spring has sprung!

It seems like somehow every year I get to the first part of April and realize I am already late getting the garden started.  Even after 5 years in the south, I still haven't adjusted to the early and mild spring weather.  On top of that the last two springs have been downright hot!  Well turns out this year we dodged a bullet. 

two inches of hail on my back deck!

Last night we had a hail storm like I've never seen before.  My hibiscus took quite a beating but luckily my veggies were still safe under cover waiting for me to finish prepping their bed. 

expanded raised bed, prepped and ready!

This year we want to use the irrigation system in the back yard for the lawn.  Since it's piped to grey water, we don't want it for watering vegetables.  So, Matthew helped me consolidate the two round raised beds into a single oval in the back.  I'm actually really happy with the change.  It could probably use even more soil than we packed into it today but I think we'll be happy we left room for mulch when the summer gets hot!

Carson was the mvp of the day, helping me carry all those bags of soil and compost around the house and filling in the bed.  He also learned an important lesson about handling sharp garden tools and the importance of wearing gloves.  After a short break for a quick band-aid, we got right back to work!

Even with the hail last night, I feel like it's late for cool season crops but we went for it anyway.  New this year is the addition of brussels sprouts.  I'm really excited to see if we can get a good harvest out of the garden.  Matthew and I recently discovered that we really like them roasted so I hope I can put a good bounty on the table later this year.  I went with seedlings on the lettuce this year.  I had such a hard time getting the seeds to sprout last year that I wanted to at least have a few sure bets.  We went with Romaine and Buttercrunch.  I'm giving broccoli another shot this year.  So far I've had dismal results but I'm hoping with a better location and the raised beds we'll do better this time.  Finally, I added some onions, cucumbers, and bush beans -- same varieties as last year.

spring planting, almost finished

I'm leaving room for some peppers when it gets warmer.  I also have some garlic to get in at some point.  I'm also counting on adding Nasturtium, dill, and marigolds to aid in pest control.  My biggest struggle in keeping this garden organic is in pest control.  I'm still trying to find anything that will actually work.

Keep an eye out for the container update... I'm working on some improvements for this year.