Let The Season Begin!

Plants are officially started.  We worked the last two weekends starting peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, melons and flowers.  Most of the flowers are vining plants though of course I bought a few bags of gladiolus.  Vines include Moon Flower, Morning Glory, Nasturtium, some wildflower mix and I'm sure there are others.  The three of us make quite a team, assembly-line-style operation, planting over 300 peat pots in a few hours. I think it's a good start to the season.
Here's the list for this year.  More to be added later in the season, I am sure.

Peppers:
Emerald Giant Pepper
Albino Bullnose Pepper
Thai Yellow Chilli Pepper
Thai Red Chilli Goat Horn Hot
Chocolate Habanero Pepper
Mustard Habanero
Purple Jalapeno
Black Hungarian PepperRed Marconi Pepper Quadrato D' Asti Giallo Pepper
Quadrato D'asti Rosso Pepper
Purple Beauty Pepper

Peas:
Golden Sweet Snow Peas
Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow Peas
Blue Podded Blauwschokkers Garden Pea
Melon:
Ananas Melon
Hale's Best 45 Melon Oka Melon ( Bizard Island Strain )
Plus a gift pack

Tomato:
Ananas Noire or Black Pineapple Vorlon Tomato
Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge
Black Icicle Tomato
Black Giant Tomato
Pink Icicle Tomato
Tsar's Royal Gift Tomato
Orange Banana Tomato
White Tomesol
Ivory Egg
Roman Candle

Squash:
Zucchini Squash - Golden
Zucchini Squash - Gray
Vegetable Spaghetti Squash
Table Gold Acorn Squash
White Acorn
Black Futsu Squash

Eggplant:
Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Pandora Striped Rose Eggplant
Japanese White Egg

Misc.:
De Bourbonne Cucumber
Atomic Red Carrot
Cosmic Purple Carrot
Golden Wax Bush Bean
Dragon Tongue Bush Bean

Herbs:
Cilantro, Slo-Bolt
Basil - Lime
Basil - Siam Queen Thai
Basil - Genovese
Dill Bouquet

By This Time Last Year

I think I had much more accomplished and started by March 1st of last year.  I am sad to say I have not even spent time looking through catalogs yet this year.  What a sad thing.
I will have access to a large plot of land this year which is great.  However, the location is in the bottom of a valley where the temperature is 10 degrees colder than anywhere else which shortens the season length.  But I cannot complain for I will have space and flower related projects and someone to share it with.
I will be learning plenty about heirloom seeds and hopefully asparagus as my father has ordered some purple asparagus to split with me.

I cannot wait for the season to begin and have already begun day dreaming about what lies under the snow.

Spring is a coming!

Big Gardening Day

Here are all the results from my hard work yesterday...there is more that I didn't take pictures of. They will come later.

Wild Violets

The one Iris that bloomed of the 20 some that were here when I moved in.

New fence and new plants from the plant exchange

Work in progress. (new compost bin in back built by me)

This is all flowers if you can't tell and some new brick work in the front.

The first strawberry starting to form.

Chamomile

Mountain Aster that I got from the plant exchange took very well, the other plant doesn't look as good but is still blooming, although it is facing the ground.

Getting Things Done, Adding More to the List.

I am unfortunately realizing how much shade is actually in my garden spaces. Because of this I am trying to find plants for that habitat. I remembered that the woods at my parents house, there are many Jack in the Pulpit which I plant to go and dig up to bring to my house. I've also done a bit of research for what works best in the shade. Here is what I came up with:
Monkshood
Astilbe
Hellebore
Lungwort
Lamium (should have grabbed some at the plant swap)
Bigroot Geranium
Toad Lily
virginia bluebells
Jacobs Ladder
trollius
Coral Bells
Heuchera
and of course some grasses or ferns

This doesn't include what I already have, these are simply thing I hope to have growing there one day.

On another note, everything is coming along greatly! Gladiolous is popping up everywhere as well as cosmos, marshmallow, violas(late I know) and a few others.
My broccoli is doing okay, slightly eaten but they will survive, Garlic is about 6 inches tall which is great because I planted it late. Peas are getting taller and taller everyday. My carrots have been showing for a few days, Hibiscus I planted in the front are shooting leaves up and last but not least my anne raspberries (sadly 2 out of 3) are throwing out leaves as well. The third I am getting replaced. I planted a few peppers that I didn't mark in one of the only sunny spots by the driveway, we'll see how those do. Everything is coming along very nicely. I'm excited to be finished and only have upkeep for the rest of the summer. That is far away though, and knowing myself, I will simply keep improving even if there is nothing left to improve(won't be the case for years). I'm excited for tomorrow, hopefully I will get everything put in the ground that I wanted, get the compost pile built and at least prepare the last 2 spots in the garden. I might be being ambitious but it's better than being lazy.
Happy Gardening