Springtime in Vermont (at our place, anyway).

April 19-24, 2020.

Well, spring has certainly sprung at our place, here in Vermont.

I have to say that our yard is cleaner then it has been, since its inception from dream to reality, two decades ago. With the Pandemic and Rich home from work, we've managed to rake, dig and hoe, our way around the 1/3 of an acre that we call our yard.

All of the early spring lovelies (with the exception of a couple of late bloomers) have sprung. We also set up some grow lights inside to begin some starts, which is a first. We usually buy starts but who knows if the farms will even be open, so we started them since we were all set up anyhow.

These are some bulbs of Siberian Scilla that a previous tenant threw out in the yard, which I rounded up and put in my memory garden. The bees absolutely love them!


Bleeding hearts making a showing up back........

Lots of garlic mustard growing and spreading quite willingly, which I am in favor of. Yes, I do know it's supposed to be invasive, but it's one of the best early spring greens in my mind. I don't love dandelion or burdock greens, and I suspect them to be bio-accumulators anyhow, so I would only avail myself of them in the deepest emergency(s). I have a soaking bucket of burdock root that I dug from my strawberry bed this year and will likely dry some of those for medicine making (Essiac).

This is a patch of day-lilies that has been here since before I came (in 2002); which, as I just found out a few years ago, are quite edible in the shoot stage (1-4"). 

I planted a bunch of False Solomon's seal on the edges of the DL patch. I rescued these from the neighbors horrendous knot weed patch, in early spring a couple of years ago. They appear to be keeping the DLs in check. I also just moved some up back, near some other volunteer DL's, to also keep them in check. They (the FSS), are great medicine and food, as well as the DL's. 

There's also two Korean pine nut trees, in the center of the bottom most DL patch (in the half whisky barrels). They have not begun to bear pine-nuts yet, but I am so very glad I planted them, as the price of pine-nuts has gone through the roof. Maybe this year, so here's to hoping!

I also planted honey berries several years ago; honey berries are a cross between honeysuckle and blueberry, and grow in Siberia, from what I'm told. Even the late-blooming ones are a bit early blooming for our area, though, as there aren't many pollinators around in late April, but they have borne fruit b4. Unfortunately, we've never covered them, so the critters have eaten them b4 they can even ripen. We're hoping, based on the flowers on this one (the largest of 8) that it will bear fruit that we can harvest, since I aim to cover them as soon as the fruit sets. The flower is not a showy one and resembles honeysuckle more then a blueberry, in my mind.

We also have bloodroot that I transplanted about 3 years ago (another rescue from the neighbors knot weed). It's the loveliest little thing, isn't it? So pretty and medicinal. I have not made anything from it, as yet, as I want it to get well established. It does seem to be filling in quite nicely in front of the lone birch tree which makes a nice centerpiece in our yard. There's also clematis in the bed, but that is another late bloomer. So stay tuned for that!

 This is a cold frame that we built about 10 years ago. We had over-wintering spinach this year......it looks just fine. :) Another early spring green that I just love!

 It's been so cool that I've had to literally start my ladies three times, as they died the first time from damp rot, and the second time, from squirrels feeding(in the attic) . They are downstairs now, with me and doing quite well. I forget from year to year, just how much care and nurturing seedlings require........ah, well. So it goes. So many plants, so little time! lol.