April Update

April is a very busy month in the garden.  It's a prime month for planting so many things.  I've now put up the zig zag pea fence in the bed which has radishes, gai lan, and lettuces.  I was going to plant multiplier onions in between the zags, but fortunately checked for companion planting and discovered that onions are definitely not planted near peas!

Yesterday I transplanted the Copra onions outside.  After setting in over 90 tiny plants, pieces of fencing were carefully set over them to prevent cats from digging them up.  Once they're established, the fencing can come off.  Today I'll be planting out the leek seedlings.

The Pacific Russet potatoes are nicely up and have received their first weeding.  When the plants are about 6" high, I'll start adding more material.

The first pink stalks of asparagus are thrusting up.  The sun will soon turn them green and before you know it, we'll have enough for a meal!

The strawberry plants are also thriving - in spite of the heavy dusting of pollen on their leaves!  This is a rough time for someone with allergies what with masses of pollen from all the maple trees around us and the spores from the sword ferns!

In the potting shed, the tomatoes are looking very sturdy.  I'm rapidly finding homes for some of my excess and will have to put name tags in pots so I remember who is getting what.

We have the circulating pump and UV light going on the pond now and the water is clearing up.  Pond plants are blooming and the water lilies are starting to form leaves on the surface of the water.  I recently purchased a yellow water lily for the back of the pond and hope that it's securely sitting on its ledge and not in the bottom of the pond!

King Edward flower currant is a busy place these days.  The Rufous Hummingbirds are back in force.  In addition to a large feeder hanging on the deck, the flowering currant usually has at least half a dozen birds battling for supremacy.  It's so massive now that I think I'll have to start cutting it back before it shades out the potting shed.