May Day Eve

We are getting much rain. Peas are leaping and I'm getting sick of asparagus. How much can a person eat without turning green? Salads are fabulous right now. Tomorrow I plant squash, cucumbers and melons in cups. As soon as they're up and growing they'll be planted out. I also need to plant zinnias and celosia for bouquets. My succulents - sedums and hens-and-chicks are selling well. This weekend we will be at the spring planting festival at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield, MO. Come and visit! We picked the very first ripe strawberry today.

This Way To Spring

Early tomatoes and peppers have been planted in flats, and the early greens have been transplanted into cell paks to go out soon. Peas are up. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow again. Sigh.

It's also time to work on my succulents. We sell them at plant sales in April and May. They are called sempervivums or hens and chicks, and sedums. Everyone's grandma used to grow them in pots beside the door or around the mailbox. They are the ideal pot plant, hardy enough to stay outside all winter in their pots, snow, freezing cold and all. I'll be writing a lot more about them in the coming weeks. I'm potting them up by the hundreds in our pavilion.

Peas if you Please

I have planted broccoli and cabbage in flats and it's coming up. Beets and spinach seeds are planted in the field. They got a lovely covering of snow which has melted, giving them needed moisture and a little nitrogen. Soon they'll be poking up. Two days ago I planted peas in cell packs in the greenhouse. Usually peas are direct seeded in the ground, but I do it this way because we've had problems with a little root maggot that eats the pea seeds even before they germinate. In the greenhouse the seeds come up quicker and we avoid the maggot problem. They don't stay in the packs long, just until they've developed a bit of root and a few leaves, then out they go into the garden. Once they have roots established the maggots can't harm them. If you have trouble getting pea seeds to germinate, give this method a try. Today I planted more flower seeds: a second round of feverfew to stagger the bloom, purple and rose magic dianthus, some campanula for my rock garden and jewels of opar talinum which makes a nice bouquet filler.

Planting Greens

I got a powerful hunger for spring greens, folks.

Yesterday was greens day. I planted several lettuces, mustard, arugula and kale. Pak choy and other oriental greens will follow shortly. They're a bit more sensitive to spring frosts, and will bolt if the temps are too cold. I broadcast the seed in small rectangular peat containers (six fit to a flat) in a mix of compost, peat, sand and perlite. When they've come up and gotten a little size to them I'll transplant them into cell packs until they're ready to plant out, sometime in March. It's time to plant spinach and beets - we're waiting till the ground's dry enough to turn.

I also planted some mixed colors of yarrow. It's a staple in early bouquets. My old patch is getting crowded and weedy, so I'll start fresh with new plants this year.

June Bouquets

Yesterday I planted snapdragons, feverfew (it makes a great filler for bouquets), two colors of rudbeckia and some dwarf hollyhocks that bloom the first year and hopefully will work for bouquets for the market. I plant Rocket snapdragons, mixed colors, that are tall and must have support but bloom their little hearts out in June and into July for gorgeous, sweet smelling bouquets. Later I'll be planting my other staples: tall blue ageratum that blooms from spring till frost, zinnias and many more I'll list as I plant them.

Other news: remember I told you that a secret world was about to be revealed? Well, the time has come. Welcome to Minglemist, wherein some acquaintances of mine, retired biology professor T. P. Dunlap and his young housekeeper-secretary, Madeline Brown, are at this very moment discovering dragons, fairies, nasty hobgoblins, elves, snuffleworts and many other interesting characters, including, of course, Robert the Onion Ghillie. I'll let Madeline take over from here, as it is her job to get the postings out to me.

ENTER!

http://talesofminglemist.blogspot.com/

Meet Robert, the Onion Ghillie

Robert lives in a secret world recently discovered by a retired biology professor named T. P. Dunlap. More about this world will be revealed shortly, so stay tuned. Note the nectar-sipping dragons visiting the flowers, because this secret world is full of them, and others, in all sizes and varieties.

It's funny that Robert turned up just now, because it's time to plant onions, and that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. Today I've sifted peat moss and baked compost. There is still ice on the ground, but today was close to 60 degrees, so that will help matters. There are rivers running down all the hills.

Jack Frost

Ice, then sleet, then ice, then a bit of snow on top. It's a stay at home day. Thankfully we have power. Many don't. The wood was cut by Mr. On The Wind this fall. We're still using wood cut several years ago. Security and wealth is a large wood pile.