Not Such A Jump Start This Year

I keep forgetting that last year was a pretty mild winter for our region.  I was growing things a whole month earlier in my greenhouse last year and I'm having a fit that it's taking so long for things to get going this year.

In the fall, I planted some beets, broccoli and carrots in the greenhouse.  I did it all rather late, so most of them got started and then just sat there, staring forlornly at me all winter long.

Only recently has it begun to look like this.

Oh wait, this is outside.

Here we have about 1001 onions.  Someone at school said he had ordered too many for his garden and would I like some?  I thought he meant like 2 or 3.  I planted about 30 here and about 30 in garden #1.  There are 5 varieties.  I had no idea what I was getting into!

This is the kale that weathered the winter and is coming back.  I don't love kale but  I know people who do.  It helps me grease some palms to get what I want.  If only it were so easy.  I'll probably get a bunch of leaves and when it gets warm it will go to seed.  That's what happened the last time I grew kale and it overwintered.

Peas. I had so much success with them last year, I couldn't wait to do it again.  Something climbed up on the table and ate all 90 of the first set of peas I planted, so I am a week or 2 behind.  I just set these out the other day and they seem happy.

These broccoli were started late, like Novemberish and now are doing really well in the greenhouse.

This is the wheelbarrow of irony.  I never know what's going to grow in this thing.  It's an old, broken wheelbarrow that I have full of dirt.   The first year, I put some potatoes in it and they grew and I ate them.  I guess not all of them,  because we had more last year.  And, yep, right in the center, another potato plant.

The pure irony in this all of the arugula.  When I get a bag of mesclun, the two things I take out right away are the frisee because it's bitter and the arugula because it tastes to me like licorice covered rubber.  With an after shot of skunk.  I have had a mesclun seed packet for years and years and never planted it because I realized I wouldn't know if they were weeds or plants because it's a mix.  I got adventurous and tossed the whole thing into the wheelbarrow, figuring it's a little more controlled than the ground.

Up popped 5 arugula plants.  GRRRR.  Again, I know someone who loves it, so it's all theirs.

I tossed in some radishes and they are coming along too.

At the other end of the wheelbarrow o' mystery, I have two chard plants that have been with  me for like 3 years, just producing and producing.

Here's the broccoli that I started a couple of weeks ago.  I think I will keep what's already growing in the greenhouse inside for sooner picking and put these out when they get big enough.

More carrots.  The last bunch of carrots I pulled up were a success, so I keep planting more.  If they are too small, I will just give them to the horses.

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone but I managed to start 2 spinach plants.  The universe does not want me to grow spinach no matter how hard I try.  Not even in the wheelbarrow of amazingness.  I tried a different company and variety and I successfully started 2 of them.  Let's hope for more!

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister?  She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and  has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel.  Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.