Up From the Ground It Arose (OR Easter Weekend)

No blogging (or gardening) this weekend as it was a holiday and we were traveling. What a difference three days can make. When I left, the spinach and arugula were just beginning to peep through the ground but when I got out to take a look today, I was greeted by a lot of growth, especially from the rocquette, which required some careful thinning. I'm less enthused by the performance of the two types of romaine lettuce which seems to be struggling by comparison. I wonder if the deer or birds got to it or if it had some trouble germinating. I'm planning to re-seed and hope for better results.

After the kids were put to bed tonight, I finished transplanting the final five tomato plants from their cells into larger terra cotta pots. I'm still not sure who will want them but I don't see any reason to stop their growth at this point since I have the space and they're already doing great, even if they are a bit leggy from being under the light too much.

The cells are going to be used again in the coming week to get the melons and pumpkins started. They won't go in the ground until after last frost but according to the book, it's ok to sow them now and give a head start rather than wait to go directly in the ground.

The basil seedlings are pushing up nicely under the light while the plants I bought are flourishing in their larger terra cotta in the window. I can almost taste the fresh pesto.

In other yard news, the flowering redbud tree bloomed while we were away this weekend. It was dark when we got home so my first look at it was from the kitchen window this morning. I was stumbling to the coffee pot when its brilliant color caught my eye down the hill. I got inspired to go mow just so everything was perfect afterward. The oranmental cherry is still in full bloom with light pink flowers that blew all over the green of the freshly cut lawn. Beautiful. We even had a short but intense shower of .5 inches so I didn't have to water the garden afterward. All in all, it was a great day to be outside in my backyard.