Last Week of February

Lovely weather at last! Sunny, calm, 60s. We buzz out of the house and into the yard. Our Dog-O-Meter reports that the weather is indeed spring-like.

If you just glance around, the plant world seems as brown and quiescent as it has been these last several months--the slumber of December and January. As usual, what happens when I pull out the camera, I began to look around more carefully. Suddenly I saw bits of green everywhere.

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	One of the first rituals of spring always involves compost. We hopped into the truck--lo and behold--after a month of neglect, it started right up! Off we went to Soilutions. Got a load for $35. [Left] Then went to the recycled home materials place for a couple of window sashes--to see if we could create a makeshift cold frame. After LOTS of digging found 2 @ $5 (See Flickr). Then finally, went by Lowes for construction plastic 6mil. - $25 to cover the raised bed. And several pair of gloves.
	The winter garden, which we have largely been ignoring, except to tuck in the frost cloth, actually looks pretty promising. G gives it a good soaking with the hose. Then she puts in 4 rows of peas. The garlic is up. [Dot does some research and general head-scratching. Believe we put in 3 heads each of Music Pink (hard-neck) and Chilean Silver (soft-neck) from Seeds of Change. ] Daffodil spears from all the new bulbs we planted last fall are up, 4-5", with some blossom heads visible. The catmint just to the side of the front stoop is peeking from under the leaf mulch.
	If the dates on my photos are correct, last year the daffodils were up the last of February (28th?). That means this year's waxy bright blossoms arrived nearly two weeks later. It has been a cold spring, says Gloria. [How would I substantiate that?] After all, the last average date of frost for the north valley doesn't come until the first week of May.

For more photos (the cold frame, snow in summer, yarrow and walking onion sprouts, signs of life on the elms above...) : Last Week of February 2010 (Flickr).