To those of you who were able to celebrate the first day of spring by tackling a few garden chores, well, lucky you. Here in my neck of the woods, spring arrived with a big surprise in the form of eight inches of snow and 30 mph winds. Here's what my Koi pond looked like Saturday afternoon.
Incredibly, the day before the storm temperatures were in the lower 70s, and I'd spent the day prepping my raised beds for planting. I spread about 500 pounds of compost over the beds, worked it in ever so gently, and contemplated sowing seeds of a dozen or so cool-season crops. But having seen the forecast I decided to wait until after the storm blew through. The seeds would have been fine covered with snow, but the forecast called for heavy rains in advance of the snow and I didn't want them to get washed away. The good news is that temps will be back in the 70s this week, and I hope to get all my planting done before I leave for the Baltimore area this weekend.
Why Baltimore? I'm making an appearance at a Home and Garden Show at the Pavillion in Ft. Meade. I'll be giving two talks on Saturday (3/27) at noon and 3pm, and one on Sunday (3/28) at noon.
My kids were on spring break this week. My oldest, Spencer, spent the week here in Tulsa with his fiance preparing for their upcoming wedding. We managed to spend some quality time together, but it wasn't enough. Dalton was in North Carolina visiting his girlfriend, doing a little rock climbing and hanging out on the beach. And Hannah was hanging out on the beach as well -- in Costa Rica.
I'd hoped to say a little more in this post, but the program I'm using is acting up. So that's it for now. I'll be back with more later this week -- after I get those seeds planted.
Peace,
Paul
Wow, I'm sure glad the cold temperatures didn't dip that low here in TN! Beautiful picture though. Congrats on Spencer's wedding! Best wishes for the happy couple!
Posted by: Dave@TheHomeGarden | 03/22/2010 at 09:36 AM
You've set me free! If you haven't found a hose nozzle that works, than who am I to even try? My frustration now ended, I will now just consider the purchase of two nozzles per season as part of my annual gardening purchases along with my seeds, annuals, bone meal, epsom salts, etc. Thank you!
Posted by: Claire Scully | 03/23/2010 at 05:32 AM
Thanks for the blog! :)
I was watching Ellen last week and she had a segment about Triscuit crackers and their home gardening efforts and I said to my husband, "OH! That must be what Paul was talking about!!" and he said... "Paul who?" lol Yes, I talk about you like you were my friend.
I was excited to see it and wondering how you were involved. I hope we get more details soon. When I was a kid, my mother used to make us tomato soup and triscuit crackers with cheese. Very fond memories of the product!
Posted by: Tricia | 03/23/2010 at 05:34 AM
LOL that's about what our house looked like in Dallas - Texas, the only place you can get all 4 seasons within a week. (I'm sure you can say that in OK, too!). It's so weird to hear about the kids being so grown up already. We've watched them since Hannah was a wee tot! and now she's off galavanting the world. They grow much too fast! And now..looking at my two ... I'm thinking the same thing.
Posted by: Darcy | 03/23/2010 at 10:51 AM
I am so happy to have found you again! That is a pretty picture of your Koi pond! Thanks for taking the time to keep us gardeners informed and entertained. Miss your show, personally I think those people are nitwits on HGTV. After all, they got rid of your show.
Best of Luck to you on all of your endeavors!
By the way, we just moved from So.Cal. to eastern Tennessee, Riceville, to be precise. Now we have to learn about gardening here!
Posted by: Cheryl Schad | 03/23/2010 at 06:00 PM
Same thing happened to my garden Friday. March can have every season except autumn in one day!
Posted by: Gardener On Sherlock Street | 03/24/2010 at 06:03 PM
They say if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait around a few minutes and it'll change! At least they said that when my family and I lived there. (8 years in Tulsa and I still think of it very fondly.)
Posted by: Kelly H. | 03/25/2010 at 06:45 PM
I'm so glad to find this blog and Paul's webpage! I can hardly wait for the book.
Posted by: Martha | 03/27/2010 at 11:21 AM
Hi- I saw you at the Home and Garden Show in Maryland - thank you for a great Q&A session! And your website looks pretty cool!
Posted by: Lorid | 03/31/2010 at 06:28 AM
Just for today I will have a program, I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.
Posted by: coach purses | 07/16/2010 at 11:20 PM
This is very nice blog here. I like the picture of this pond which is totally fridge. Very nice photography.
Posted by: Pond Supplies | 05/03/2011 at 10:04 AM