Garden Journal: April
The Greenhouse
After months of waiting and planning, the 2023 gardening season is now in full swing and it’s time for our first monthly recap. April’s Superstar Award (TM) goes to … the envelope please … the Greenhouse!
Seed-starting began in March and reached its peak in April. Almost every inch of greenhouse space is filled with 72-cell trays, and some plants have moved up to small pots. Ornamentals include lupines, dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, echinops, stachys, larkspur, digitalis, and baptisia. Plus tomatoes, peppers, basil and other herbs. There are upwards of 500 plants in there! With any luck most of them will be successfully transplanted in various areas of the garden in due course.
The Kitchen Garden
This year’s garden will feature most of the same veg as last year including peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, beans, potatoes, parsnips, leeks, shallots, tomatoes, and hot peppers. We’re making a few adjustments, like sowing more crops in succession to space out the harvest, and adjusting quantities where we overdid it last year.
Garlic is making its debut in 2023. These plants were sown back in late October, produced small green shoots before winter, and went gangbusters as soon as it began getting warmer. Also new this year: my all-time favorite fruit, strawberries! First-year harvests tend to fall somewhere between minimal and nonexistent, so I’ll take whatever I can get and who knows, perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Trees, Trees, and More Trees
Last year, we came across a program sponsored by the Virginia Department of Forestry designed to help restore Virginia’s woodlands. For a ridiculously low price we were able to acquire 300 two- and three-year old native saplings, a mix of White Pine, Loblolly Pine, White Oak, Pin Oak, and Black Cherry.
Read: I’m From the Virginia Department of Forestry, and I’m Here to Help
Most of these found their way to permanent locations before winter. Some are on the rear perimeter of the property where they will serve as a visual barrier between ourselves and the next house. Some were placed strategically near the driveway and main road; others will help form the “woodland walk” we intend to create between the ornamental spaces and the kitchen garden. The remaining stock spent the winter in grow bags behind the barn, with a surprisingly good survival rate. This month we set up a series of soaker hoses to keep these trees happy while we decide on their final destinations.
The White Garden
Daffodils take center stage this time of year, with Viburnum mariesii just coming into flower. Meanwhile, every other plant is showing off its beautiful green foliage and the garden is a haven for birds, who will soon be nesting in the nearby boxwood. We love watching their comings and goings over breakfast or, well, pretty much anytime.
The Arrival Court
This year is the first full gardening season for the Arrival Court. We’re going for soft pastel colors here—blue, purple, pink, and white—and last year we planted a mix of alliums, salvia, nepeta, and verbena along with some evergreen holly. Most of these are perennials, and we were pleased to see them rebound after winter. We’ll fill in the gaps with seedlings from the greenhouse, and make more tweaks and improvements to this space in the coming months.
It's looking pretty darn good down there! Burgeoning even. It will be fun to see those trees in situ. You two have done an amazing amount of work in two years!
Sounds like the season is off to a great start! And 300 saplings!!! WOW! So cool that you've got the room for so many trees!