Garden update: April 2012

Well, my garden has slowed down a bit because of the cool, rainy April weather.  It's quite a contrast from March, when we were enjoying 80 degree temperatures and the tulips seemed to pop up from the ground and bloom almost overnight.

I still have quite a few tulips that are blooming, which is a nice surprise.  I guess it helps to plant different varieties that bloom early and late in the season.  It stretched out the tulip season for more than a month!

I couldn't resist buying a couple tomato plants when I saw them on sale at the Earl May garden center.  These tomatoes are supposed to be perfect for container gardening.  I'm going to plant them in buckets when the weather warms ups.  One is a regular red tomato; the other is a yellow pear tomato.  I'm trying to grow a "rainbow" vegetable garden this year, so I'm hoping the yellow tomatoes are a success.

I also planted a few more carrot, lettuce and radish seeds before the warm weather arrives.  So far, the seeds I planted in mid-March are growing well despite the early April frost.  In fact, the biggest threat to the radishes so far are the rabbits!  Those little buggers have nibbled up quite a few radish tops.

Lettuce and radishes are slowly growing.

Those pesky rabbits have gobbled up a row of radishes!

I'm also keeping a close eye on the strawberry pots I planted in early April.  They still haven't grown much, but there are a few blooms that may yield strawberries if the weather warms up next week.

My two strawberry stack-a-pots.

My husband's favorite clematis vines are also blooming right now.  But with the high winds, the blooms blow away pretty fast. Yesterday, we had 40 mile per hour winds!

One of the biggest surprises of the week:  My husband found half a dozen morel mushrooms under our back deck!  Unfortunately, they were too dried up to pick and eat.  But maybe next year?  Can you see the morels in the shadows?

 It will be interesting to see what the weather will be like in May.  Will it be cold and rainy like April?  Or dry and hot like March?  I'm hoping for something in between.  Just as long as the winds calm down.  I can't hit the bike trail when the winds threaten to knock me down!