Growing Challenge & It Doesn't end with the Peas!

So, the peas got et by a critter......
That's not really ok...I am a bit bitter about it, but figured hey...I didn't put down any of my mole be gone (which has seemed to help with groundhogs/woodchucks in the past). And it's a little too early for marigolds...
This weekend I scattered the castor oil infused corn husks (aka Mole-B-Gone) around the garden, planted some marigold seedlings and stared setting out my cruciferous plants which are another first for me. Broccoli and cauliflower I had started from seed and some left-over purple cabbage starts from my friend K.
I also started some chard, arugula and lettuce seeds.
I did this SUNDAY afternoon.
Yesterday I went to water them and EVERYTHING BUT THE PURPLE CABBAGE WAS GONE!
I am SO FRUSTRATED! How could the varmits have found these things so fast?!?!? Now I'm not sure whether it's a groundhog or a bunny that is managing to get past my defenses, and I 'm really afraid of setting out anything else.
I have more green cabbage and kholrabi starts that didn't make it into the garden on Sunday still in the greenhouse....not to mention all of my herb starts, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants ....
On a side note the garlic onions and shallots are doing just fine with no fence or protection whatsoever.

Growing Challenge: The Peas are GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it!
After all that waiting and watching.......SOMETHING (woodchuck/groundhog probably) got thorugh the perimeter fence and ATE ALL OF THEM!!!!!!! I planted 2 full packs!

The onions, shallots and garlic are, however doing quite nicely.

I think I'm going to go cry now.

Growing Challenge: The Peas are Coming! The Peas are Coming!

YAY!
After work yesterday it was SO beautiful that the boys and I stayed outside for a while...them to play on their climbers and met o rake yet another couple of tons of leaves off of the flower beds.
So, of course I wandered over to the garden enclosure and there were some peas...fianlly...peeking up out of the ground!
I didn't have the time or energy to go get the camera last night, but I promise to take a picture and post it over the weekend.
YAY!

Growing Challenge - Peas Plus Garden 2008 Update

OK - There's a lot to report, and pictures to go along with the reports, but it's been crazy couple of weeks, so I'm going to start posting and just add as I'm able.
For the Growing Challenge - I said I'd grow peas this year, and I planted them as my friend had advised "BY PADDY's Day" but I have seen NOTHING come up yet and am a little discouraged at this point.
Since I've planted about 6-8 new things, other than the peas, this year I will be ok to go forward no matter what...but I really want the peas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, in addition to the stuff K and I planted at the begining of March I've also planted more flowers and early crop veggies on my own. Right now all of the seeds have been sown in trays indoors except for the peas which were direct seeded outdoors.
(The plants in green type are new to my gardens)
The additional flowers are: coleus, cosmos, more marigolds, petunias, 2 sizes of sunflower & nicotania.
The additonal veggies are:
Cabbage, kholrabi, lettuce, arugula in addition to the earlier veggies.

This weekend I planted onion sets and shallots outside, and as soon as it gets warmer, there are LOTS of other new things to direct seed too.


So, K and I planted our tomatoes and peppers at the same time, but my peppers have taken their time germinating... as you can see in this picture, they are just starting to come up.

Back outdoors, the rhubarb patch is starting to show signs of life...but the asparagus is still a long ways off.

Also new this year - the tags I've made to label the seedlings (re)use strips of #5 plastic tubs that are not recycled around me. This includes yogurt containers, sour cream containers, margarine tubs etc.

A big THANK-YOU to Farmgirl Susan over at Farmgirl Fare for sharing that tip.

Growing Challenge: Crocuses are UP &Peas are in!

These are just some of the bulbs I planted last autumn....they're all popping up all over the yard!
YAY! I just LOVE Crocus - it makes me feel like spring is really on it's way!



I got my peas in by Paddy's Day - as my friend DRS always reminds me! But this is the first year I've had enough of an act together to follow that advice! So - we may actually get to eat garden fresh peas this year - or as my kids call them "green candy"!
YUMM!!!

Last week I found a couple of garden challenge websites and decided to try and participate in several....
The challenges are listed in the sidebar and I encourage everybody to participate in them!

Growing Challenge asks you to grow just one new thing...to produce just a little more of your own food...
My intent is to do much more than that, but PEAS is definitely one of my new crops this year.

As I get going with the other challenges I'll write more about them as well.

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