Garden Progress

Wow, it’s been warm here! I’ve been working hard over at my garden, and this sunny, 70-degree weather day after day is fantastic! In Colorado, March brings absolutely anything, weather wise — 3 feet of snow or 75 degrees, though more commonly it’s somewhere in between. But what a luxury to have this warmth to make the outdoor work much more enjoyable!

Yesterday I got almost everything planted; the four main raised beds are seeded and the walls-o-water are up so that they can warm the soil for my tomato seedlings which are growing nicely in my kitchen window at home. I still need to amend the soil in the pots and on the south side raised bed, and get those planted.

So far I’ve planted:

parsley

cilantro

dill

arugula

cabbage, red and green

onions

scallions

beets

turnips

bok choy

lettuce

spinach

radishes

broad beans

leeks

…and still to be planted are cauliflower, romanesco cauliflower, carrots, kale, chard, garbanzo beans, and celery. Might throw in some peas, too.

And I accidentally discovered another side effect of my antibiotics — photosensitivity — which I’d read about and disregarded. Well. Don’t disregard it! It means that you burn more easily when out in the sun, but what they don’t tell you is that it’s not your garden variety sunburn (pun obviously intended), but instead it feels like you’ve rubbed Bengay, or that Icy-Hot cream, all over your body — and you can’t wash it off! Bwaa-haha! It’s the weirdest most unpleasant chemical-burn sensation; like your skin is freezing and burning at the same time. They call it a phototoxic reaction; sounds creepy, and it is. This sunburn actually makes me cold and shivery! It’s very weird!

I do see a sunscreen purchase in my near future; too bad, since I probably could use the vitamin D from all that nice sun time. Ah well!

So anyway, elsewhere in my folks’ yard, there are glorious crocus blooming and the yellow-blossoming cornelian cherry bush is in bloom now! Spring has sprung!! And if we get some moisture pretty soon, things will green up in a flash. I can’t wait! I love winter — I love all the seasons — but I’m always ready for each one as it approaches. So I’m ready for winter to be over now, and for spring to arrive!

Does it feel like spring where you are?

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