Hey there friends! I’ve wanted to blog. I’ve meant to cook. I’ve even considered folding the laundry. Really, I have.
And.
Life.
Is.
Kicking.
My.
Ass.
Sweet Calypso & her wild, wild hair!
Yesterday my role changed to Chicken RN. I have given my favorite chicken Calypso 4 warm baths. I given her olive oil and rubbed her chest. I have felt around inside in search of trapped eggs (if you don’t have chickens and this means nothing…just pretend you didn’t read it and I’ll spare you the more gory details). And she is now living in our dog’s kennel in the basement with a space heater trying to recover from something. Maybe she is egg bound. Or has an impacted crop. I’m doing what I can.
But enough of that. Want to check out the garden? Stick with me~ I am learning to use a new camera! Yay!
Look! Radish!
honeycrisp apple starting to flower
I just love the red flowering currant. I took a bunch of cuttings this year that seem to be rooting. I'll plant them on our hillside if they do take.
Asparagus! Yes! I counted 21 spears this morning!
Where the beheaded daffodils go to rest. The Babylady loves to "collect" them. My mantra? "She's learning to love gardening. Smile. She's learning to love gardening. Patience. She's learning to love gardening. Calm."
Recycling day? No, Im trying out using them as cloches & slug deterrent. Looks messy, but also looks better than when the bottles were in a pile in my driveway. Between the plastic bottles, the stacks of wine-bottles-soon-to-be-edging and all the random tomato cages, trellises etc, I was venturing into Hoarders territory.
Our new black currant. Against the fence is some pea trellis. Sans peas sprouting. Sigh.
Some unknown perennials I tucked in last year next to the original bottle edging. They are between the asparagus and one of the cane berry areas and I have no idea what they are. Anyone?
We are trying something new this year! We planted our new cane berries (tayberry, boysenberry and marionberry) in tomato cages I made years ago. They are sturdy, 5 feet tall and seem like they would contain the berries well. I am excited to see how this works. Especially since I *think* I finally learned my lesson that overplanting tomatoes in the pacific northwest=waste of space.
More apple blossoms- this is the 5-way combo apple. I planted this last year in the dumbest place ever. After I had planted it the year earlier in an even dumber place. I was going to move it again, at the risk of killing it, and never got around to it. It is still growing. I couldn't figure out a place to put it so it will fend for itself outside the fence and on a slope. Along with a 5-way asian pear and 5-way cherry. Good luck to them.
Ah, blueberries! We can never have enough blueberries!
Itsy bitsy parsley surrounded my homemade slug barrier.
Welcome back lovage! I had forgotten where I planted you! And the strawberries are threatening to take over every square inch of garden. Those babes travel!
The first plum tree, looking back to the other plum tree, the fig tree, the asparagus patch, the new cane berries and the mini aspen grove. Not a terribly interesting picture but I think I should be honest and show you the barren winter/early spring looks and not just the lush summer shots!
Spring? The first daffodils give me hope. The first tulips give me promise!
gratuitous fluffy chicken butt. The new barred rock chick exploring outside and discovering worms.
So, no charcutepalooza this month. No spice rack challenge either. I’ll get back to those in May.
Grow & Resist 
Meg! Your garden is so inspiring. Sorry that between your child and your chickens (and other brouhaha) that life is kicking your butt. Seeing your garden now, before we come in June, makes me so happy. Keep on keeping on sister.
Meg, I love this post so SO much. The photos are amazing; your garden is incredible! That perennial looks familiar, but no dice. And do you know how I transplant constantly because I put something somewhere incredibly dumb? Makes me feel better that I’m not the only one…
Meg, I love this post. It’s a treat to see everything that’s growing in your garden — way to work that new camera. What you said about the bottle-cloches looking better now than when they were in your driveway made me laugh out loud. What have you got under there, exactly? I like that you’re trying your berries in tomato cages, also that you’re thinking of transplanting some wild berries to your hillside. You and I have the hillside thing in common; I’ve been thinking of trying wild berries on ours too, including my “accidental” elderberries.
P.S. I am rooting for Calypso!
Kate & Julia- Thanks! Kate- I can’t wait to see you in June! It should be looking good by then! Julia- Oh, I have a problem for sure. I dig out and move as many trees as a I plant. I can’t seem to stop anymore than I can stop planting seeds. Or buying seeds. =)
Thanks Shae! You should have seen the driveway. Now that is a picture I should have posted under “getting real.” =)
Under the cloches are a million cauliflower (that will never make it in Seattle… I’m a glutton for punishment) and broccoli (that will hog up way more space than I should allow for the puny heads we get in Seattle)! For some reason I went nuts planting them. Probably because I was overzealous with the indoor starts and had to make space…
Meg, I wish we lived closer – because I would love to see you again – because I would love to meet ladyfriend – because I would love to experience babylady – because I would love to shop your garden as my personal farmer’s market – because you could teach me to use my new camera – because we could cook together – because you inspire me!!!
I love your garden and I am praying for Calypso!! Keep us updated!!
I think your unknown perennial is Forget-me-nots.
You always make me want to run outside and sit in the grass just watching the world move. (It will be warm soon and the grass will be dry enough to sit on, I am sure of it.) I hope your little chicken is feeling better. I’m sending good chicken thoughts her way. Can you not use regular slug repellant because of the chickens? My mom had to give it up for the dogs long ago. Yucky slugs eating our good greens!
Love this! Except for the sick chicky chicky. Hope she gets better. Isn’t it great to see it all wake up! And none too soon, either, damnit. My driveway is hoarder central right now too: some free lumber, a bunch of shredded woodchips, 80, 4-gallon buckets I just picked up. It all make the place look…uh…not so classy. Oh well, no time to think about that, garden stuff to do! 🙂
Let me know if the water bottle cloches work. I tried them, and i even placed copper tape around them as an additional deterrent and those boogers STILL managed to crawl over, around & under and eat every seedling to death. Admittedly, that was in back in January/Feb when seedling grwoth was very very slow and slug reproduction was in full swing. I have since moved to starting everything up in the house or on my back porch (3 stories up) until it is at least an adolescent. And i caved and started using Sluggo (iron phosphate). It helped a lot! I’ve also found those copper pot scrubbers, when past their prime for the dishes, make good slug deterrents. But it seems the mice kind of dig them too! PS – Rooting for Calypso!!
What’s up with the peas, huh?? Mine are taking forever this season! I know what you mean about not really wanting to take/post those boring, dreary garden pictures, but I’m right there with you. Good luck with Calypso!
the unknown flower looks a lot like a cornflower, also known as a bachelor button. they are awesome!
Thanks for the tour. Honeycrisp! Asparagus! so great.
I also hoard plastic bottles and use them as mini cloches. It works especially well to start zucchini from seed a couple of weeks early outside. My hand hesitates every time I recycle a big plastic bottle!
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That Calypso is one ridiculously cute bird. If it turns out that I can actually raise my chickens (as opposed to inadvertently leading them to their death) I will likely get more, and I want one that looks just like her!
She is crazy cute huh? She follows us around everywhere and loves to be carried. She is too cute & sweet. The polish chickens are so awesome! We have another one now- one of the new girls. She is a golden polish (Calypso is a white crested black polish).
And you won’t inadvertently kill your chickens. They are pretty tough as long as the raccoons don’t get them =)
I am so green with envy, as it were. Chickens AND asparagus spears peeking out?! You’re living my dream life. I hope you can join us for grinding this month!
meg, I love seeing you garden! you make me long to get cracking on mine but I wont be there for almost 2 weeks. :(. i love that you have chickens – she is gorgeous – and cannot wait for the day when I can have my own. question, when did you plant your asparagus and do they come up straight? I planted mine 4 years ago and they come up all wonky. I am hoping they do better this year.
Hi there! A lot of our crowns are sending up spears in super wonky fashion. Now that they are poking through more I need to take a picture. I have no idea if they’ll grow straight eventually or end up as sideways spears!
How did you get on with your chicken, is she better??
Oddly, very oddly, she seems totally normal! I’m going to write about it soon! So strange! Mind you- I don think she’ll lay eggs again- or at least she hasn’t in 9 days. Thanks for asking!
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Have you ever tried leaving out a saucer of beer for the slugs? It’s what my mother-in-law does when the slugs start eating the hostas. She says cheaper beer works better, the slugs crawl in to drink it and drown.
Your garden looks lovely, hopefully your hard work this spring reaps great rewards this summer. 🙂