Spring has finally come to us here at Green Grove! Since my frustrated post during spring break a couple weeks ago we have finally gotten going with the spring work. We have laid out 2 vegetable garden raised beds, a much larger herb garden, the terraced “kitchen garden” beds and the stone stairway from driveway to back yard.
My wonderful husband and the weaver got the 2 cherry trees, 2 peach trees, and 3 elderberry bushes out of the garage and planted in their new homes. I have a couple flats growing one pretty well and one not so well. The garlic, lettuce and radishes are up and growing in the new terraced beds that I put in. We’ve planted some day lilies,iris, bleeding heart, and lily of the valley, as well as 1o containers of cheerful pansies to create some color near the entrances to the cabin. We also put in wisteria to one day climb around the decks.
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The hunter has turned to designer and is clearing an area of brush that had been piled along with a lot of rocks and leaves for a nice patio area near the stream. The dancer has turned out to be a really good painter and is helping get all the deck railings stained.
This morning my husband and I walked the property and found a number of Spice Bushes ready to burst into bloom any day, several more Witch Hazel trees and lots of Black Birch. I have a pot of sap from the two birch trees in the back yard simmering away on the stove…where Sugar Maple is about 30-1 parts water to sugar the Black Birch is over 100-1 parts water to sugar so it takes a lot to get a little, but worth it for flavoring. We hope to eventually get enough to make some birch beer too.
The dandelion greens are starting to come up, so is the plantain, both such useful and healthy spring greens! Hoping to find some ramps somewhere on the property too this spring, and maybe some morel mushrooms. We saw lots of buds swelling on trees and shrubs, tons of ferns poking up through the leaves, and the bright green mosses and more muted lichens were so energizing. Bloodroot, violets and spring beauties as well as service berry are blooming now too.
The 4 David Austin rose bushes we ordered will soon arrive, we have spots selected for the runner beans, hollyhocks, sweet peas, lilacs, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus….some of which are in the garage and others which will arrive in the next few weeks. Oh yes and we have many packets of bean, beet, squash, lettuce, carrot, and radish seeds as well as seed potatoes and onion sets to plant as soon as raised vegetable beds are installed.
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I woke up a little, ok a lot, stiff and sore this morning, but the good kind, from hauling rocks, hauling water, bending, kneeling, digging, stretching and sleeping like a log. It went away as soon as I got moving, so it must not have been anything serious.
I am loving every second of being outside these days and the daylight hours are so nice. We are getting about 14 hours of daylight to work with. So why is it never enough? Spring is definitely here!
Green Grove - A Place to Grow 
You have a real gift for describing your surroundings – it sounds perfect. I can’t believe how much you’ve achieved in such a short time – and, of course, I can’t wait to see it and ‘walk the property’. The Dancer appears to have grown so much – she looks as tall as you now! I love hearing how it has become a family project and how everyone helps! So looking forward to June!! Xxxx