robins nest

 
 
  I found out what the robin is doing with the hay. First she goes to the dirt in my backyard and scoops up some of that with the hay, then dips it all in the pond, then goes up to a nest about 40 feet up in our neighbors big Norway maple. I know robins build lovely mud-lined nests, but I didn’t realize they’d nest to high up.
 
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the early bird gets the hay

 
 
This robin is very happy I mulched my garden with hay this year. She (he?) is helping herself to big beakfuls and carrying them off. I’m trying to figure out where the nest is, but haven’t yet. I have a lot of hay, so am very glad to share with the birds.
 
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favas are growing

 
 
I was concerned because my fava beans seem to be taking a long time to sprout. I planted them on April 21. That’s 2 weeks ago (15 days). I dug up one seed and the good news is its doing great. A very long (4 inch?) root and a good sprout. I replanted it and checked and found that many more sprouts are about 1 cm below the surface. I should be more patient. These are in the coldest area of my garden. My guess is the soil is still…
 
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daffodils

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I planted a half of a bag of daffodils this year (I shared them with my parents). About 50 bulbs of “The Works” from White Flower Farm. It’s a lot easier for me to buy a mix of bulbs than to pick my favorite daffodil. Here’s what’s blooming this week. (I’m surprised to have no King Alfred daffodils. Maybe I gave my parents all of the big bulbs.)
 
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what’s growing

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This is what is growing in my garden now. It exciting to check in the mornings and see what’s sprouted. From top left: arugula, black-seeded simpson lettuce, broccoli, cap peas, carrots, chard, dill, endive, escarole, garlic, garlic chives, herbs (rosemary and blue basil), lettuce mix, marigolds, oregano, parsley, piselle peas, radish, red romaine, sugar snap peas, and thyme. Everything is growing well except the fava beans, which I am beginning to worry about. I’ll have to excavate some seeds soon and see what’s going on underground.
 
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clearing a new bed

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My gardening project for the next few days is to clear out the area where I’m planning to plant my tomatoes this year – the area against the house to the right of the stone path. Today I moved a lot of perennials and violets and few tulips. A few more perennials to move tomorrow, then the bushes need to come out. Skippy kept an eye on everything going on.
 
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constuction of pea trellises

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Last year I used a V-frame structure for my peas, which did not like. It was made from six poles arranged as three Vs, with green plastic mesh stapled along each side of the frame. I found it was hard to pick peas that grew in the center of the frame, the back half didn’t get enough sunlight, it took up too much space and it didn’t look nice. This year I have planted three types of peas and needed three trellises. So I tried three different types. My son…
 
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violets

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Violets are a really prolific weed in my yard. I hate to pull them up, so I leave many to grow as they please. They make a good ground cover and have beautiful blossoms. Just this week they have started to bloom. wildflowers, weeds, invasives and natives
 
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nesting

 
 
There’s lots of nesting activity going on around my garden right now. The chickadees are busy in the house at the east side and the sparrows are in the house to the west.
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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