First Sprouts 2014

The seeds we planted on the Ides of March are finally coming up!

Over the last few days I've watched, giddy, as a whole row of mustard greens and a row of red and black seeded Simpson lettuces sprout their adorable teensy leaves! We also spotted a baby broccoli sprout just today.

Barely visible baby broccoli. Can you see it?

Inside, my lupines are coming up gangbusters, but the lobelias are taking their time. I seeded two pots of 15 to 20 seeds each, and only have one sprout in one pot (the precocious sprout that came up last week), and two tiny sprouts I noticed yesterday.

There's an inherent joy in bringing new life into the world, even one as seemingly insignificant as a spinach plant. Which, by the way, are just coming up too.

A Sprouting Lobelia

Lobelias typically take up to three weeks to germinate. Which is why I'm so excited that one of the many lobelia seeds I planted just a few days ago has already sprouted. Look!

The lobelias I seeded, Lobelia erinus, are an heirloom variety called Cambridge Blue. They have lots of tiny pale blue flowers that bloom from spring to fall and the plant reaches just 4" to 6" tall and tends to trail, which makes them perfect for hanging baskets, containers, and borders. 

By Rob Hille (Own work) [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

They're annuals so it's good the seeds remain viable for 3 to 4 years (if properly stored). The seeds are teeny-tiny little things and you're supposed to plant them in clumps of about 15 seeds, with about 5" between clumps. Once they come up do not thin them. Just let them grow and you'll have cheery little flowers all summer long!

A Love of Hellebores

What's not to love about hellebores? They're hardy, shade-loving, evergreen perennials whose blooms add color to otherwise bare winter gardens. You know that trouble spot in your garden. The one that's so shady nothing but moss will grow? Pop in a variety of Helleborus and watch it thrive!

Merlin hellebore, a hybrid of
H. niger X H. ballardiae

In mild climates they start blooming in early winter. In places where the ground freezes hard, they bloom in late winter or early spring. And in summer when their blooms fade, their lush greenery remains. When established hellebores can be surprisingly drought resistant.

There are about 20 different species of the genus Helleborus and an ever-growing number of hybrids are popping up in nurseries near you. They may be masquerading under the names 'Lenten Rose,' or 'Christmas Rose.'

The flowers of hellebores are usually shaped like bells or cups and face outward or droop downward. I've seen hellebores in a rich variety of colors and styles. From what I understand they're difficult (if not impossible) to grow from seed, though they self sow quickly in the right conditions.

I've searched high and low for a flowering plant that would add winter color to my shady front yard. These hellebore hybrids are just the beautiful blooms I was looking for!

Merlin hellebore still blooming in early March

The Ides of March 2014

While the Ides of March may have been unlucky for Ceasar, it has always been a fortunate day for me. On March 15, 2000, I went on a date with a guy from my work named Jeff. It was a magical night of poached pears and arcade video games. We've been inseparable ever since.

So how did my hubby and I celebrate 14 years together? In the garden, of course! We spent some quality time together sowing cool-weather crop seeds. In bed 2 (below left) we planted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, romaine lettuce, mustard tendergreens, red salad bowl lettuce, and black seeded simpson lettuce. We're waiting 2 to 3 weeks before we plant in bed 3 (below right), in order to spread out the harvest. We also planted 8 pea plants (not pictured) - 4 in a big barrel and 4 more in another bed where my cucumber did really well last year.

Beds 2 and 3 ready for seeds!

Just a few days ago we added about 1 inch of compost to these raised beds and mixed it thoroughly in. The compost was a blend of our own homemade compost and a bag of organic compost from Shorty's nursery (wood compost, chicken manure, dolomite lime, mycorrhizae, etc.).

These beds are far from ideal. That fence is on the east side of our yard and there's a beautiful, old maple tree just on the other side of it. By late May the tree is in full foliage, which means these beds will be in shade until afternoon. But the soil is good and there are at least 2 more months of full sun to part sun before they get plunged into shade. Hopefully we planted early enough (but not too early!) to get a few good broccoli and cauliflower heads before it gets too hot and the plants bolt.

Snowy Days 2014

It was the first few days of February and snow was everywhere! We got 9 to 12" in three days. It took another three days for all of it to melt.

Seed Catalog Season Is Almost Here!

Last week I opened my mailbox to a welcome surprise: the first seed catalog of the season! Specifically, the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog. To anyone bitten by the gardening bug, seed catalogs are like a second Christmas.

Shana's Backyard Garden on December 19, 2013

Seed catalogs start arriving in late December and continue into January. With them they bring all the hopes and promises of the year to come. You start to imagine long summer days, happily digging in the dirt, and all the fresh, homegrown yummies that only a garden can provide.

My husband and I only started seriously gardening a couple of years ago when a neighbor offered us some space in her yard. We've been hooked ever since! Last year, after we learned that I have brain cancer, we moved from the north coast of Oregon to Vancouver, Washington, to be closer to medical care facilities in Portland. We now garden in our back yard in the suburban neighborhood of Salmon Creek.

This is the first full year we'll be gardening in our new home. I hope you join me as I share some of the surprises, defeats, musings, and victories that come from Shana in the garden.