Some spring things

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Spring trees are blooming or getting ready to bloom. Hyacinths and daffodils are blooming and tulip plants are up. We still get some pretty cold nights but things seems to be ok with that,

Climate chaos has resulted in the USDA changing the hardiness zone map, telling us when our safe to plant day is in each region. My safe day has moved 2 weeks earlier, and I’m afraid to trust that. Last year, even waiting till my safe date of 6/15, there was one night of possible frost and I had to cover things.

Chives are up, one of the first edible things each spring. And there is some arugula that lived thru the winter in the lizard bed, and laid down under snow and stayed alive. It didn’t so much grow over the winter, but it did survive and now it’s growing like winter hardiness in Pennsylvania is how things are supposed to be.

Dandelion season is in full swing and Geyri uromastyx and Chuckie chuckwalla are loving having some every day. I’ve only seen one bee, a big bumblebee just yesterday. He was on a dandelion. I’ve now started picking more since they are so plentiful, and drying them for the winter reptile salads. There are plenty for the bees as they emerge, and I’m also taking care of the plants themselves. If there is only one flower I don’t pick that, and for plants that have multiple blooms I always leave at least one. The plants need to know that they’re living their life cycle.

There are starlings here who remember a good spot to build their nests, every year. A utility pole on the edge of my property at the alley has a lot of wires for local landlines. They are bundled in some kind of wiring harnesses and every year starlings are in there building their nest in the same one. No rain gets in on their nests or babies. This thing is sturdy and actually it’s pretty smart.

Spring is coming and I’m so glad. Today I will get the pots of good soil ready to start seeds in the house, to prepare to put them out in the garden: several kinds of tomatoes, and several kinds of sweet and hot peppers. And start to clean up the messy place called Tomato Row.

I’m getting old(er) but there will be a garden as long as I can still walk down there and pull some weeds, water with the garden hose and pick some goodies of the magic of the earth.

Enjoy your spring, whatever you’re doing.

10 responses to “Some spring things”

  1. Ah…!! It’s always a pleasure seeing a post of you appearing in the WP reader. I think we feel the same way now were heading into spring and summer soon. We had a very mild winter in this part of the world but a winter is still a winter… 😉
    I’m sure it must be great to feed Geyri uromastyx and Chuckie chuckwalla with your own harvest and vegetables. I wonder if I could grow some chocolate plants… 😉
    Enjoy your time outside in the garden, my dear friend. And please, keep us posted with your adventures!

    • No, you know if I could grow chocolate, I would already be growing some! It is wonderful to be able to gather greens from outside for them: some I planted and some that grow wild in the warm weather. We need to make a science out of knowing what is safe to feed and what is toxic. A huge FB group has taught me all of that. Our winter was not as bad as some either, but you said it—-winter is winter!

      • Thank goodness we can find all this information on the internet. I recently found a lot of good stuff and information concerning the blocked nerve in my back.

  2. That’s the spirit, friend😁. Keep on keeping on. Like that you leave a flower here and there. Our neighbor gets her grass sprayed to kill all weeds. I don’t care what people think, our yard will have yellow spots. The earth… she and her creatures have been poisoned enough.

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