April ends with the first harvest from the vegetable garden.
This evening, I thinned out the lettuce and filled a bowl with the “thinnings”, which included several kinds of lettuce plus some spinach. I also pulled a few tiny radishes and some onions to make my salad a little more complete.
So far, the bunnies haven’t eaten any of my spring greens, but that’s because I’ve been keeping row covers over the beds, not because they are following my rules.
Sometime soon, I’ll have to be brave and remove the row covers so the peas can start to climb up the trellises. At that point, I’ll sprinkle cayenne pepper on everything and maybe set a trap to catch a rabbit or two.
There were some weeds in my little four x four lettuce bed, so I used my new mini circlehoe to do the weeding.
It’s resting in the lower left there on the edge of the raised bed. It did a great job! I’ll post about it and my other two new circlehoes after the Garden Bloggers’ Hoe Down.
Tonight, as April ends, it’s time to look back on a great month.
April 2008 had a lot of highlights…
I got to go to the Garden Bloggers Spring Fling, an event that I think changed the garden blogosphere for the better. I met the nicest gardeners in person and saw some great gardens, too.
My garden bloomed all over the place. The April weather was so good that nearly every spring flowering tree and shrub seemed to bloom to perfection, including the Star Magnolia, the crabapple, the redbud and my new Carolina Silverbell.
I got to mow the lawn six times!
I was nominated for six Mouse and Trowel awards for garden bloggers. (Voting continues on the Mouse and Trowel site until May 13th).
Over 100 gardeners posted about what was blooming in their gardens on the 15th for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day.
I got called a’rock star at the Spring Fling garden party’ in an article in the Austin Statesman and was also quoted in the Peoria Star Journal earlier in the month.
The new compost tumbler is making compost in record time.
I added two new hoes to my hoe collection, plus two new hand hoes.
Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening unexpectedly sent me some snowdrops and a double flowering bloodroot.
Then Annie in Austin posted a YouTube video with a song she wrote just for May Dreams Gardens. I’ll have to admit, I was a bit choked up listening to it the first time.
I’ll always remember April 2008 as a great month for me, my garden, and my blog. Thank you from the deepest roots to the tallest trees to everyone who was a part of this month and its many activities and events.
Now my thoughts turn to May, traditionally my favorite month in the garden. I have much to look forward to.
The strawberries are blooming which means berries are in my future.
More lilacs will be blooming soon, including these Meyer Lilacs.
Nearby, peonies will also bloom in May.
All year I dream of the days in May when the sun is warm, the skies are blue, the grass is green, and the garden is all new again.
May will be a busy month in the garden so I’ll take some time off from work to weed, plant, and just be in my garden.
There will also be several special blogging events in May including the one time only Garden Bloggers Hoe Down on Saturday, May 3rd and the next Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on May 15th. Then at the end of the month, on the 31st, we will have the next virtual meeting of the Garden Bloggers’ Book Club.
If May is half as good as April was, it wil be a great month in my garden. I hope it is a great month in your garden, too.
You get back what you give and you have given so much! Kudos to you on your many April achievements. Your lettuce bed is a work of art!
Yes, what Layanee said. You deserve every bit of the April glory days. May May be even better!
I love the diagonal lettuce! And it’s so colorful. You had quite a month, Carol. I have to admit, I’m touched by how excited you get about all things gardening. It’s wonderful to read.
Carol: AND… You spread so much gardening knowledge and fervor it should give the whole world confidence to garden!
April WAS wonderful and busy. Your lettuce and your veggies look so delightful & yummy.I am in wonder of how your veggies actually grow so beautifully covered up? It is a beautiful harvest and the first of so many more to come. I have one little row of lettuce (which is about finished due to heat) and you have devoted a whole bed to it-wow.
May is here and you are going to love “being” in your garden!
Meems @Hoe&Shovel
I can almost smell those lilacs on your post. They are out in England too. It makes me stop rushing my daughter home from school. I love this time of year. Happy May Day!
You had a banner April Carol. Good for you! Your 4square is just beautiful, and you are harvesting too. What a way to start May.
Carol, your beautiful baby greens look like they’ll make a wonderful salad. There’s that purple bench again that I like so much! That raised bed looks great with the lettuce planted on the diagonal.
I’m so glad you enjoyed such an exciting April!
Carol, only you could be thankful for having to mow the lawn! Seriously, thank you for reminding us to take the time and count our blessings every so often.
I have been catching up on reading your posts and am enjoying reading all about your hoe collection. I always wondered how you got started.
And by the way, re your silverbell and redbud clashing, I don’t think so! If you have time, stop by and you’ll see I have clashing trees, too. But I think the riot of color is what makes spring so beautiful.
Hi Carol, congrats on all your accomplishments in April. It was a treat to meet you. Those diagonal beds are delightful to look at and look easy to harvest from as well. I will have to put that in the book. My first red strawberry was eaten on the morning I went out to pick it. Chicken wire now covers lots more of the food garden. Grrr.
I just know that those spring greens are going to make a super-woman out of you! So healthy!
April was a “Wow” month for us Midwestern garden bloggers. Thanks for providing that link to the Peoria Star article. I didn’t know about it & its reference to my Chocolate Bunny post. Spring Fling was amazing & it was so much fun meeting the Rock Star of garden blogging. Keep on keeping on!
That first photo of your veggies on your colorful bench looks like something out of Martha Stewart’s “Living” mag.
Thanks for your April retrospective. It was a pretty wonderful month–I got to spend a lot of time talking to you. I’m still thinking about some of our conversations.
Carol,
The song fits you perfectly. Well done Annie
Susie
Such a busy, rewarding month, Carol–and no one deserves it more than you. I envy you the fresh vegetables though…;-)
Mowing grass, yes that too is a blessing. Thanks Carol. I can’t wait to see what May holds.