The Allison Inn And Spa

Category: State of the Garden

A clever weekly state of the garden memo is current on what is scheduled to be grown, what’s been planted and its progress, what is close to prime time and eventually…what will be in short supply.

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Baby Blue Eyes Flower With Green Clovers In Chefs Garden

state of the garden

Weeds are plants growing where we do not want them. Since we spend increasing amounts of time dealing with weeds, it’s beneficial to look at their beauty while removing the unwanted plants. Baby Blue Eyes popped up in the middle of Clover in this photo.

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Edible Kale, Collards, and Broccoli Flowers

state of the garden

We will have flowers from kale, collards, and broccoli until the soil dries enough for rototilling. We will include them in our regular edible flower harvest schedule.

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Chefs Garden Pea Shoots

state of the garden

This week despite some freezing rainy days, spring is marching on. We harvested the first of the pea shoots. We only have them for a short time in spring before they get turned under to feed the soil, so enjoy them while they are around.

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Chefs Garden Cherry Blossoms

state of the garden

The flowering cherry trees, which line the road in front of the garden, are in full bloom. This year, they are particularly spectacular because the weather has been benign.

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Chefs Garden Spring Plum Blossoms

state of the garden

There is nothing like a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures to hustle plants into growing. For the first time in three years, the plums are blooming, and it isn’t raining, which means the bees will be busy pollinating.

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Chefs Garden Flowering Quince

state of the garden

This flowering quince is a promise of spring. What a contrast between last week and this week. The snow is gone, and though the temperatures dropped below freezing for a few nights, the sun made up for the cold nights. Spring is on the way.

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Chefs Garden Outdoor Event Tent In the Snow

state of the garden

March came in like a lion after lulling us into thinking that warm weather had arrived. The plants aren’t fooled. They are growing appropriately for this time of year.

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Chefs Garden Daffodils

state of the garden

I photograph this same clump of daffodils every year as they are my phenology plants in the garden. This year, they bloomed a week later than last year. The daffodils are more accurate than my memory of whether the spring will be “early” or “late.”

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Daffodils

state of the garden

There were times this past week when I wanted to pick up the entire garden and move it south by a couple of Plant Hardiness Zones because I am ready for spring temperatures and spring planting. Unfortunately, I do not have that capability! So I will just have to be patient.

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Chefs Garden February Rhubarb

state of the garden

Here it is, the first hardy plant declaring it is time to start growing. This is the rhubarb waking up from winter. Before we know it, we will harvest full-sized stalks for whatever rhubarb goodness the kitchen creates.

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