The first calendula came up in the garden this week. The vibrancy of color just can’t quite be captured by camera.
In other garden news, my mom gave us a gorgeous wood birdhouse made by her dear friend, for a gift years ago. We put it up in the garden and waited patiently for birds to move in. And we waited season after season, wondering if any birds ever would.
Now it looks like it has some occupants! Two swallows (my how they look beautiful when they fly) have been hanging out around there. There just might be a nest in there! That thought excites me.
We don’t have enough lettuce to provide our own salads quite yet, but we have lots of greens growing that we toss on top of farmer’s market salad greens. Jeff’s garden additions (kale, watercress, arugula, and chive flowers) made for some incredible salads this week.
This is a view of one of our garden spaces. Being so close to the ocean, things are green here year round, but now everything is getting greener than ever. You can see we are surrounded by trees, we are right in the middle of the forest. We grow food in the few sunny spots. The apple tree (that is looking all wild and really needs to be pruned) is to the left.
This week has mostly been spent inside because we need to get caught up in the workshop and loading on Etsy. But when we get stir crazy (and the rain slows down) we go outside to get some much needed fresh air and movement. We have a few garden beds planted, we weeded the asparagus bed and a few other beds to get ready for planting. The ducks love eating those weeds. And the greenhouse is full with growing things waiting their turn to be planted in the ground. The squash and cucumbers in the greenhouse are taking awhile to pop up and we wondered if it would have been better to start them inside where it’s warmer? We’ll see. If they don’t come up, we can always plant again.
Today is pouring buckets outside, so I won’t be getting anything done in the garden. But I can write this (one-handed while Bracken nurses), load new creations on our Etsy Shop, and look out the window at the rainy garden. Just being able to see it renews me.
Thanks all!
greenthumb- those small apple trees look great! My husband wants to plant some.
Teri- I’ve got lots of calendula seeds we saved that I would be happy to share with you!
Tracey- I agree, it does feel so cleansing to eat the spring greens!
Rebekah- Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the love story and I loved the quote you shared.
I believe I have a picture of the asparagus bed on here somewhere. 🙂
You all brighten my day! I love hearing about your gardens and sharing ours with you.
Love being able to ‘visit’ your garden. It seems such a special place, tucked into the forest, lush and green.
Gorgeous place! Love your garden. Hope you have pics of your asparagus bed; I’m about to search your blog looking for them. I planted my first this year.
And, I just read your love story—enjoyed it so much; touching! I go around quoting James Taylor all the time, let me do so here: “I now know, Only one thing matters in these days–one thing: true love. Love and love alone.”
Truly that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Love.
Your Blog Is Lovely!
Gorgeous lush area you live in! I am loving the spring, tonic, greens that are coming in right now. Feels so good and cleansing to eat them every day!
Happy Friday!
~Tracey
your photos are beautiful!
so beautiful!
and i’m envious of your calendula… i let some of mine go to seed in the fall, in the hopes that they’d regenerate themselves… sigh… i think that if any of the seeds *were* trying to sprout, they’ve long been devoured by the giant grasses that have taken over…
you’re so lucky to live in the constant green. we have so much winter. the apple blossoms are just opening now–happiness!
Your garden is looking great, I would love an apple tree in the back garden, but much room, will have to think about planting the ballerina ones.
Your garden looks beautiful. I love rainy days as long as I don’t have to go out in it. We’ve had a lot of those lately.
Kathi