Signs of spring in 2012
I let spring creep up on
us without telling you. The elderberry leaves have been poking
out of their buds for weeks now (although not getting terribly far),
and I noticed the first 
peas
slipping up through the soil last week. Meanwhile, the Egyptian onions are growing so fast my
frequent cuttings become invisible by the next day.
We also started eating
the first spring lettuce, but it wasn't quite as much of an event as
usual since we've been enjoying homegrown salads all winter. It
is fun to switch our salad greens from primarily kale to lettuce,
though, since that frees up the greens for sauteing.
I saw blooming spring
beauties and spicebushes (not pictured) while walking Lucy Tuesday, but
the real event was ground dry enough (in spots) to wander around
barefoot. With beautiful weather dominating the 10 day forecast,
I can't help but wonder if the floodplain might not become passable in
a week or two.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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This is a great time of year! I was walking around our yard and saw something that resembles flower buds.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20378685@N00/6982044723/in/photostream
I'm hoping that is what they are. What do you think? How are your Kiwi vines doing?
Looking at last years pictures it appears we are 2-3 weeks earlier than last year and it's not even spring yet.
Brian --- Wow! That sure looks like kiwi flower buds to me!
Our kiwis are still sound asleep (and I want them to stay that way as long as possible --- they're very frost sensitive.) But the vines look ten times better than last year and I have a feeling this might be the year ours bloom too....
Did you ever tell me which varieties you have? We have a male and two females (Dunbarton Oaks and Ananasnaya.) We could possibly swap some cuttings this year if you're interested in expanding your repertoire....
Brian --- Issai does fit the them of your garden very well (lots in a small space.) I've never heard of anyone grafting kiwis, but I wonder if you could graft a branch from my male onto your vine?
I need to do some more research about kiwi propagation, but I'll probably get back with you about cuttings. I love extra varieties, and think that some of our pasture fences could do well with kiwis along them....