Gardening in the cold

We had an almost sunny day today.  The temperature climbed up into the low 60's.  Wow, a heat wave!  Does one sunny day qualify as a heat wave?  Lately it does, around here anyway.  So I was working outside the studio, instead of inside.  I salvaged an old wood stove a couple years ago, hoping to be able to refurbish it, but it was just too far gone.  I was able to salvage the base and the upper warming ovens and set them up today as some sort of yard art. 

The ovens are actually upside down, sitting on top of the wood stove base.  Then we put a wood shelf on the top.  I rather like the way this looks, I can keep some plants on there.  I put several pots of cactus on it and some pots with sprouts of flowers growing.  It may not show up in Better Homes and Gardens, but I like it.

It has been so cold and wet it has been hard to get plants to grow.  This past week the trees finally started to leaf out a bit, the alders and the maples.  They seem very late, I'm sure they usually would be more fully leafed out by mid May.  The fruit trees are only now coming into blossom.  We are growing things in flats, waiting to be able to plant them out into the cold soil of the garden.  Chain saw man likes his tobacco and grows his own.

It is quite a pretty plant, lush and green and it will get quite large.  I'm not into tobacco myself but I do enjoy the plants.  They smell lovely when they get big.

We resorted to making mini compost piles in these huge pots and planted right on top of the warming compost.  Here you see little kale plants.  Cool weather crops are doing the best.  At least the ones the slugs and squirrels and birds are leaving for us are.

No one bothers the columbine, which is getting close to bloom now.  A few more sunny days and we might get some actual flowers!   Not as many hummingbirds this year but the bees seem to be plentiful and that is a positive sign.  They have been in decline for several years now, we haven't harvested honey for a few years.  Have any of you seen the movie Ulee's Gold?  It is a so so movie but the part that shows the raising of bees and harvesting honey is quite fascinating and worth watching for that alone.

The new Greg Brown album, Freak Flag is out, I have been listening to it a lot and enjoying it more with each listen.  He is one of the best songwriters out there, in my opinion, right up there with Bob Dylan.  I have one of his songs in my playlist, you might have heard it.  If you enjoy Poet Game at all, you might want to look into more of his music.  I'll send you some if you ask.

Hope you are all enjoying your spring.  Be well.