Spring!

OK, it's not really spring, it's mid February, but it was 73 degrees today, which feels an awful lot like spring to me. And to my plants, unfortunately - this is shaping up to be the 3rd year in a row that we lose our plum tree's productivity for the year to a frost after unseasonable warmth. The strawberries are peeking out, or were, but they've since been mulched with about 6" of straw, which should keep them.

I've used the unseasonable warmth to get a lot done. The raised garden beds are almost completely ready - weeded, soaker hoses checked and repaired, and mulched. The perennial beds have been started, and I'm looking into just buying bulk mulch this year instead of bags. Some of the raised veggie/herb/fruit beds need some shoring up, and I'll probably replace a few more sides over the next few months with concrete, rather than oak.

My greenhouse is nearly finished, at least the structural part - it's got a roof and windows, it just needs the vent/doors put in around the perimeter and the man doors in at two corners. And a chandelier. I've decided to put a chandelier in, just because it's my greenhouse and I can. The tap needs to be installed - right now I just have a dead end plumbing line, capped off inside the greenhouse, and an old fashioned spigot still in the box. And I'll need to build racks/shelves around the perimeter for my lovely little seedlings. I'm thinking two levels and more in the middle, but I'm going to worry about the perimeter first and then decide what I want in the middle. I may just put in a little bistro set with a table and two chairs, at least in the winter. I have this romantic notion of getting some sunlight without freezing, possibly reading a book and sipping tea amongst the lettuces.

I know it's coming, but I dread the resumption of winter in a few days.