after the spring equinox, and now after beltane as well, the energy in the garden is rising quickly. see photos above - a difference from april 1 (left) and may 1 (right) shows clearly how quickly growth is coming on all around us. the gardens and the critters are really getting about and enjoying the warm, sunny, temperate -- albeit very dry -- weather we have been enjoying. and with it the first fruits of the season! mangetout and snow peas from peaceful seedlings have shot

this side of the spring equinox looks much different than just a few weeks prior. the spring garden has been planted with seedlings (and seed potatoes!) and is picking up the pace each day. the greenhouse is stuffed full of tender annual flowers and herbs to go out in april. bees and butterflies are out, the sunlight is stronger (and so is the pollen). turning 2.75 cubic yards of compost from neighbors' food scraps march has been a month of getting new projects done while try

january can feel very long, or very short. on the one hand, it occurs after the glamour of the winter holidays and the celebration of the solstice, yet before it really feels like the daylight hours are actually getting longer. it is the one month in my garden that actually comes close to feeling like winter, in the bad ways - dreary, cold, wet, and brown. on the other hand, it is the one month in my garden that comes close to feeling like winter! with such a short cold seaso

this month, the theme is rest. as the last monarchs leave the garden to continue their journey further south and the first frost arrives, there is a notable shift away from the frantic pace of the summer toward stillness and calm. though the changing climate means the timing of this shift happens later each year, it still inevitably arrives ...