What a beautiful spring weekend! We spent time outdoors and with friends over the weekend, and despite some overcast skies and threats of rain, we actually got a good bit of sunshine and cool breezes. It's so nice to have the windows open and not need to use the heat or AC. After last year's full throttle jump from winter to summer, I am truly enjoying these cool spring mornings and evenings.
Last week the heirloom seeds I ordered from Baker Creek arrived. Between those and some other seeds I've bought at nurseries here and there, we'll be planting some new and interesting tomato and pepper seeds this year, including chocolate bell peppers, purple bell peppers, and Black Krim tomatoes, among others. We put those in some started cells on Friday. We're waiting for the evening temperatures to get warm enough to put our seedlings out. Right now night time temperatures are in the mid-low 50s, and I don't have the equipment to keep my plants warm while out at night on the deck, so they're all in the spare bedroom where they get plenty of sun. The room is starting to feel a bit like a greenhouse with the increased humidity from our waterings.
We have three new crops this year: broccoli, onions, and garlic. The cool temps have been great for the broccoli.
I've been playing with the photo software on my computer. This is matte. But obviously I forgot to play with lighting and contrat, which is why my other pictures are so dark.
The raised bed above shows our strawberry patch. May is strawberry month in the DC area. At the end of May there are many strawberry festivals at local farms and u-pick farms and orchards, and I'm hoping to make it to one this year so I can buy pounds of fresh strawberries to supplement my little crop. We are growing strawberries again this year, but with an improved system over last year: the raised bed. I saw the first strawberry yesterday, and there are numerous other blooms on the plants. I hope this year's strawberry harvest goes to us and not the birds or squirrels this year.
your broccoli looks wonderful, so much better than mine! i'm only growing one plant and it refuses to grow up. i'm trying onions and garlic for the first time too.
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