We had a little cold snap early this week. It wasn’t enough to bother anything, but we did have frost on the ground one morning, and it put a lot of the sprouts and blossoms on pause. Looking ahead to next week’s forecast, it looks like more cold and wet weather is coming our way.

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The lilacs are holding just on the edge of bloom, as rainwater drips from their buds.

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Plant phenology is the study of plant timing— when they emerge in spring, leaf out, bloom, and turn color in fall. Gardeners can use this information to plan their work. A great example is a rule I used last month: Prune the roses when the forscythia is blooming. We can watch the lilacs to plan the vegetable garden. When they leaf out, it is time to plant cool season plants like spring brassicas, peas, beets, and lettuce. When the lilacs are in full bloom, it is safe to plant beans, cucumbers, and melons. We watch the irises too, when they are blooming then it is time to plant the peppers and tomatoes.

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Let’s take a tour of the garden!

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There are lots of little mushrooms popping up in the flower beds, which I am taking as a sign of good tilth. It made me happy to watch this little grouping of mushrooms and tulips this week.

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There are a few new blooms despite the weather. Some very pretty calendula, the little muscari “paradoxum” which, although cute, are definitely not as blue on top as the photos in the catalog promised, and the one Thalia daffodil that seems to have survived. Hopefully I’ll see a few more of those eventually.

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Tiny Orchard

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The big pear tree is in full bloom this week, and I’m hoping it isn’t too impacted by the weather. I did see some bees out earlier in the week, so I’m crossing my fingers that it was pollinated enough before this storm comes through and washes all the blossoms away. It is so large and over-grown that it is difficult to harvest pears for eating. They drop out of the higher branches with a crash, warning everyone below to get out of the way. I do use them to make pear cider vinegar, so I do hope the weather hasn’t messed things up.

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I’m really excited about strawberries and rhubarb. There’s some angelica offscreen too.

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Vegetable Garden

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This is year three for the purple asparagus, which means it’s safe for me to cut and eat as much as I want. When I planted these crowns a few years ago it was kind of late in the season, and by the time they got to me they weren’t in the greatest shape. The few crowns that survived seem to be doing well, but I have seedlings started to fill in the empty spaces.

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The peas are happy, and making tendrils to reach for the strings on the trellis. The garlic is as thick as my thumb, and I’m looking forward to making tasty spring treats with scapes and pea shoots.

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Seedling Nursery

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Most of the action is happening inside this weekend. I potted up anything that was desperate for it, and promised the rest that I would get to them before they choked. My last frost day is April 26, and while that isn’t a promise, I am planning to put out the tomatoes and peppers under row cover around that time, if only because I don’t have greenhouse space and I want to start some other seeds. I had expected to start the hardening off process this weekend, but the weather is too iffy. We’re going to need to wait a week, so all of these little plants are crammed onto 3 shelves.

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Garden tasks for this Weekend

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  • Pot up the seedlings that are ready, and figure out where to begin hardening off.

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• • Mowing, edging

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• • Weeding

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Honestly, with the rain and the cool weather, I’m not getting to anything but the indoor potting up this week.

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What are you working on this weekend?

Let us know what the weather looks like where you live. What zone are you in? What’s coming up in your beds? Are your lilacs blooming? Let us know!

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