Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Spring busyness, and potatoes

The last week or two has had us in very busy "spring-mode", so there hasn't been much blogging going on.
Each year in April sometime we dig out the potatoes we had stored in a pit overwinter. Bill starts by lifting off the Tarp that has kept the insulating layer of leaves nice and dry. Layer by layer the leaves, a bit of soil, the metal cover, and the final boards get removed to reveal the stored potatoes... We were really surprised to find a pot of fingerlings(Pink Fir Apple) that we had forgotten were there.....we had kind of rationed the ones we had, but now we can have a little potato feast! We also filled a basket with red potatoes, and left part in the pit until a bit later. It was only partly recovered. If you want to see the sequence of events...check the link and click slideshow
This week has started off quite nicely with the carpet of Chionodoxa finally doing their thing....I never seem to be able to get a really good pic! These little bulbs naturalize beautifully, and we find them anywhere & everywhere.The February Daphne are in bloom in many places, so the aroma is great today(warm & calm)...most of this patch is destined to be potted up for our plant sale. There are patches of dark purple crocus popping up, seemingly at will! They seem to get scattered about as the years go by. I found a little patch of white Scilla siberica a couple of days ago. Even the garlic has grown a lot in a few days.... These seedling peonies are a species type, and unfurl their leaves before any of the others. Spring has to be the most inspiring, as well as the most tiring, time. The frogs are in full song, so soon the pond will be well populated with tadpoles.

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