tardis gardens in 2024

Not really any gardening going on right now, although when we had a warm spell in February I pruned my pear tree. Then it got cold (REALLY cold) and snowed a bunch, and now it's warming up again. I started my peppers under lights, and will start the tomatoes in a week or two.

However, today was the Public Library's Books 2 Buy sale, and I bought 4 (FOUR) gardening books:
NatureScape Alberta : creating and caring for wildlife habitat at home
Garden Magic : Inspired Garden Design
Giverny : the garden of Claude Monet
The New Garden Paradise : great private gardens of the world

The first is practical and local. The other three are straight-up eye candy. The 4th is a honking 3 kilograms. Total cost was $20, and I'm feeling quite pleased with my haul.

Taking a week and a bit away from home during May is not ideal, but we needed to visit my mother.

My tomato and pepper seedlings are looking good, and before we left on vacation I stuck the cucumbers, peanuts, and assorted squash in peat pots. I hope when we get home (tomorrow evening) they'll have sprouted. First thing Monday, I start hardening the seedlings off while planting the stuff that needs to be direct-seeded, both at home and at the community garden. It's a bit late but weather meant I couldn't start them before we left.

We've been home a week and very little of the garden has been planted. I started hardening-off the transplants right away, but then it got too cold to plant. Not below freezing, but too cold for the transplants. On the plus side, we've also had rain, which is lovely. We had a dry winter.

Speaking of the winter, I've some sad losses, probably due to either the extended winter warm spells or the drought. None of my asparagus has come up. I'm giving it a little bit longer, but I'm afraid it's gone. There are almost no blooms on the pear tree so not getting any fruit there. That might be partly due to the heavy pruning I gave it. All the buds on the apricot dried up and fell off.

On the plus side, both my cherry trees, the saskatoons, and the haskaps are loaded with flowers and buzzing with pollinators. The edible mountain ash (Ivan's Beauty) has lots of flowers. The grapevines and the hardy kiwi are coming back. Most of the ornamental perennials are fine.

I planted the corn a few days ago, but I'm afraid it's been too cold and the seeds may rot before they germinate. Well, I have more seed so I can replant if I have to.

The rest of the seeding will have to start today, if it stops raining. We have such a short season - can't waste any of it!

Don’t give up on the asparagus. I transplanted mine last year, and the root mass is amazing. But they took a year off, barely acknowledging spring. Only a few stalks from each of them.