There Is Always Something New To Do in the Garden

There is always something going on in the garden - another project to take care of, whether planned or unplanned. Several recent unplanned projects include repairing the soil around the onions and beets after 3 of the chickens figured out how to get through the new pallet fence, then repairing all of the mulch paths after the 2 inches of rainfall in 2 hours rushed through the yard displacing mulch and even soil, including around the newly fixed onion plants. Chickens breaking in, lack of rain, too much rain, armadillos in the yard, cutworms, freezes...always something to keep us on our toes. But it's the moments such as learning more about the beneficial insects in the garden, discovering native plants that we wanted to add to the garden had already seeded themselves in, and flavorful harvests that make it all worth it. The exciting harvest pictured below is similar to those we've been enjoying during the cooler winter and spring weather. We've been enjoying lots of greens including swiss chard, beet greens, arugula, dino kale, oak leaf lettuce, and spinach, carrots, beets, herbs like cilantro dill parsley and oregano, multiplying onions, shallots, and thinnings of immature red, yellow, and white bulb onions!

Ladybug larva, foreground (2-4 weeks), and pupa, background (5-7 days) molting into ladybug