Spring Gardening Update

Winter carrots and beets gone wild!

Wayne and I got home after six weeks away from our Powell Lake float cabin home. When we left it was early spring and my winter vegetables in the floating garden were good to pick and eat. The weather was cool and rain was plentiful.

While we were gone the temperature rose and rain diminished, only one inch while we were gone. Our good friend John came twice to water, but everything was bone dry by the time we arrived.

My garlic fared well with the dry conditions.

I was amazed at how well the plants were doing under such harsh conditions. For the last three days I've been cleaning up deck containers and the floating garden.

Perennials on the transition float, blueberries and herbs.

Unlike previous years, I won't have a summer garden. I'll maintain my perennials including blueberries, a red currant, herbs, my Dracaena Spike Plants that are getting ready to bloom again, four small cedar and fir trees, and a few containers of volunteer flowers. This will allow Wayne and me to do more cruising on the chuck in our ocean boat.

The floating garden half done.

Watering will still be needed, but not as much and not as often. Plus, it will be good for my soil to lie fallow and allow some of the pests to die off or move on to greener pastures.

Have you even taken a year off from gardening? How did it go for you? -- Margy