clean slate

I had decided on the title of my post tonight because of my "clean slate" for my garden... and I wanted to start it off with the above picture of my little slate chalk board that I change up.  I liked this garden quote for many reasons... and then I realized that the clean slate title was kind appropriate in more ways than one!

Saturday was supposed to be ok weather wise   It didn't really live up to expectations but the weather was cooperative enough to get the vegetable garden just about ready for planting.

We're a little behind this year.  We've started the planting of our vegetable garden every year on April 18th.

It's the day we planted our first vegetable garden at Red Gate Farm way back in 2005... the first spring we were here.

And not wanting to buck tradition too much, well it was PAST time to get busy.  We spent hours on Saturday weeding, tilling, racking and spreading a trailer full of compost.

Sunday morning and the weather was not cooperating for the final 'til of the soil or planting of anything.  It rained and rained and rained.  Then in typical April in the Pacific Northwest fashion the sun came out around 2:30 or so.  I did get my little greenhouse cleaned up and organized, as well at 500 zinnia seeds planted... with around 300 more to go plus the pumpkins, cucumbers and sunflowers I also start in the greenhouse.  Hmmm, I know what I'll be doing after work all week!

The rest of the gardens are coming along... the pink and pale pink Ranunculus are looking quite pretty.

The purple tulips are holding up well... and what do I spy behind them?

The peony that blooms first.  The dark pink one that is... and the buds are huge!  I can hardly wait for "peony season"!  It's my favorite thing to bloom... or maybe that's the lilacs... or the hydrangeas... or the sunflowers... well, you know what I mean!

The cooler weather has meant that the magnolia is still looking fabulous.

And you can see that our fickle, April skies are clearing up... don't you love it when the skies clear up just for an hour or two before the sun actually goes down?  No sarcasm here... but some springs that is the way it goes, rain all day and clearing at night!

And in case you noticed my little calendar... the perpetual calendar that was found to use for my daughter's wedding last summer?  Well I certainly am not up to changing the date daily, but I do like to put a date in it that is an upcoming holiday or other special date... perhaps you were wondering how I remember that we planted our garden that first year on April 18th?

Well it's a special day... April 18, 1981... was the day that Mr. Red Gate Farm and I had our first date.  Ironically, we went to a movie, ironic since he doesn't even LIKE movies... and the movie?  Ordinary People (I'm showing my age, hmmm)... not really a first date kind of movie!

Here's to first dates, new gardens and believing in tomorrows.