April in the garden with a +3 week advance in season. Yikes!

April showers usually bring May flowers. There were no showers this April until yesterday, but there were above normal temperatures that has hastened flowering trees to bloom now that normally bloom in May.
The ground being "ready to work" brought out eager gardners to work their soil, to mend their lawns, to build their garden beds and to plant new or divide prenniels and early-arriving vegetables.  According to anyone's New England planting tradition, this is all too early.

Potting mix consists of traditional potting soil, peat moss and added organic fertilizer. Mixed up by hand and watered, I have used this to start seedlings and as potting mix to transplant seed flats. So far so good. I water my seedlings with a seedweed water. The seedweed powder is diluted and added to a gallon of water in proportion to directions. I water seedlings with this nutritive mix every time they need water.

I transplanted a few of my fiber pots of Cilantro into individual pots this week. I have 28 plants now. They will be ready for sale in a couple of weeks. I also have Sweet Basil, Sacred Basil, Ruby Basil, Chervil and Italian Parsley that also are in individual pots or will go into pots within the next two weeks. A few I will save but I hope to sell the rest.

Tomatoes and peppers are up in their fiber pots in groups of 6. I plan to separate them into individual pots and keep them growning. I will save a few for my garden and sell the rest.

I have a collection of medicinal herbs that I have been able to start. Some are more difficult to get going. I have had no 'luck' with Hyssop or Lady's Mantle, for example. I have Milk Thistle, Marshmallow, Echinacea, Blue Vervain, Nettle,Yarrow, Calundula, and Motherwort- to name a few.

Herbal findings about the property are many. There is, of course, the lowly but prized Dandelion. There is a bit of chickweed. Then, there was this one huge Burdock plant in the bed beneath the deck that I thought to harvest.

I found stinging nettle for the first time and eyebright. I am so surprised. There are wild Hawthorn trees that follow part way along the stone wall. In the unmoved areas there is clover but I am not sure if it's white or red clover. We'll have to see.