Spring has sprung and the #hivegarden is almost done.
With the planting at least...
So here we are in northeastern, USA and it's GROW TIME. Gardening has always been one of my favorite hobbies. I just enjoy seeing anything sprout and grow to mature over the warm summer months. Our rule of thumb for most of our summer garden is to plant on Memorial Day weekend.
I sow seeds indoors at the beginning of April to give those plants around six weeks to germinate and grow into sturdy little seedlings. There are a few veggies and herbs that can be sown directly outside earlier, some can withstand a snowfall. Like lettuce and radishes for example.
It's a very busy #homestead from April until September. I work hobbitize with 
I had to use this first photo as my cover page. It's a Mother's Day gift from my son. A gorgeous calla lily.
A new addition this year, mint. I cannot walk by it without pinching off a few leaves to sniff or pop in a cup of herb tea, so refreshing.
This year it seems the gods were with us, the rose garden is blooming already baby. I have to say though, I treated the soil around each rose bush with rich compost and used green tea leaves. Something did the trick because this year the roses started to bloom several weeks before their usual appearance. YEA!!
Here we have the romaine lettuce, looking good so far, should be picking for salad real soon if the weather keeps up blessing us with nice warm days, cooler nights, and showers.
This yellow rose bush was added to the garden last year and must have been good stock for sure, it's loaded with buds like this one, ready to burst into bloom.
Dill, basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and did I mention basil? Of course I did, I routinely grow lots of sweet basil so I can make pesto and freeze it for year-round use. We especially love pesto on paninis.
I potted some annuals but not as many as last year, they have become way too expensive. Instead, I did direct planting of zinnias and marigolds, and I can report most have germinated and are on their way to making farm-mom happy.
The last flowers I want to show off, are mammoth sunflowers, an entire row of them that are tiny now, but late summer will be giants,6 to 10 feet tall if all goes as planned. Fingers crossed.
Oh, I almost forgot, I also added collard greens to the veggie lineup. I had them when I was down south this winter and promised myself, I would try to grow my own from seeds. They are so delicious and nutritious.
Now that the planting is done the real fun begins as I observe daily the progress of all we have sown. Lettuce and radishes have already been picked and eaten and I look forward to the months ahead as we enjoy fresh produce, herbs, and blossoms from our wonderful #hivegarden.
