I am so happy to tell you my new yard already has a garden area! What a gardener’s dream: not starting from scratch in a new place. The garden is exactly 1/2 the size of my Wyoming garden, which is perfect. I don’t need to feed the whole town! Took me quite a while to realize that my garden was too big.

Odd, but the frost-free period up here is the same as in SE Wyoming- approx May 29-Sept 29. So, it is  time for the early crops: potatoes, onion sets, spinach, lettuce, carrots. I found the seed potatoes at the local grocery and the other seeds at Menards in Bismarck. Night temps are still a bit low, so I only planted the potatoes and onions so far.

Red Norland Potatoes going in a trench

 

The yard even has a small garden shed! You can see a small section of the garden in the foreground.

 

Here, the previous person practiced standard, tilling techniques. So, all I have to do is create my raised 3′ beds and rake in some organic matter. I am also building the first compost pile. I got my first batch of free compost stuff while helping a friend rake out leaves at the local city park (the Veterans Memorial there). My pay: all the leaves and breakfast out in the near future. Free leaves and such make me sooooo happy.

Raking and hoarding leaves in the City Park

I find quite a few surprises as I walk around the yard. Lots of flower bulbs coming up and some real treats:

Strawberries

 

Rhubarb

 

Raspberries

 

I also received a less joyful surprise: I asked a person at church when they starting mowing and fertilizing the lawns. Surprise. They do the church, but the minister mows the parsonage. Wow. This house sits on a lot and 1/2. Wow. Not really done much mowing in my lifetime, but there is a mower in the shed. I have been trying to get more exercise–be careful what you ask for : (             : )

Of course, I have been tending to the birds as always. This year I put up three new feeders. One is a traditional hummingbird feeder (according to locals some hummers come up this far). I also added a meal worm tray for whichever birds like those, and a jelly dispenser for Orioles.

Meal worm tray, no one has stopped by, not even the squirrels.

 

 

Jelly! Come on Orioles! I am ready for you!

 

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!    Sitting Bull