The April Garden

 

Not much to see yet. But it is tidy and that is the nice thing about the garden in April.

 When we purchased those pepper and tomato plants in Raleigh, NC earlier this month, it set into motion a domino effect of gardening tasks. At first we thought we could hold them until planting time in our zone, which is May 15th. But they couldn't wait that long. So, we went ahead and planted them in the raised beds a month before our average last freeze date. We bought hoops and row cover fabric as insurance just in case we did get a freeze. Sure enough, a freeze warning came. Steve drilled holes in the raised bed frames and inserted the half-round hoops. All we had to do was unroll the row cover over the hoops, clip it on wit the clips provided and secure it with rocks and bricks at the ground. The plants stayed cozy and nothing died. During the cold day, I opened the up the ends of the row cover and let the air circulate through then shot it up again at night. Once it warmed up for good, I removed the row cover and stored it in a plastic box in the shed. It is now ready for use at any time. 

The weather has been swinging between very hot to cool and breezy with very little "normal" in between. We finally had some good rain but it has not alleviated the drought conditions yet. Last week Jack and Matthew came to spend the night. The three of us took the truck and got a load of mulch and the boys helped me spread it. It was really nice to have the help! 

Our little chipmunk friend that came to live here last summer still makes appearances. We still only see the one, as far as we can tell. He makes holes and then fills them in after a while and makes a new hole. I can only guess that he wants to confuse the cats, snakes and whatever else wants to eat a chipmunk.