I’m working on a million little projects this morning but I’m well behind here in the blogosphere so before I move on I must do a quick garden update. I don’t know what it is about my blogging hobby but somehow publishing a post grounds me and propels me forward like nothing else. I think it’s the sense of accountability, or maybe the creativity (not that I’m that creative), or maybe it’s the satisfaction in having finished something. Anyway, thanks for reading and commenting and helping me to keep moving!
So, after the coldest snowiest winter ever, and the coldest early spring ever, we are finally seeing a little bit of an improvement here in Salem, Massachusetts. I’m convinced that we love our gardens more in New England than anywhere else because we work so darn hard to get through the winter and into the sunshine.
I’m pretty sure that the lady’s mantle would agree with me. It’s been a long, long winter!
Just behind the lady’s mantle a clump of iris is springing into action. It won’t be long now!
We have lettuce! I believe that this is Black Seeded Simpson.
There’s also a little bit of mesclun peeking through.
And those onion sets that I planted two weeks ago are settling in nicely. We had a lot of rain the day after they were planted so the rocks really came up and I had to reset some of the bulbs. It’s nice to see the greens. I think I’ll add some compost around them later today to give them an extra boost.
The little peek of rhubarb has filled out nicely. We have several of these throughout the garden.
The asparagus patch looks empty and untended. I need to get Michael to take that little fence away so I can get in and out of there without incident. When you get a little older there are “incidents” when hopping over fences like this one. It was put up to keep our toddlers out and I think I can safely say that we’re well past the toddler stage now.
We do have teenagers though… I wonder if these will grow so I can outfit the younger kids with very expensive flip flops.
How about that, there is asparagus popping up on the slightly warmer other side of the garden.
This does my heart good…
This area needs some work. If I remember correctly I was choosing between Nutcracker rehearsals, soccer games and garden cleanup last fall.
The baby girls say hi! 
Here’s a peek at the beginning of our newest project. We took out two juniper trees last fall and are planning to create a nice herb garden in this spot. I’m going to start by sifting out rocks and adding a lot of compost. I have plants that are ready to relocate and I may add a few new varieties. There’s a concrete “patio” and shingle sided wall to the left that I’m hoping to fill with containers. I have lots of ideas and my handy dandy pinterest board is in full swing. Click on the words pinterest board to check it out.
In other news, I’m starting seeds, repotting houseplants and planting spinach later.
What’s happening in your garden?
I hope your enjoying the spring as much as I am!
Love, Michele
The Salem Garden 
Love your garden , don’t know if you have ever tried this but if you burn off the asparagus patch in the fall , it comes back thicker and better the next year 😉 Lol, Just wanted to share that . Enjoy all your posts !
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I didn’t know that Arlene! Definitely something to try in the fall, thanks!
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Everything looks wonderful! I have been considering a few rhubarb plants….
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Thanks Arthur! If you send your address to thesalemgarden@gmail.com I’ll send you some rhubarb root if you’d like. 🙂
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How old are the new girls? They look a little bigger then mine. I’m guessing mine are about 10-11 weeks. Those look to be a few weeks older.
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Let’s see, we got them on March 8th so they should have been born around the fifth.. that would make ours seven weeks going on eight? You got yours the week after us right? so yours should be six going on seven? They grow up so fast!!!
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I know what you mean about having a million things to do at once. Seems like April and May are always a blur around my house. Your garden is looking good, though! I love the little chicken tractor. Been thinking about that for my babies on these nice days.
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HI Brenda! I wish I could slow things down. I like for all of us to have good things going on but sometimes it’s just too much. The chicken tractor really comes in handy. this one is wearing out, Michael is talking about building a new one. Hope all is well with you!
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I think the only way we could slow down is to move away. Lol
Hope you have a great weekend!
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Thanks, you too! off to a 9:00 soccer game, lol! it never ends!
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Everything looks good. 🙂 I’ll be looking for future post on the how the shoes are growing. 🙂
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LOL Judy! I’ll let you know if any baby shoes grow.
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I’m jealous that your asparagus is showing already, and that your rhubarb is stalking with leaves. I’m at least two weeks behind you and I’m just across town!!
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I’m surprised by that Betsey, it seems like it would be a little warmer for you over there close to the water? The asparagus that I”m seeing is in a slightly protected spot near the fence post. I don’t see the rest yet.
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I love your garden pictures – especailly the flip flops (haha). You’ve made me miss my asparagus garden in the house I used to have, and you’ve reminded me to get my lettuce planted!
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Thank you! Yes, plant that lettuce, and spinach and peas too! I’ve never heard of growing asparagus inside. That’s an interesting idea!
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Enjoyed this walk through your garden!!
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So glad you enjoyed it, thanks!!
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The is a lot going on in your spring garden. Just a thought, most herbs don’t need a rich soil so you may want to go lightly with the compost, it depends which herbs you want to grow. Love the shots of the newly germinated lettuce.
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Yes, your right, it probably doesn’t need too too much, but that soil is really just fill from 1961 so I think it needs some help to grow anything, lol. Thanks so much for stopping by and for commenting!
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Hi, great garden! Your Rhubarb is pretty impressive; can you offer any pointers on the plant? Mine has a few tiny leaves so far this year (don’t know if I’m just being impatient); at planting last year, I dug into the sun-laden, compacted, clay-like soil and watched it ‘die’ in late summer. This spring, it popped back up (so happy!), so I weeded everything about 6 – 9 inches around it, dug in to loosen the soil and add a bit of compost and organic soil, and then gave it a mulching of straw to hinder weeds and hold the moisture in. So far, it’s got about 4 or 5 little leaves on stalks about 1.5 inches long. What can I expect, have I made any huge mistakes, should I just be patient?
Thanks for reading and responding.
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HI there! Our rhubarb grows like crazy here… I think your on the right track. I’d keep adding compost. The clay soil might keep it from reaching it’s potential so lots of compost and maybe even a little bit of sand and even peat moss would help with that. It likes full sun so watch your garden and make sure it’s getting eight hours a day. Stay patient, you can do it!! Thanks for checking out The Salem Garden and commenting!! Michele
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Hi Michele, thanks for the advice. Quick question; should I dig the compost in again or just spread it on top?
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I’d probably dig it in gently being careful not to disturb the roots too much… I just looked at your photo and it looks healthy and happy. It’s probably going to go crazy any second now, lol.
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