Back in the Garden

My poor yard and garden look terrible since I've been choosing to go backpacking/camping/hiking in my spare time instead of gardening. I think in the last freeze I lost my Asclepias which is the milkweed the monarchs all went nuts over a few short months ago. I'm going to have to replant them so I can provide habitat again.

Yesterday Caitlin and I went out in the back and did a ton of spring cleanup. We picked up trash, we weeded, and made big piles of fallen debris to be hauled off to the composting area of the yard. I was pleased to see that all of my herbs are doing excellent. That's the great thing about growing them, they require so little care and the benefit they bring is enormous.

Today we will cultivate the soil, add some nutrients, and plant some seeds. I'm going to put in lettuce, white radishes, snow peas, and maybe some kale. These should all grow fairly quickly and be done by the time the weather is too hot for them.

In addition to the vegetables I'll work on habitat for the geckos, cliff frogs, tree frogs, and toads. I love hearing the frogs sing in the summer time and usually have a yard full of them. I also hope to coax the butterflies back. The Greg's Mist is coming back nicely...they like that. They also liked the Zinnias and Mexican Sunflowers. I'll re-seed those by hand if nothing comes up on it's own...but it should.

New in the garden this year are the California poppies my friend sent to me. They will be stunning and I hope they pop up soon. A neighbor of mine grows poppies, so when hers come up mine should too. I don't know where mine are planted, so it's going to be a surprise when they do show up on the scene. I can't wait to see them! I love my friend dearly and those flowers will remind me of her every time I see them. They will keep coming back too, and make more!