We've had such a warm winter here in south Texas that many people are already starting gardens. The plants and even the bees are a little confused! My neighbor, Bonnie, has had humming birds come and go all winter! I, too, want to get my garden going, but will err on the side of caution and wait until March.
I started prepping my garden for spring at the end of December by putting on and turning under a layer of old manure. I later was given a partly used bag of peat and one of green sand and put those on and turned the garden again.
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| Winter garden |
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| Wheel barrow of "seasoned" goat manure |
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| Turning in the manure |
Two of my neighbor-friends, Bonnie and Jenny, also garden. We go in together to start seedlings and Jenny graciously cares for them in her greenhouse throughout the winter. I have been informed that they are up and going strong! (Guess I should visit them!)
When I went out in early February to turn my compost, I had the pleasant surprise of finding a bunch of pumpkin seedlings coming up from a pumpkin I had discarded in early winter! I screened some soil and transferred the volunteer seedlings into pots. I also moved some cilantro that had self-seeded from last year so I could clean up the garden and turn the soil.
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| Old pumpkin with seedlings |
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| Pumpkin seedlings |
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One of my favorite "shovels" for loose dirt, manure, and such. It is flexible enough to
mold to the shape of the wheel barrow and gets out most of the soil, etc! |
In a storage shed I found some unassembled bee boxes that were not level enough to use for bees. These make excellent planter boxes and allowed me to expand my gardening area.
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| Bee boxes |
I have also purchased a Top Bar Hive and ordered a package of bees to be delivered in April. I look forward to posting about my new hive and bees!
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| Unpainted top bar hive with observation windows |
The garden is turned and most of the boxes and soil are in place for Spring. I feel a lot of satisfaction as I look ahead to a time of warm days and new beginnings! I thank God for his blessings and my heart says, "God is good, all the time!"
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| Most of the bee boxes and soil are in place. Getting excited! |
