and beans:

and corn and beans:

and squash:

(this is a pumpkin)

and chard (with a toad pond, and our clay-soil-breaking weed farm behind, and the corn behind that):

and okra:

and, of course, tomatoes:

Monday i got up and proceeded to spend 9 hours in the garden, planting seedlings. We have 57 pea vines that are now in the ground, and about as much chard, and about as many beets, plus a bunch of spinach, orach, and onions. i got sprouts of four kinds of squash, tomatillos and one kind of tomatoes into pots in the greenhouse at the end of the night. Last night i evaluated the rest of the sprouts, and got the cassava (melons), yellow crookneck squash, and a few stray tomaotes into pots. i also got the radishes and another pot of onions into the ground, and, with ‘s assistance, adjusted the drip system so that all the dripping happens on the emitter lines, none at the spigot. today i will be leaving work early to prep for a Beltane celebration tonight, and along with it, i’ll spend an extra hour or two getting the rest of the peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes into pots. i have to get everything done during the week, because alan and i are going to be away at a retreat all weekend, and then i’ll be in AZ for family obligations all of next weekend.

the bell pepper seeds rotted in their paper towels; apparently they cannot be pre-sprouted that way. i’ll try direct-seeding into pots with what’s left of my seeds for the purple bells. it’s not all peppers, though: the anaheim chile sprouted wonderfully—and those are the very best chiles. the big jim chiles are starting to sprout. also the brandywine & purple calabash tomatoes, though the yellow taxi tomatoes are only just starting to sprout and mostly are not ready yet. both kinds of eggplant sprouted, but the florida high bush eggplants are getting leaves and growing much faster than the pingtung longs.

in May, at the work party on the 17th, I hope to plant, directly into the ground, Navajo Blue Corn, along with beans: El Seco pinto beans, Bolita beans, purple podded pole beans, rattlesnake pole beans, anasazi beans, and whatever those other beans are in the house. :) as well as starting in pots, before then if i get time, but then if not: edamame, okra, borage, larkspur, fennel, and another round of lettuces.

here are the peas:

and potatoes came up:

and here’s the orach:

i didn’t get pictures of the chard and beets, as i was completely wrung out (forswunk, is the term) from being on my knees in the dirt all day by then. two days later, i’m still sore & tired, and i sunburned a stripe across the base of my back where my shirt was, unbeknownst to me, failing to protect me, but i will get the rest of the seedlings potted today anyhow. they’re alive, it’s got to happen. though i’m about ready for someone to discover a bi-locator, so i can be both here and there at once, and the farm can have less of an impact on my day job.