Peas, please

Yup, they're doing it. The peas are finally sprouting. Kate and I were starting to wonder if the free pea seeds she got were a bad batch. After talking to a local garden guru about it, Kate discovered that the soil temperature hadn't been quite warm enough for the peas to sprout. Sure enough. Three warm days later they started poking through the soil.

I planted some gaillardia and zinnias around the edges of the pea tee-pee. Hopefully they will sprout faster than the peas did.

Along with the warmer weather we've been getting some rain. Silly me for thinking that it was enough to keep the willows happy. One of those water loving trees almost dried out and died on me, but it looks like it is reviving. Kate is getting some high school kids together to dig the other trench for the second row of willow trees. Sam will plant them, and when the trees grow tall enough, they will be woven together to form a tunnel. Pretty cool, huh?

News of the butterfly garden, you ask? Not much. The three main volunteers involved with the butterfly garden (myself, Tiffany and Holly) have been wiped out with our personal lives the past couple of weeks. I did get a volunteer named Steve to move the rest of our donated compost from the community garden over to the butterfly garden area using the high school's tractor. Thank you Steve! We just need to find/make time to spread it all out, layer it with newspaper, and then mix clean compost with top soil. THEN we'll finally be able to get plants in the ground.

Maybe you're wondering why I don't just say we'll use the community garden compost mixed with the top soil, and avoid all the hassle of doing two layers. Well, as I found out from the raised planting beds, the community garden compost has collected a lot of seeds. We have mystery plants popping up all over the place in the three beds that have the compost. One of the beds has a couple dozen little pumpkin/gourd/melon plants sprouting on me. I'm voting for the gourd as I recall finding some large gourd pieces while spreading the compost in that particular bed.

Speaking of the raised beds, looks like two of the tomato plants will survive. The basil that I thought was toast is actually coming back! Peppers were not one of the survivors, however. The only thing that remains of those are the labels stuck in the ground like headstones. The chive (or was it scallion?) seeds the Dylan and Penelope planted are sprouting like crazy. I thinned them out somewhat, but will have to go back for another round.

As the weather FINALLY seems to be settling into its regularly scheduled warmth, we'll have to try for a take three on planting the raised beds, and a first try with the butterfly garden.

Ta ta for now!

Rachel