Visual Progress...I have SPROUTS!!

The zucchini sprouts are their favorite.

I have some very curious boys... who are so very helpful!

Procrastination or Divine Intervention?

I need to find out if there is a Saint I can pray to for my garden. (I will google that right after I finish this post.) I have been feeling a bit of guilt for planting my seeds what I thought may had been too late. But this afternoon the clouds rolled in and while it smelled like rain, there are some wet snowflakes falling outside my window. Actually, this is the second Spring snow in the last couple of weeks so I think God is saying it is okay and those little seeds will be just fine.

With everything going on in my family, remember that I have 4 little boys, a husband and a geriatric dog, I know that those plants are not going to make it into the ground the first week of June. And with this weather? Maybe they aren't supposed to be! So I have about 5 weeks or so to get the planter boxes built and the ground ready and the final decision of where on earth to plant everything!! And that is the most difficult part...where to put my garden??? Oh, and I need to find a place with some good dirt to order. I am going to need a couple a pick-up truck loads for the boxes, to fill the retaining wall for my ferns, and to till into the back area behind the shed for my Raspberry bushes that will be coming soon.

So I am off to google the Saints!!
p.s. I have Broccoli sprouts today. Are they supposed to be fuzzy or is that mold? Hmmmm...

Denali Seeds

PEAS- Olympia
Short Vines, Yeilds Double Pods

ZUCCHINI- Black Beauty OP
Mid Season OP Variey

BROCCOLI- Green Sprouting Calabrese
Early Heirloom Variety

LETTUCE- Salad Bowl
Leaf

SPINACH- Bloomsdale Long Standing
Bolt Resistant OP Variety

CARROTS- Tendersweet
Late, Very Sweet Nearly Coreless

ONIONS- Evergreen Bunching
Hardy Bunching Onions over long season

Two Jiffy Trays.
15 plants each
Planted 4/19/10

Alaska Gardening Guide

I have been doing a lot of Gardening homework in all of my free time. I don't have much of it so I had to read very fast! My good friend Laura, who has used some of her free time to become a Master Gardener, allowed me to borrow a gardening book. After reading a few pages and checking out the Appendixes, I knew that I had to get one of my own so that I could write notes, scribble and fold pages over. Alaska Gardening Guide by Ann D. Roberts has given me all the beginners knowledge I have needed to start this monster of a project. Ooo, and I just noticed that the title also says Volume I, Alaska Vegetables for Northern Climates. Are there more volumes?!? I can't wait to find out!

One section asks a few questions...
1. What kind of garden do I want? Herb, vegetable or flower? Well, all of them of course!! But the more realistic answer involves some details. Herbs don't really interest me this year. I want to grow some vegetables and start with ones that I know my boys will eat and those that I will use. I don't need to learn how to grow veggies right now that are risky.

I want to grow...
Broccoli
Carrots
Lettuce
Spinach
Zucchini
Onions
Peas

I already have three rhubarb plants that produce more than I can use!! And I plan on transplanting some Raspberry bushes to begin giving us some berries next summer. Flowers are a must. I love looking at them and deadheading blossoms. I am sure I will love weeding too. It is tedious work but I like detailed work and the time away all by myself in the beds will be blissful, yes even while weeding! I have experience with Pansies and Marigolds and I would like to add Gladiolas and Nasturtiums to my planters and half barrels.

2. How serious do I want to get about gardening? Well, I want something that I can enjoy doing. It will be small, maybe two 4x6 raised beds.

3. How much do I need to feed my family and how much will I need to plant to obtain that? Whew! I have no idea to either of those questions. I went to a U-Pick farm last year and picked a lot of veggies. The first thing I noticed was that they lasted longer in my fridge so I didn't need to buy broccoli or lettuce so frequently. That also helped me see how large some of these plants can get! So this one will keep me guessing and provide all the info I will need for next year.

On paper it doesn't look like much. The list looks pretty short and manageable...but we will see. I am an organized mom, but this may be tough! But that's okay...those veggies can bring it!