Earliest Garden Start EVER!

First flower of 2010 (picture taken 03/14/10).

I'm still working the two jobs, but that will be ending soon - couple more weeks maybe. Then I can really get to work!

I had a 4 day weekend last week, which between that and it being in the high 60s allowed me to get some real-life gardening done! This has to be my earliest start, ever!) My bulbs were already starting to poke up so I had to clear the fall/winter left-overs out to make a clean canvas for them. My compost bin is now stuffed full!

One of my lavender survivors! - for winter protection, I mulched with straw.

Today I decided to take my seed list to Fleet Farm to see if I could find any of it there. I found nearly all of them! and I got each packet for under $1 each, so I was able to get extras - some annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables that I didn't have on my list.

Beet – Detroit Dark red Rutabaga – American Purple Top Salsify – Mammoth Sandwich Island Parsnips – Hollow Crown Pepper – Long Red Cayenne Chamomile – German Dill – Mammoth Marjoram – Sweet Fennel – Florence Kohlrabi – Early White Vienna White Bush Scallop Patty Pan Cucumber – Armenian Cucumber – Boston Pickling Squash – Delicata Mesclun – Spicy Mix Endive – Green Curled Ruffec Pak Choi – Bonsai Radicchio

Brussel Sprouts – Long Island Improved Chinese Cabbage – Michihli Arugula – Roquette Bean – Edible Soybean Snow Peas – Melting Sugar Carrot – Imperator Carrot – Danvers Half Long Carrot – Little Finger Bean – Slenderette Nasturtium – Dwarf Jewel Mix Morning Glory – Picotee Blue Passion Flower Cosmos – Sensation Picotee Bachelor Button – Choice Mix Alyssum – Carpet of Snow Zinnia – Persian Carpet Poppy – California Orange

Almost all of them were the varieties that I was originally intending to buy, some of these items I got in multiples, and I got it all for just a little over $40! So I'm pretty happy with the haul.

I got some potting soil and a few grow trays with extra tall tops, that even included built in sliding vents, for $4 each! I planted one with the spicy mesclun mix for early greens. I had a couple older, shorter ones that I planted with peas, parsnips, pak choi, Chinese cabbage and radicchio. I will be transplanting these to the garden once they get big enough (and I get the garden straightened out).
You can see it is still full of bulbs:


My bulb holding pen is doing good. My giant alliums and blue anemones are even coming up! As soon as the ground thaws enough to break these free, I will be moving them so that I can get started on my vegetable garden. I already planted some peas, turnips, and greens in areas that were not taken up with bulbs or semi-finished compost from last fall.

I put my cheapie greenhouse together again finally. It hadn't been used since the infamous greenhouse fire of 2005. I put the planted grow trays in there. I also made a few milk jug greenhouses and made a window shelf to put them on. In these I planted tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. I've never done milk jug greenhouses before, so I hope it works. These kind of greenhouses are normally used for winter sowing, but I was planning to not buy veggie garden plants this year - so I have to get going on those nightshades!

After all, my garden insists that Spring is here!

Crocuses today. I really need to plant more crocuses!