We have had a few beautiful days here, and of course that makes everyone itchy to get out and put their gardens in.  Back in Missouri, I would have gone to town, I’m sure, even though it’s still a bit early, even by their standards.  Here in Colorado?  One must always remember that April is not safe, and nothing should go in the ground that you aren’t okay with losing.  For me, that has been cabbage plants, and beet and turnip seeds.

The beautiful days this past week are going to lead into a big winter storm on Tuesday that may dump considerable snow on us and drop us back into the low 20’s.  My cabbages will probably be fine; they’ve already survived at least half a dozen freezing nights already.  I will go that morning and cover them with straw, and let them back out on Thursday when the sun comes back out.  Snow, especially spring snow, can be quite insulating, not to mention very very moisture-laden.

I planted sixteen cabbages, four each of savoy, stonehead, a hybrid, and purple.  I did two four-foot rows of beet seeds and the same in turnips.  I won’t see seedlings for another week, maybe more.  And being cold-weather veggies, they should do fine as well.  The lettuce seed I planted in the garden behind my house has started to germinate, but it will be weeks yet before I’ll actually get lettuce.  The snow won’t hurt them either.

Still, it’s spring, and these warm days make me want to get out and plant.  My squash and pumpkin seedlings have all germinated, and are growing really fast.  They can’t go in the ground until at least mid-May, another month from now.  By then they will be climbing the windows.  I may up-pot them at some point, depending on their root growth.  They look great, though, which makes me happy.

In my flower gardens…the climatis I planted late last fall has started to bud out and looks very healthy.  Both of my peonies are sending up shoots, three times as many as the branches they had last year.  All but about a half-dozen of my dianthus have started to green up.  Considering how dry it was last year, this is remarkable.  The “annual” dianthus has been, for me, a great performer.  They over-winter, even in our wickedly cold temperatures, and seem to be pest-resistant. The four “Snow on the Mountain” I planted last fall are all back, twice as big as they were when I planted them.  They will have to fight it out with the poppies in the same bed, but they will do fine.  The poppies bloom and then turn brown and look awful; the Snow on the Mountain will come in and take up room in that bed so it won’t look so bare.  I still need to put in the ornamental grass that I had planned for last fall.  I will have to convince someone to dig the hole for me.  Digging with a shovel using my foot is still not on my approved list of activities.  Not that I like digging much anyway!

And now, pictures!

The garden plot after it was tilled, and after Tater and I raked in some organic matter.

My cabbages all in a row!

Closeup of one of the Savoy cabbages.  These will have bumpy leaves and be sweeter than regular cabbage.

Butterstick squash on the bottom, pumpkin on the top.

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