May Vacation

It has come to the point that now I have to take a vacation in the spring to get some of the spring big projects done. The family is getting tired of hearing me say I can't go do something on the weekend because I have chores in the garden to do. So this year I decided to take a vacation and with a little help from above I decided to get most of the garden in the ground in one week. Mother nature so far has cooperated.
My first project was to recycle an old door and make myself a planting table. It turned out pretty good I thought. Tammy says it's kinda redneck, I call it functional recycling.

My next project was the side garden. We started this a few years ago and just add a few feet to it a year. We are half way down the side of the house now. My goal is to plant all perennials with room to add a few annuals each year. 2 days after I got the last of the perennials that I got from Focal Point nursery and some that I started from seed I was told I would have to dig some of the back plants up for one day so the gas company can put in the pipe and meter. They have the whole house and this happens to be the best place for the pipe! GO FIGURE! Oh well, can't wait to have the house heated with natural gas instead of oil.
In order 1st year, 2nd year, this year.

Today I have focused on the beds. Being careful not to plant get ahead of myself and plant things to early. I already had some Peas, Sugar snap peas, & butter crunch lettuce planted. I finished up the day by planting Kentucky blue pole beans, carrots, Romaine lettuce, Iceberg lettuce and elephant garlic. In with the peas I added summer squash, couple eggplant & acorn squash

The rest of the week will be spent planting the other beds and mulching. I have enjoyed my time off in the garden. I have used a lot of Ibuprofen but it is worth it. Still to early for my tomatoes and peppers but they are hardening off and who knows maybe next week.

From this to that

It has been slow growing this past month. Lots of seed planting and potting up but still haven't dared to put anything in the ground yet. I started some of the flowers in January but they are still very small and not ready to brave the cool spring weather of Maine yet. I have put some onions and beet seedlings in my small greenhouse (covered shelf). Here are some pictures of the seedlings starting out and what they look like about a month later.                                                                               

From This

to That                                                  

From This

  to That

and That

Now one lonely flower dares to peak out

I forgot I did plant something out in the garden. It's part of the Dogwood family I think, I call it my Pablo Lilac. He lays his bum anywhere I have freshly raked or dug. This day he is hiding out in the newly raked Lilacs