My gardening, this missing spring, has been a challenge.  Add to that, the responsibility of caring for my brother's estate the few sunny days have been occupied by holding garage sales or loading and hauling items to the resale shop or used bookstore.  I now see an end in sight and how this job will be over by end of May.

Two hours here and there of garden work has my hoop houses built over two raised beds, there will insure some of my own tomatoes this year.  A few plants of brassica including cauliflower, a couple violet ones, Brussels sprouts and broccoli are doing well.  This year I have left a floating cloth over them for the cold and the usual egg laying pests that are out at this time of the year.  The thing I forget is the name of the white 'butterfly' but I know that is the one that leaves the eggs that produce the caterpillars that eat my brassica.  I rejoice when I am walking to the chicken coop and I see the flight of these one or two white beauties and see my cloth is in place. 

About 3/4 of my potatoes seedlings are in the ground.  I am learning about growing potatoes.  I am Irish enough to know that I must move the site to plant potatoes each years but I search each spring for a site and at the same time want to increase my space to this crop.  This year, I am going to invade the front yard.  I have had this floating idea for a couple years but there is a place sunny close to the house, good watering system there and some bare area ready for my hoe.  I need the day with the hoe and soon!

 Quinoa and soup beans are in my sights to get in the ground.  The trick is a juggling act if ones wants to raise ones own food, it  is to grow greens for the summer and enough out of the garden for that winter that can be stored easily.  My kale beds and supply of lettuce is doing fine, frankly, with more time I would clean out one of my current herbs beds and use that space for more root crops.  Back to the quinoa, I have started some seed on a heating pad in the house but it have been slow to develop.  I will plant most starts and a packet of this seed in the ground as soon as the temperature permits or by June first.   I read with interest that in the RESILIENT  GARDENER, Depp has given up on quinoa.  It is the best protein in the world so I am not there yet but this maybe the test year.  I would love to have a bumper crop enough for two season and grow it every other year. 

Winter is the season for soup making and I can see, taste and know that home grown beans are better than the store bought ones that are so old.  I read with interest people that have settled on a few soup beans that become their absolute favorite.  I am not there so I grown about six different varities.