May 29, 2012 - Our main(e) garden is doing well. This topsy-turvy weather has allowed us to get a much earlier start this year. I have double rows (60 feet long) of peas, carrots, beets, turnips and spinach. Interesting how weeds like to grow right next to the sprouting vegetables. Could it be that they are related?

The four cold frames along the side of the house are already providing us with spinach and will soon offer up lettuce. Squash and cucumber seedlings are now be transplanted.

Looking forward to a summer and fall of fine, healthy eating.

May 5, 2012 - What a strange year 2012 has been. Summer temperatures in March (84 degrees!), February temperatures in April and now Aprill temperatures in early May.

Regardless, the seeds are in for the early summer garden - peas, spinach (lots of it), beets, carrots, lettuce and turnips. The soil was bone-dry until the third week in April.

This is the second season for our beehives (one is ours and the other belongs to our neighbor) and they were placed on our properties in mid-April. Our bee keeper, Erin, said the seasons are nearly a month ahead of themselves. Last year, we harvested 15 pints of honey from each hive - the remainder going to Erin and the bees for their winter vacation.

Just how exciting is it to have our own honey? On a scale of 1-10, it's a 20!

Ah, yes, Spring is defintely getting closer even though there's still 8 inches of snow remaining on the ground. Proof? I took a  look inside our cold frames and found last year's crop sprouting afresh.

Even the spinach seeds, which I planted too late in the fall to harvest, survived and are now growing.

I was Skyping with one of my friends who has recently retreated to Florida for a couple of weeks and he said the temperature down there was likely to hit 85 degrees today - much too hot to grow spinach and lettuce. That's why we live in Maine!!!