A sunless tease

Dear Seattle:

The past three (four?) weekends of sun and warmth were marvelous. Really great. Out of character, making them that much more enjoyable. I was inspired! I puttered in the garden (aka, on my patio). I PLANTED THINGS. Things that, according to my middle school biology teacher, need sunshine to grow. Since that time, you have given me zero (0) hours of sunshine. I know that you're just trying to be you. Really, I get it. But couldn't you even things out a tiny bit? Please? I'm going to be unable to tend to my plants for the second half of May so it would be swell if everything could be settled in and growing, or at least stable, by then. Thanks.

Readers, I am frustrated. I'm having a few more challenges this year than previous years. It's only the very beginning of the season, so there's plenty of time for things to be corrected, but there have definitely been some bumps. My lavender and mint continue to plug along happily, but everything else...less happy. My rosemary, for one, is struggling. I've never had a rosemary problem before - it's always been so sturdy - but I think this past winter has left serious aftereffects. While the plant has hung in there and is still alive, it is definitely newly scrawny, and is still dropping needles (albeit at a slower rate). I've aerated, repotted, drained, added fresh soil. Who out there is knowledgeable on rosemary? It's one thing to lose a pretty flower plant. But the rosemary - that's functional. I cook with it often, and just pop outside to snip a few branches. I actually make good use of this plant!

Here's how it looks today:

Meanwhile, I'm attempting salad ingredients again. Last year I planted a mesclun mix - didn't employ a lot of order, just scattered seeds. So far, no big deal. However...I then proceeded to not thin it, ever. I couldn't bring myself to pluck things when I didn't know which would be the better grower, so I left everything...and killed everything. Well, maybe I didn't KILL it - but I did grow albino salad, as the density of the leaves blocked their own sun. It was sort of remarkable, and not very edible. This year, I will be cold and harsh and pluck at will. I'm also growing simple baby spinach instead of a mix, and I planted in a more orderly manner, and I'm hoping both of these will lead to a better result. Anyway, the whole point of that ramble is to share that a mere week after seeding, there are a few tiny green shoots popping out of the spinach pot! Very exciting. (You've got to look really hard, but trust me - they're there.)

Finally, my tomatoes. I ordered a packet of cherry tomato seeds from Burpee, and followed the directions, planting what should have provided me with seven plants, and planning on using the two sturdiest. Of those seven, I got one. One! Ridiculous, and not impressive. Today I gave in and bought a start from my farmers' market. After I potted them both, I realized just how sad and puny my homegrown start was. Maybe this will work out and just lead to a staggered harvest...(can you guess which is which?...and don't be fooled by the apparent brightness in this photo. It was overcast, just brightish overcast.)

Fingers crossed, people. Fingers crossed.