided to carry on and use the spice grinder to make some home ground cayenne pepper. This enterprise had us coughing most of the afternoon as cayenne particles dispersed everywhere. Sort of like the coronavirus.
Pin cherry in bloom
I’m trying to identify more plants growing in my area. Starting with this tree, which I love to see in bloom. I realized we have a little nursery of young ones (also blooming) inside our garden fence behind the shed.
The guide “Forest Trees of Maine” says about this tree:
…not used commercially and has little value except as a protection and cover for the soil on recent clearings or burned areas.
