GreenDreams

Weekend Coffee Share – May

Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share! I’m a bit late, it is Sunday afternoon in Sweden. Perhaps I can still offer you some coffee? Or tea?

Six out of seven days this week I’ve had my morning coffee at the allotment garden, before 6am. It’s been absolutely wonderful, and in line with what I manifested for this spring and summer. There is a lot of pollen right now, but early in the morning is the best time to enjoy the outdoors if you have allergies. I’ve had fabulous bike rides up to my garden, and a mindful start to my day. The photo above is from my ride to the garden this morning. (I am still super happy with my new bike!)

Lock at the rhubarbs! They’ve grown so much these past two weeks.

The berry bushes are also doing great, and as you can see in the photo we can now pump water from the pond directly to our gardens, it is finally warm enough 🙂

I worked Monday-Wednesday and had Thursday-Sunday off this week. Well, not completely off, I had a zoom meeting with my mentor at the University, and I did work on my thesis during my “time off”. But I did enjoy the freedom of alarm clocks very much!

I often share photos from my garden, but this morning I recorded a short sound clip with the sounds that I hear when I am by myself in the garden in the early mornings. Turn the volume up all the way. Perhaps you know more about birds than I do and can tell me about the birds that keeps me company?

The warmer weather kickstarted the growth all around my garden. I must confess that I haven’t spent enough time weeding this week. I’ve been so allergic that I’ve prioritized the most important tasks. As soon as the allergies calm down a little, I’ll get ahead of the game again, I’m not worried about it, only grateful for the beautiful season. There’s also been much growth on the plants in my kitchen. The squash actually bloomed for the first time on Friday.

I’ve slowly transitioned all the plants to life outdoors for a couple weeks now, keeping them outside a little longer every day. Yesterday I decided that they can live at the balcony 24/7, it’s protected from the wind, and I protect sensitive plants from the sun as well. So far so good, they all looked happy this morning, after their first night outside.

This coming week I’ll start planting the plants at their final destination. Some ar going to live at the balcony, but in bigger pots, and some are going to be planted at the allotment. By June 1st the balcony and the allotment should be all set for the summer, only needing some light maintenance (mostly watering.)

On Saturday I made a short visit to Falu Copper Mine. I’ve written about the mine before, but I thought I’d share a photo I took yesterday. I looked for the Eagle Owls that lives there. I saw their nest, but it was empty. Perhaps they were out hunting for their dinner.

How are things in your neck of the woods? Please tell me about your week! If you have a Weekend Coffee Share, I’ll try to visit. Thank you Natalie for being a wonderful host to the Weekend Coffee Share.

Love and gratitude,

Maria

Weekend Coffee Share – warmer weather

Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share! Good morning, it’s been a warm week, how about some ice coffee? Or tea?

I brought a thermos with my favourite “ice-coffee-protein-drink” (it has rice and pea protein in it.) I know I can use the extra energy. There’s a lot of work to be done! I’m sure I could find some regular tea, or coffee as well, if that is your preference. This will not be a complaining post, but I have to mention that there is a lot of pollen right now, it’s really bad for those of us that has allergies.

As you can see, we are outdoors, at the allotment. Look at how much the rhubarb (above) grew since last week! It is that time of the year when things are very busy. Preparing the garden for the season is labor intense, but I do enjoy it.

We are starting to see some flowers here and there.

When the risk for frost is over, we pump water from the pond below the allotment garden up to each lot, but since it is so early in the season, and we could very well have some more cold nights we don’t pump water yet. For the past ten days I’ve been collecting water from the pond in buckets, that I’ve carried in my wheelbarrow up to my garden. It’s been a great work out for me! (I am looking forward to having access to water at my lot.)

The pond below the allotment, where I get the water for my garden.

Can you hear the birds and the frogs in the background? I’ve stopped listening to music while gardening, to be able to really be in the moment and enjoy.

If you have a Weekend Coffee Share, I’ll try to visit. How are things in your neck of the woods? Please tell me about your week!

Love and gratitude,

Maria

Weekend Coffee Share – The last frost?

Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share! Can I get you a cup of coffee? Or tea? How are you? This morning when I rode my bike to the allotment garden it was very foggy. I had my morning coffee at the garden and it was cold, and frost on the ground. Still a very beautiful and serene morning.

The tiny rhubarbs were frozen.

I’m not worried about them, they are cold hardy. It does look like it’s going to be an amazing year for rhubarbs.

Many budding rhubarbs on the way.

All the berry bushes were covered in frost as well. Looking at the weather forecast this might have been the last cold night for the season, but one never know. I don’t feel completely safe about the last frost until the second week of June. At least the next coming week is going to be very warm and I bet a lot of things are going to happen in the garden the next couple weeks.

I am ahead of weeding, I worked hard with weeding throughout the week. My goal is to do more mulching in the future, like I did in California, to be able to skip the weeding. The difference here is that I don’t have access to the mulching material to the same extent that I had there (I don’t have horses, or friends in the logging business.) I use everything I come by for mulching, but due to the size of my garden it is not enough. I purchase some wood chips every now and then, to add some extra, but I still need more to be able to skip weeding completely.

I planted the seeds that I can plant at this time: carrot, beet, and various flowers. I also transplanted some cabbage to the garden today, I started them cold at my balcony, and they are know in raised beds with a fabric cover. They should do great. I purposely transplanted the cabbage, and put my last seeds in the ground today since it was going to rain all afternoon, followed by warmer weather. It’s always a good idea trying to work with nature.

The two varieties of garlic I planted last fall are cold hardy, and they seem to be doing fabulous. They are heavy feeders, meaning that they want lots of extra nourishment to thrive. I added aged cow manure to all the garlic beds last weekend. I added some to the rhubarbs as well. I also treated all my berry bushes (currants, raspberries, and gooseberries) with an algae fertilizer. I will fertilise the garlic with grass clippings and compost juice throughout the season, but the berry bushes will pretty much take care of them self until I harvest the berries in the fall.

Basil in my window sill. They will become companion plants to my tomatoes at the balcony in June,.

The bell pepper plants from my own 10 year old seeds are doing fantastic. They will live in a protected place at my balcony when it gets warmer.

This is what it looks like in my kitchen right now. Plants of all sizes are competing for space.

The last photo is from work. The children at work that I am creating a school garden with collected sticks to support their plants this week. We also did some work on the garden bed. So far we only have one huge bed that we are preparing like a lasagna garden. In the school garden we are growing peas, beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, and sunflowers so far. There is already two apple trees and several berry bushes in the school yard.

How are things in your neck of the woods? Please tell me about your week!

Love and gratitude,

Maria