A Walk Through the Garden, April 24th

Last time I walked through the garden my visit was a last glance before retreating from a hard overnight freeze. It took every single spare sheet, pillowcase, and towel we had to cover everything up, and in the morning when it was warm enough and all was uncovered, it took 7 loads of laundry to put everything right again.

However, I'm happy to report that not a single thing seems to have suffered frostbite, and all is green and growing...

My Big Max pumpkin, still going strong... dare I hope...

Black beauty zucchini and yellow crookneck squash,
with baby nasturtiums around the edges

Red and sweet yellow onions

Black Hopi dye sunflowers surrounded by wild rocket and Detroit red beets

One of my 6 different varieties of tomatoes

I'm giddy about what's pushing up through the soil and filling all that brown space out there. I don't even mind the prolific- prolific- lambs quarters that are invading every bed, because my chickies love it and if push comes to shove I'll eat it, too. 

The kids have taken to eating a radish every time they walk out there with me (awesome). They'll also pull a handful of baby lambs quarters to poke- one by one- through the wire mesh of the coop (usually while cooing to the girls) before we close the gate and move on to the next activity. It's getting to be a routine I find myself looking forward to.  

Another thing they have to check on every day now is the wren's nest that has so inconveniently been made in a notch in the gate post closest to the chicken coop (see the tail feathers of one of them poking out?). I'm not kidding. The last time we peeked, there were four eggs in there. Four! What on earth inspired this pair of wrens to make a nest directly under the latch of the most-used gate, about three feet off the ground, where people, kids, and a dog frequently come and go? 

I guess I'll never know. 

But for now we make the detour all the way to the opposite end of the fence to use the second gate so we disturb this little feathered family as little as possible (except for the rare moment when I get close enough to sneak a picture).

 Oh how we love finding those new and growing treasures on our walks through the garden!