Not a Gardening Year!

Bok choy in recycled styro boxes

Good intentions and what I thought was a great start to gardening this season have all been for naught. I planted peas twice. Either the bluejays ate them or they rotted in the ground because it was so wet. Bok choy and lettuce  did okay. The broad beans are looking good, but that's about it. The tomato and pepper plants are growing very slowly. Some blossoms, but there just hasn't been enough sunshine and warm temperatures to bring on the fruit.
I did get a first flush of strawberries, but again not enough warmth. When we went down to Washington state last month it should have been the peak of strawberry season. But the crop was late. Too much rain and grey skies.

My favorite pink rose bush that just blooms it's heart out!

Not giving up though. Will plant second crops of greens and beans since they are the ones doing well.
Meanwhile the herbs and flowers seem to been doing fine. Have an abundance of chives, sage, thyme and some lovely flowers on the deck. So can't complain.

Ready for Spring!

This has been a very cold and wet winter and I am ready for spring. We have had a few sunny days that remind us of the beautiful weather that will be here soon. Spent Saturday on the deck in the sunshine. Some of the early spring flowers are coming up. The hellebores were late this year. They usually appear in late January but were a month late this winter. They are such a welcome sight in the middle of a dreary, grey day. Also the slugs don't seem to like them, so that is a plus. I have spent a fortune on hostas which get devoured by the slugs. So the few I have now are in pots.
Some spring projects have begun. We have had Kelly and his boys over a number of times to work on different projects including repairing the back porch. Now it has a new roof and stairs. Clean up of the recycle bags. We are good about dividing our recycling items. The difficulty is getting them over to the mainland and down to the recycle center. There isn't any recycling in Egmont, except for cans and bottles at the community hall. So that has always been an issue. We have a whole season's worth of recycling and the boys are hauling it out slowly but surely.
We have purchased some more water pipe and hope to have a dedicated 2" pipe for the hydro. A few hundred more feet to go. One big problem with our water pipe is that it travels over logs, rocks and rough terrain to get from the creek to our house. This means dips and low parts that either freeze in winter or eventually gather sand and rocks that block the water flow. We hope to remedy that this year by tying up these sections to make the pipe more level.
Another project is the garden. I haven't gardened much the past couple of years, but intend to get back into it this year. The beds need amending and the grow boxes need some repair. One of the problems here is lack of sunshine because of the large trees. The only truly sunny place is the swest side which is on the rock bank above the dock. Years ago my son Mason and I constructed tiered growing boxes along the rock bank. They are in need of repair now. I will get to it. Growing herbs and salad greens along with some peas and beans isn't too difficult once the boxes and planters are set up. Planting time is fast approaching. So I have gotten out the seed packets: peas, onions, lettuce, chard, carrots will go in first.