I have not spent much time in the main garden this month. It was covered with snow until the end of the second week of May and then it has been soggy. It still is drying out in some places, a side effect of all the rain last fall and all the melting snow this spring. Even the road at the very top of my sloped garden is still squishy enough to rut up when running a truck across it.

April was a busy month in the garden for Strelna resident Tenley Nelson.

The sun rose on the vernal equinox on Monday the 20th and dawned over a perfectly classic March day, a chilly 0° at 8 am. After last year’s gloomy and rainy end of summer months and then winter’s normal moody weather, the past few weeks of sunshine have been a balm to the soul.

After a summer of barely keeping up with my garden to dos, the month of September has been a busy and productive one. Having assistance on the farm has been something of a revelation. It is amazing what three people can accomplish in a day, or several days!

Anyone else feeling a little over-saturated these days? August rain, August harvests and August weeds!

This past month has been full of extremes. I have had temperatures from highs in the 80s to lows in the 40s and weather from blazing sun to pouring rain. Many crops have struggled in my garden through the early July heat.

Due to the early close to the fall season (snow on Sept. 21), I accomplished zero prep last year for the 2022 season. No beds were weeded, no compost was spread, no tools were organized. Weeds abounded and prepping beds to plant took far longer than usual.

There is so much to love about May, even in a year with a delayed spring. The grasses, dandelions, and fireweed have emerged in the garden seemingly overnight, growing even when hard frosting at night.

This April there is still snow everywhere, except under the spruce trees and along the steeper south bluffs. Breakup is delayed and after a long winter it is to the irritation of every gardener to realize all the spring chores will be compressed into a smaller window.

February can be a dangerous month for the avid gardener. February 2 is midwinter, exactly halfway between solstice and the vernal equinox and my brain turns towards summer and all the things I want to do when the snow is gone, the breeze is warm, and the sun is high.