Garden started

Finally! The snow has melted, we had a 50-degree day yesterday. DH brought over the neighbor's Ford Golden Jubilee tractor and tiller and he tilled in the leaves and wood ashes we've been spreading over the garden all winter.

I used the Troy-built tiller to till a few inches deep on the other side of the rhubarb and asparagus, the strip is too narrow for the big tractor.

A few weeks ago I went through all the seeds I had stored up over the years. I still have seeds from 1998!!! I sorted them into packs by year. I am trying to use up the older seeds first - well, at least those from 2004 or later. I have many from Burpee that don't have a year on them. Note to self: Check all seed packs when received and if no year on the label, write it on upon receipt.

Yesterday I planted peas - Oregon pioneer and Alaska, Sparkler radishes, Detroit Dark Red beets, and turnips. I also started some Quali-T-23 and Old German varieties of tomatoes, and a tray of Black Beauty eggplant, in flats under lights. Checked in on the lettuce and greens I started last week in flats - Winter Provencal mix, Drunken Frizzy-Headed woman, and London Springs lettuces. I set them out in the sunshine for several hours and gave them a sprinkle of water from the garden hose.

I am thinking of planting potatoes today, although I haven't planted them for several years and wasn't successful the few times I did plant them. Hope springs eternal, and all that! If I keep planting the early spring stuff, though, I'm not going to have room left for the warmer-season crops when the time comes to plant them. I'm not very good and drawing up a garden plan and sticking to it. I seem to always not have enough garden for everything I want to grow.

I've been looking at greenhouses online. DH gave me permission to put up a 10'x10' greenhouse. I think I may have narrowed it down to Cross Country or Sunshine brands. I need to hurry up and make a decision or he may change his mind.. Not going to let that happen!

A bulletin from the church yesterday challenged us to come up with additional ministries. I wonder if taking leftovers from the "country" farmer's market on Saturdays into the downtown of the larger city and distributing fruits and vegetables somehow to people who need them would qualify as a ministry? Perhaps use the church parking lot as a site? Maybe let other members bring excess vegetables from their gardens and contribute them? What kind of liabilities would we run in to?