WORM MOON - the First Full Moon of Northern Spring

March 29, 2010 is the FIRST FULL MOON OF NORTHERN SPRING: 

According to folklore, tonight's full Moon has a special name--the Worm Moon. 

It signals the coming of northern spring, a thawing of the soil, and the first stirrings of earthworms in long-dormant gardens. Step outside tonight and behold the wakening landscape. 

"Worm moonlight" is prettier than it sounds.

The White House Garden is thriving!

Exclusive Video: White House Garden Survives, Thrives in Washington Winter
from the Daily Flotus by Lynn Sweet, 3-26-10

Despite a harsh Washington winter -- two blizzards and several feet of snow -- the recently harvested White House garden yielded a bounty of lettuce, spinach, and a lot of turnips.

"Nobody thought that the garden would survive," said Kass.

It not only survived, it thrived, making First Lady Michelle Obama's signature project a four-season source of fresh produce.

The plants grew over the winter covered by white plastic stretched over hoops, trapping the heat of the sun by day and keeping the plants warm at night. But even Kass was not sure the "hoop houses" would work. "The fact of the matter is we didn't know."

The video shows how the hoop houses exceeded expectations. The harvest included robust looking lettuce, spinach and arugula, Kass said leeks will be ready in the spring, garlic and peas will be picked later, as will carrots, planted but not harvested.

Ground for the 1,100-square-foot garden on the west side of the South Lawn was cleared on March 20, 2009 and first planted in April, with a "perfect" southern exposure.

"The planting of this garden was one of the first things I wanted to do as First Lady here at the White House," Mrs. Obama said at an earlier harvest on June 17. At the opening of a Farmers Market on Sept. 17 in Washington, Mrs. Obama said the garden was "one of the greatest things I've done in my life, so far."

The garden was been wildly successful, growing into Mrs. Obama's anti-childhood obesity campaign.

Kass, gesturing toward stakes already in the ground, says in the video "we are going to be expanding our garden this year, at the request of the First Lady." The plan is to "build a couple more rows of beds," Kass said.

In assessing the harvest, Kass said it was "more humble" than a summer picking, "but I think we did pretty great."

(link to article: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/03/26/exclusive-video-white-house-garden-survives-thrives-in-washing/) 

Finally the garden beckons

For some reason or many reasons,   ;-)
I have spent very little time in my gardens during the month of February. Was it the cold weather? Was it the rain and wind? Was it my classes? Was it my work?  I am not really sure, but the urge to get out there is back! Yea!!! I am on my way outside to prune. Yes, I know it is late, but all will survive.


The vegetable and fruit gardens are doing well for this time of the year. I do have less vegetables growing than usual though. I only have lettuce, onions, leeks, garlic, red potatoes, swiss chard and maybe spinach. Oh, I think I also have some bok choy growing too. I have many starter plants in the greenhouse waiting for me to get out there and give them the freedom of the 4 feet by 4 feet raised beds to spread their roots.

The lemons and grapefruit are providing us with a nice new crop. I have not gotten out there to check on my new fruit trees planted last year. So, hopefully off to the garden in 65° weather with an update and pictures to follow!

This ad is a little demonstration of some of what I have been working on inside on the computer this last month!


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