Winter Solstice

Winter...the time of rest...or is it restlessness? A hard November freeze leveled any efforts at a winter garden this year. Disapointing at best to see the celery turn to mush, and even the kale looking sad. Subsequent warm temperatures didn't seem to revive anything, even in the greenhouse. It is a sad winter without all the fresh food that usually finds it's way in from the garden. Even the parsley, and chard look unhappy and I don't have the heart to pick them, because they are the hardiest of the hardy after surviving this winter and I want to save seeds from them.
The greenhouse now has a new covering, and the nearly the entire garden is mulched with cardboard and seaweed, leaves, and chicken manure. Hugh has started the fence, and the chicken coop and waiting for the weather to improve a bit to finish.
New discoveries greet me every day as dormant perennials pop their heads up. Previously weakened by drought and random mowing, St John's wort is now popping up everywhere with the winter moisture. I have dug out a huge mound of it, and keep finding more every day. Another invasive seems to be a native crab apple tree that has sent up suckers all over the back yard, and a plant that I think is called four-o clock. Irises are randomly scattered about, and one quite large yucca is peaking out between the small lilacs that are somehow planted in the middle of nowhere. I heard this was once a beautiful garden, and a beautiful garden it will be again!

Day One

The new garden. Sandy soil with black plastic and weed cloth buried under organic matter or under gravel pathways that are now under organic matter. A large pile of soil from who knows what covered with poppies. Harvested scapes from the Garlic I planted in the fall. Hooked up water to the greenhouse, and weeded the grass out. Harvested feverfew and fennel. Maybe make some baby gripe water. Watered the greenhouse to get it ready for planting the eggplant, cucumbers and peppers I brought with me. Had Garlic scapes for dinner.