Summer May Have Come At Last

So finally it looks like we will have a week of days with temps in the mid 70s. We made it. The plants seem to be bursting forth with pent up growth. Just a little sun and a few degrees makes all the difference.

Snap peas have begun to produce more than just a few for snacking while surveying the garden. And the tomatoes are looking great, almost all of them have blossoms, so I will need to do a detailed inspection to see which have set fruit.

Neighbor children have been over almost everyday to forage for raspberries. There are more than enough to share and we still have plenty for our cereal everyday and the occasional smoothie.

Lately all of the leeks I have harvested have had a hard, woody center. Still usable, but I think I may have left them too long. Here's confirmation that I did, and some great info on growing leeks from Garden Web, which holds a wealth of gardening information.
Garden Web / Leeks

Winter Roses

Well, it's not really a rose, or even a flower. But something this beautiful in the garden is such a treat during the cold, damp, dark days of Oregon winter. These are Raddichio, planted last spring. These plants actually benefit from the colder temps. It enhances their color and makes them a little sweeter, not so bitter.

Cabbages also seem to be doing fine. I may need to bait for slugs pretty soon and I'm sure all the plants would benefit from a little fertilizer treat.

The Celery has made a valiant comeback since the freeze, and should be great into the spring and summer. Current edibles include Beets, Turnips, Kale, some of the hardier Lettuce, I think it is Miner's Lettuce, chives, which have just started to sprout, and Oregano, as always.

Although I have friends who are sure that spring is just around the corner because they saw a robin or because they took down their Christmas tree, I am not ready to get out the shorts and flip flops yet. I haven't seen any daffodils.

We still have most of January, all of February, March and April, the cruelest month, according to T.S. Eliot . “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.”

Which reminds me, we aren't that far away from the arrival of lilac, with it's gorgeous fragrance.

Winter Jasmine and Forsythia are sporting their tiny yellow flowers. Columbine has started to send up exploratory shoots, and the tulips and Narcissus I planted last fall have sprouted. So even though I'm not ready to set myself up for the disappointment of yearning for spring in the middle of winter, I have begun to see signs that it may arrive eventually.