Garden Prattles | In a Vermont Garden, a Gardening and Composting Blog

It has been a few months since I have written a prattle.  I am guilty of neglect.  Although I am constantly writing in my head about the happenings in my garden, it has not made it to print.  My focus has been on growing and transforming Bee’s Wrap into a viable business, which anyone knows who has started a small business is a slow and time consuming process and mothering three amazingly active children with three unique personalities asking for interaction in complexly different ways.  Phew!  That is about all I can say.  But my prolific flowers and the small fruits forming on our orchard trees and the vegetable garden beginning to take form demanded that I write.  This spring has been one for flowers, from the most amazing lilac hedges to lupines, irises and poppies- I am amazed.

And just because I am busy elsewhere, doesn’t mean that there are not moments to squeeze in in the garden.  There is time to throw in bean seeds, mulch a couple rows of onions, turn the ComposTumbler and pick some flowers to bring in the house.  I have never once regretted a bouquet of picked flowers.  Has anyone?  But the garden is smaller this year which gives me more time to mulch properly, care for what we do have well and concentrate on some of our perennials, like asparagus, raspberries, establish a strawberry patch and our new row of fruit trees- apple, apricot, cherry and plum.

Petunia, our polka dotted pig, we believe is pregnant and due the beginning of July.  We have chicks again and the goats are living peacefully in the fields doing nothing to earn their keep and prompting the almost daily conversation of whether or not to keep them.  School is almost out, strawberries are almost ready for picking, last year’s jam is gone, the peas are flowering.  It is time to decide on summer chores…who will turn the ComposTumbler?  As life gets busier we all have to chip in a little more.  What is important gets done and the rest can wait, I remind myself.  Summer is short up here in the north.