New beds to fill.

By my calculations, I should have about 1000 new seed grown plants to place around the property this spring. Lots more seeds have germinated over the past few days since it has warmed considerably. I need new beds to plant them all in.

On Sunday morning, Carla and I spent a few minutes laying out the edgers for two new potager beds. I moved one of the wooden beds I built last fall. There was a reason I never hammered the rebar. I now have 128 sq ft of space to grow tomatoes. They still need final setting, soil, and some adjustments. I've got a month to get that done.



For semi-shade loving plants, I have a shady corner where many of the rooted hydrangeas have disappeared over the winter. If they return, great. If not, I have plants.



The meadow will be home to things like Ox Eye Daisy, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, grasses, etc. Direct sown seeds will also be tossed out with an emphasis on orange cosmos.



The upper meadow, behind the upper potager, will hold orange and red blooming plants that should contrast nicely with the fall color I get from the maples back here. More cosmos, Salivas, and reseedings annuals will be sown here.



The front slope will become a butterfly garden. Buddleia, coneflowers, rudbeckia, and lantana will be the foundation for this bed. 200 daffodils are already pushing through the soil. Deadheading will be key to keep this bed blooming through the fall.



The final bed is new. The stones have been adjusted. The greenery has been sprayed. In a couple weeks, I'll add cardboard and leaf mulch. Scented plants like nicotiana, four o'clocks, datura, and brugmansia will be planted here. This is by the garage door where I enter and exit most of the time. Coming home at night will be a joy.



There's a lot of new growth out there today. The overwintering plants have been shuffled out, covered with a white bedsheet to minimize sunburn. It's already 61 degrees and warming quickly. We should see a high in the low 70s. The garden center is busy as can be. Our last three days have seen a significant increase in traffic. Perennials will begin arriving this week. Shrubs, trees, and cool weather annuals are already on the tables. In another week, it'll look like a true garden center again. Time passes quickly when you're busy.

When I get home, I might spend a couple hours trying to level and place the edgers for the lower potager beds. I'm loving the weather.