has been a good way to spend the idle, non- gardening winter days. But this will continue on year round so I will be juggling gardening and work for the family business all summer as well. It is so wonderful to have the family here and to be able to spend time with them each day. We trade cooking duties and dinner locations regularly and whenever they have truck show, trade shows and other business events out of town I am on "Cotton duty." The transition from New York to Biddeford Maine is going well for them and the business. Soon they will be hiring local folks to do the sewing here as well. I will certainly have more garden help both in planting
and caring for the gardens as well as eating the food. Speaking of the garden now..... It was a more normal winter with cold, snow, etc. but no violent storms and April flooding so I am very optimistic about the growing year ahead. I have planted many seeds as are weather appropriated so far, namely: carrots, beets, peas, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, chard, onions, radishes, turnips, parsnips, etc. The potatoes will go in this weekend as my tilling of the big garden has now been completed. Some work was needed on garden paths and beds as well. The pictures here show flourishing rhubarb, garlic, pear blossoms, flowers and some seedlings emerging.
I have run out of my potato supply in the basement..actually still have some but they are fully sprouted and will get planted instead of eaten.
Last year was not as strong of a harvest year, especially for beans for drying and apples etc. I did have a great yield of onions, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, enough tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, etc. for salsa making and a decent yield of cucumbers for pickle making. My canning jar total was 300 jars though, down from the 450 of the year before.
Not much else to report right now as a catch up garden blog posting. I am happy, positive about my life and what this summer should bring to me and the family.