Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Yard Dirt

In my column this week, I wrote about the clover I planted in my lawn last year (and also my unfortunate habit of spying on my neighbors’ lawns).

It’s Spring: Time to get in the game and check out the competition

It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who likes clover.

Here’s a comment posted to the blog:

Hi Julie, I live in the Newburyport area and like you, have discovered the joy of clover. Whilst my neighbor’s beautifully manicured lawns turned into straw last summer, mine remained green and lush. I too, am known as the crazy lady with the clover seed but this year my neighbors have stopped laughing at me and I think a few are headed to Essex Co Coop for some Velvet Mix and Clover!!
J True

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On Sunday I wrote about how nothing is happening yet in my garden:

“Yard Dirt: Backyard garden off to a slow, and messy, start”

Well, the seedlings have finally poked through. Here’s the leaf lettuce.

The lawn is waking up, too. Hooray for April showers and April sun!

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What a gorgeous day this turned out to be!!

I woke up at 6 a.m. with the baby and we listened to the rain. It was a good, steady garden-friendly rain, and it felt so cozy to be inside and awake when most people are sleeping.

The forecast called for raw, rainy weather all day so I wasn’t planning on going outside, but by late morning it was sunny and 60 degrees. Now it’s 70 and absolutely beautiful.

I did a bunch of garden clean-up this morning, and I’m just getting warmed up!

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It was nice outside today and, though I couldn’t garden with the baby in my hands, I could take pictures.

Here is a nibbled crocus beside one that somehow survived (and that randomly came up purple from a bag of orange crocuses — maybe the rabbits don’t like the purple ones?).

The early daffodils …

And the dormant lawn …

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Grrrr!

Something has been eating my crocuses.  They were coming up so nicely. Many of them had bloomed, and many were on their way. Now they are just little green stumps.

I suspect rabbits, though I haven’t seen any yet this year. Whatever it is, it looks like we’re going to have a tough year for gardening.

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This week’s column, “Awakening to the possibilities for balancing baby, garden care,” about my baby’s first nap in the garage, can be found here.

Also, I forgot to post a link to the column from two weeks ago, “Baby it’s cold outside, but let the planting begin.”

I hate to miss a Sunday for yard work, but it’s cold and dark and raw out today. There’s no way I’m going out in that. Ick!

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I’m off to an early start this year. I planted my shell peas and leaf lettuce last week in garden beds that were already prepared from last year. It was so much fun getting my hands dirty even before the last of the snow flies for the season.

I’ve also printed out a bunch of blank calendars and started planning the rest of the spring. I find these monthly calendars are much easier than a journal for keeping track of what’s blooming, when I plant things and what the weather’s doing.

I get mine here, but there are many free calendar forms online.

This year I’m being optimistic — I actually marked when the peas and lettuce will be ready for harvest if the rabbits don’t get them first.

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Spring must be here. My crocuses are blooming!

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If you want to invest some time and money in your gardening skills, check out these upcoming workshops at the Topsfield Fairgrounds.

Saturday, March 29: “Painting with Plants, the Art of Designing a Flower Garden”

Nancy Garrabrants, director of UMass Extension, will discuss the subtleties of combining flower and leaf textures, plant silhouettes, and plant weight. Design concepts of rhythm, proportion, and visual balance will be explored. She will help you learn to manipulate color to create your perfect retreat. 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $60.

Saturday, March 29: “Hot Powered Plants for Cool Gardeners”

Tina Smith, UMass Extention Floraculturalist, will help you choose what to grow and how to grow some of the newest plants for beautiful, season-long color for your garden and patio. From the intense colored flowers of annual phlox and trailing impatiens to the vivid foliage colors of coleus and heuchera and clouds of dainty white flowers of ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia, see how easy it is to have beautiful color all season long. 1 to 3 p.m., $40.

Saturday, April 19: “Growing Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants in the Home Garden”

Fresh herbs can make the difference between a mediocre meal and an exceptional one, and you can have fresh herbs all year long from your own garden or windowsill. The great variety of herbs, spices, and medicinal plants which can be grown successfully in the home or garden is outstanding. Learn about herbs with UMass Professor Dr. Lyle Craker. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. $100.

To register in advance for any of these programs go to www.umassgarden.com, or just register at the door.

I’ve never seen any of these speakers before, but a couple years ago I went to a UMass Extension Saturday lawn workshop and it was fantastic. I consider UMass Extension my top source when it comes to lawn and garden topics.

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It’s still too cold to do much outdoors, but I thought I’d take a moment to update you on my indoor plants.

Some did well this winter. This is the Night-Blooming Cereus plant that we started from a leaf cutting, last year with just one new shoot and now:

The winter was less kind to my big rosemary plant. I posted on the blog in the fall when it was full of blossoms.

Sadly, it got some sort of insect disease. The needles turned brown and fell off. I banished it to the deck to protect my other plants. It’s too bad. That was a fun plant.

And finally, my latest experiment with cilantro:

This is the cilantro I started from seeds I collected from my own garden in the fall. It’s the first time I ever grew something from seeds I harvested myself. Not bad.

Of course, I was too attached to it as a house plant to eat it. We continued to buy fresh cilantro from the grocery store (ugh!) and now this cilantro is flowering and ending its life cycle. Maybe I’ll collect the seeds and keep the cycle going.

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