April is here and suddenly there is not enough time to do everything that needs doing! The days are mostly dreary and cold, but on those rare sunny ones, out come the shovels, the rake, the pick ax, the hoses, the seeds, the transplants, the dreams!
The old garden overwintered with its layers of straw, chicken manure, leaves, woodashes (too many perhaps!), and other half composted materials. It truly is inspiring to see how improved the soil is after breaking down its winter blanket. There is a blackness beginning, the rocks and pebbles are less glaringly obvious, and the worms - oh! the worms! I can gather up the soil and feel the beginning of a rich humus potential, feel a glimpse of that soft, dark, nutrient rich mix after which organic gardeners strive - the holy grail of gardens. Time and carbon based materials... someday I WILL have that perfect soil... each plant species lovingly tended with just the right pH, just the right mix of nitrogen and phosporous and potash and microbes... It'll just take a whole stinkin' lot of time.
Then there is the "new garden" - probably forever affixed to that title - that has provided plenty of sweat making opportunities for me this spring. The New Garden began on a very sunny southerly slope, unfortunately all river rock, knapweed and crabgrass with a sprinkling of root-entangled chokecherries. The pickax, manure, grass clippings, plus an entire truckload of compost came together to create a reasonable first year garden. After raiding my dad's yard, I returned home with millions (well, not really) of strawberry starts, boysenberry canes, and raspberry canes that easily filled half the new space. The rest of the garden will be used to plant my tomatos, peppers, basil and cucumbers - I need that sunny space!
Three simple transplant species would never be enough from dad's gardens, so I also brought home gooseberry bushes and rhubarbs (one of each in the picture above), wild roses, horseradish, mints, oregano, and an ancient sage that are now scattered slapdash about the unfenced yard, just daring those ever-rankling deer to BITE THIS and get a mouthful of thorns or overpowering flavor.
The fruit trees (like this pipestone plum) are beginning to awaken also, their buds swelling as a reminder that it is already too late to prune. Maybe next year I'll make it on time!
Finally, observing the swelling buds, I think about blooms which inevitably leads to thoughts of honeybees. I have debated mightily this year about taking on another hive after last year's loss. However, I have been extraordinarily blessed by people who want to help during this time and have offered their practical services (such as installing the electric fence), so my mind was made up - the package is ordered and my carniolan bees will arrive in early May. Carniolans, which originated in the Northern Balkans, Slovenia and the Caucasians are typically more cold-hardy than Italians, so I thought they would be a good breed with which to begin another hive. I would love to try Russians, but need a little more experience under my belt before taking this newer breed on, plus, I wonder how cold hardy they truly will be after now being bred in Lousiana. That one is a challenge that must wait til next year. One thing is certain - I will learn indefinitely - there is no way to know it all or even really to begin to touch the surface... gardens, bees, life - its always full of new and wonderously exciting adventures!
