What's blooming in my garden...

Some blooming things...

Grazing in my garden...

Some pictures of what's going on in the garden...

A few of my favorite (edible) things...

Primadonna blueberries.

FlordaPrince Peach.

Fast Break cantaloupe.

Final potato harvest...

Not bad for a three-by-three foot area. The Fingerling potatoes are like $5 per pound at Whole Foods.

Raclette

New potatoes... I spent the winter sticking sprouting potatoes into a warm, sunny spot in my garden, and heaping compost, straw, hay and grass clippings on the plants as they grew. They managed to make it through the winter more or less unscathed, getting burned to the ground with each frost (and we had, what, five or six? more?) but coming back with every bout of warmth. Anywho, I mostly expected them to be infested with worms and/or nematodes, so I've been meaning to harvest them and make more room for tomatoes and peppers. I started digging around in the bed, and realized that the potatoes are very happy and healthy in there. I sneaked out a handful. I'll leave the rest be another month.

We're having another very powerful cold front move through today; it entered the area yesterday and is now south of here and the wind is gusty and cold. So, tonight, to celebrate the last cold night of the season (probably), we're making raclette with potatoes, broccoli and onions from the garden. The weather's forecast to be hot and sunny this weekend, so we'll head to the Lagoon and beach to spend the day paddling and camping.

What a treat is April in Florida!

And I do PSAs, too...

Florida-Friendly 101

• Saturday, April 25, all day
• Hillsborough County Extension Office, 5339 County Road 579 in Seffner

Despite a few rain dances in the backyard, the drought continues to be a topic of concern. Residents are invited to learn how to manage their lawns and landscaping at the next Florida-Friendly 101 gardening conference at the Hillsborough County Extension Office on April 25.

For a mere $30 registration fee, residents will hear the best and the latest from University of Florida specialists and local Hillsborough County Extension horticulturists:

• How plants deal with drought
• How to choose the most drought-tolerant plants
• Smart landscape and irrigation technologies
• More!

The conference also includes a “goodie” bag with resources to take home, lunch and refreshments. Space is limited, so register early!

The detailed agenda and link to the online registration can be found on the Hillsborough County Extension website at: http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/HomeGardening/PDFs/FFL101_2009_Flier.pdf

Still have questions? Call the Extension Office at (813) 744-5519 or visit http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu

End of the winter garden.

I still have some carrots, potatoes and broccoli in the garden, but it's transition time: Soon enough, I'll have tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, okra, beans of all sort.

Oh, and I picked my first cuke of the season--the always reliable and tasty Cucino.

Uh oh...