Finally...Spring, Maybe?

Saturday was a gorgeous Spring day - we've been waiting for this for so long!  Temperatures near normal, with a high of about 14C (about 60F) and just a light breeze.  Sunday is suppose to be even nicer.  Ahhhhhhh.......

The nice weather of the last few days has chased the snow away quickly.  The lawn is starting to look a tint of green.  It's still very wet in the fields; there were places I had to skirt because it was just too muddy.  Buds do not seem to be swelling in any big way yet - which is what the goats are waiting for.  Goats are browsers - they love best leaves and fresh young twigs.  So far they are still on a diet of (dusty) hay and their wee grain ration.
The chickens are faring a bit better; they are fighting over the first fe, dopey bugs that are starting to appear and are happy with every little green grass blade!

A couple of good things found on my walk: the garlic is up!  Yeah!  Sporadic in the rows - but it's coming.  We sooooo love our garlic so much that it is always encouraging when it peeks out.  No sign of the rhubarb yet.  And the other piece of good news is that the dug out is full to the brim, and even looks like it spilled over a bit!  It still has ice floating in it, but it's full!  Always nice to start the growing season with a good supply of water!

It seems like it has been a long hibernation this year.  Finally feeling a bit like coming out of my cocoon and stretching my 'wings'!  Gardening is in my near future - that's invigorating!

New Book on Organic Gardening on the Prairies

I always love a book written specifically for Prairie gardeners.  We have a special (very special) set of circumstances here, and bugs and diseases specific to our area.  How many times, while working in retail horticulture here in Brandon, did I have people come into the nursery convinced they had a bug or disease that is not even present in our area!  They had found some info in some book, or on the web and had self-diagnosed and were self-treating, without great results.  So, every time I see a book by Hugh Skinner or Sara Williams, I get excited!  Skinner is part of a family who has done great things in breeding plants for our cold climate, and Williams is a professor of hort who has done great things in educating cold climate gardeners.  When I moved to Manitoba from Vancouver, Williams book 'The Prairie Xeriscape' was super-duper useful in educating me about my new climate and the plants that would thrive.  If you're trying to garden organically this new tome is awesome!  Highly recommend it!

Winter Interest in the Snowy Garden

It's always worthwhile to consider some winter interest in your garden - regardless of where you live. Here in Manitoba, we've got to count on a bunch of snow covering everything, so things with height are important. Evergreens are major, providing more substance than just naked branches. We're fortunate here to be surrounded by well-established spruce and some pines. I've added some dwarf Mugo Pine and upright juniper in the border in front of the house and along the driveway. There's are a few other things providing pleasure now. Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Sedum), a joy in sooo many seasons! Red-twigged dogwood (Cornus), looking good against the brick wall around the front patio. The flower heads of coneflower (Echinacea), which little birdies are still visiting for a snack. And some of our favorite winter interest: local wildlife! This visit from a partridge, commonly called Prairie chicken around here, was rare, unexpected and fortunately happened while the camera was handy! They rarely come so close to the house and usually fly away at the least sound or movement.

Family Fun at Aagaard Farms!

It's great to introduce children to local food, we think it's so important that people know where their food is coming from and what real food is. At the Farmers' Markets, it's so fun to see kids' reactions and hear their observations as they check out all the vegetables and fruit. The most fun we have, though, is here at the farm. We rent out garden plots, and we so enjoy the children that come: we'll introduce them to the pigs and chickens, let them help weed or harvest. As their parents work in their gardens, the kids will quite often follow Farmer Man around asking a million questions and playing with the dogs. Of course, some of them find the tractor fascinating! On Saturday, our renters Joan and Larry brought some family out to help, including some of the youngest additions. We missed it, we were at the Farmers Market at Riverbank Discovery Centre doing our thing, but Joan and Larry were nice enough to share pictures. The captions are theirs. Apparently, big fun was had by all!

Wildlife Gardening

The girls at Garden Rant have introduced me to yet another fabulous blog: Wildlife Garden. This one is dedicated to wildlife gardening - understanding the critters, birds and bugs coming to your garden, planting to encourage and support them! It's a very interesting site - check it out here!

An Awesome Idea for Urban Areas!

Catching up on my blog reading, found something interesting (as always) on Garden Rant. Gating scruffy urban alleys, to allow the residents, essentially, their own 'park'. It's been a great way to cut down on crime, provide garden space and to provide family and community gathering space. What an awesome idea! Check it out here.

I Love This Moment.....

I love this moment in time, every Spring. Farmer Man has just tilled the gardens for the last time. The soil is fresh, new and ready to plant! It will only look this pristine for a day or two: tomorrow or Tuesday he will lay out the rental plots, those people will come plant, he'll start to plant and everything will start to look a bit more messed up, stepped on and, well, regimented and organized. But, tonight, it's perfect and unspoiled! Soon, the market gardening starts in earnest!