Oh no! Damn i forgot you have them as a nuisance over there.
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Yeah, unfortunately our home town is a failed site for the Zoological and Acclimatisation society, where they released non native animals and birds into a fenced area.
People made some very stupid decisions back then.
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Picked a carrot for dinner on Saturday night.
Its a Dragon Carrot from Transition Farm (they were in Gardening Australia earlier this year) aka Purple Dragon Carrot.
Note the difference in the skin colour where it’s transitioned from growing in our no dig beds and into the original red soil of our area.
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Gorgeous colors and that difference is so noticeable, wow!
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It’s clean up day in the garden - always a sad day for me. Pulled out the tomatoes and cucumbers. Need to plant garlic this weekend.
I did find some cute little seedlings hiding in the tomatoes - primarily anise hyssop and palm sedge. I’ll transplant those out of the raised bed and into my native beds. I’m finally at the stage where I can generally recognize plants I want and don’t think they’re weeds, woohoo!
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Goals!!
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I finished electrifying the fence around the work garden. All the garden beds are made, all the paths have been mulched. There’s plants in the ground and more seedling on the way. I’m pretty much at cruise stage.
Unfortunately the vege mix used to make the beds contains an abundance of weed seeds and grass roots that are all shooting in the rainy warm spring weather we’ve had. So I’m perpetually bent over pulling them out. It’ll settle down eventually, but right now it’s a pain in the back.
Pics to come.
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Made my first delivery!
Planted out three varieties of asparagus.
This is Barry, Barry Manifold. Made up a bunch of these for the first group of ten beds. They’re for drip irrigation tape.
And at home I’ve designed, built and installed an automatic watering system for the chickens.
Plus we have more Quamby chicks hatching.
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That all looks fantastic! How does it feel to have done that first delivery?
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Felt great, dunno whether it compensates for the aches and pains my body feels 
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Question copied from the ‘eat down the pantry’ thread:
What do I do with a ton of tiny satsuma oranges and Meyer lemons, speaking of the greenhouse? How long can they stay on the trees after they turn color?
Hoping someone here will know.
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Is anyone in the northern hemisphere starting seeds yet?
I winter-sowed a bunch of native flowers and have some bulk seed to direct sow today before our next snow.
I am planning to start peppers soon. I always start them too late I think and have pitiful plants. This year I will sow them around February 1. Eggplants early March, Tomatoes and basil mid-March. Everything else is direct-sown outdoors.
What is everyone else planning?
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I rent, so I try not to overdo it. Each year I pick a side of the yard to focus on. Last year we planted natives in the far back, and this year I want to clean up the side by the south fence and put some flowers there. I’m thinking zinnias?? Something easy and colorful and fun.
In the raised beds we had great success with Chicago Tomato Man plants last year, so I think I’ll get one or two of those again–a cherry or grape variety. Then a few herbs I buy as starts at the farmer’s market (basil, parsley, cilantro, maybe mint in a pot). I wish I could start seeds in our apartment but there’s no good light/cat & baby safe location for them.
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Zinnias are so pretty! I didn’t plant any last year but will definitely be planting some this year! I also pick an area to focus on but then I still end up all over the place 
. This year we are building out a new bed in our parkway strip by our mailbox. It’s really hard to mow there because of an ash tree so DH is on board. I also need to fill in some blank space from the new bed we added last year.
I feel like you have a great situation considering you are renting. I would have loved to have raised beds when we rented! I am trying out a little mini-greenhouse from IKEA this year for my seedlings to give them cat protection - we’ll see how it goes.
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I haven’t started seeds yet, I’m thinking mid march? I can’t plant until probably mid may, I’m in Michigan zone 6A. I have so many varieties and not a huge annual area so I’m going to have to narrow them down. I have a self control problem! I will plant some annuals at my mom’s house as well.
I’ve ordered new perennials for a new/larger bed as well which will be coming sometime this spring. I do need to sit down and make at least a tentative plan.
I only do flowers, no veggies.
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Speaking of starting seeds, is there a go to place online anyone likes for buying seeds? I’d like to get some more variety than the hardware store this year!
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baker creek is great!
i grow a lot of flowers from johnny’s seeds and floret, as well.
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Yes to these and I also like MI Gardener! I also get native perennial seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery
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