Cold returns

Its cold out there today,  some bits of sun, but the wind really does it.
The apple trees are starting to show green leaves. I have not seen hide nor hair of the Jerusalem Fartichokes, so i don't know if that row became a winter larder for a number of small woodland creatures...      The lilies are starting to poke through, the Toronto tulips are beginning to open:

the Fritillaria imperialis is blooming along with an offshoot:

 A look inside the greenhouses

those are the Marigolds

these are the assorted veggies, i can see one Imperial Star artichoke is up and one melon and a summer squash so far.

this is the littler greenhouse and the peat pellets have the Collards and the Pak Choi that have sprouted. The Red Russian kale is also up, but its in one of the seed flats and i want to keep the heat in that one.  I took the pics from the bigger greenhouse by opening the vent in the back.  Its a few degrees warmer inside them and very noticeable.

The grape seems happy enough.  Still no idea where i'm going to put it.

Closer shot of one of the Toronto tulips.

Yesterday i got another flat all planted (this was the windy day re-do),  i did :

Genovese Basil
Garden Sage
French Thyme
Curled Chervil
Greek Oregano
Sweet Marjoram
Anise
and
Sweet Basil


I got the email that my Richters order has shipped:

     1 pkt  S1382     Bergamot, Lemon Seeds
     1 pkt  S2283     Echinacea, Yellow Seeds
     1 pkt  S4122     Mulberry Seeds
     1 pkt  S4510     Pleurisy Root Seeds 
     1 pkt  S5040     Roseroot Seeds 
     1 pkt  S5370     Seabuckthorn Seeds 
     1 pkt  S6925     Wolfberry, Chinese Seeds
     1 pkt  S4102     Motherwort, Siberian Seeds
     1 pkt  S4270     Nettle, Stinging Seeds                












And my order confirmation from Specialty Perennials:

LE29-A8       Leonotis leonurus 'Lions Ear'                                        2       
RU2B-A7     Rudbeckia hirta 'Autumn Colors'                                   1       
MDPR-A7   Monarda didyma 'Panorama Red Shades'                      1
HGN8-A7   Scabiosa caucasica 'House Hybrids'(Special Offer)         1
RP05-R        Paeonia anomala(Special Offer)                                     1


So my ginormous seed list is going to get bigger. I resisted the urge to get any Asclepias from SP, though i was done in by the special offers that appear during checkout- they really are pretty good deals, around half off.
Excuses, excuses.


Oh, and i am going to buy a small electric fence setup to protect the garden:
Woodchuck Fry-up

The negative review it got seems to have been written by a nincompoop. Scary that his username implies that he is a pilot.
I have researched a similar setup and it gets decent reviews, plus since we have a local Tractor Supply i'm having it shipped there and if i have issues with it, i can go right there to discuss the problem or return it.

The hoophouse idea is supposed to keep out bugs pretty well, but i am not expecting it to keep out woodchucks.  I was hoping the dog might deter them, but i am not counting on that either, and likely it would be too late to find out even if so.   I was thinking i'd just fence the garden off with something like tomato fence or chicken wire, but i read they can climb that and i don't feel like discovering that they have some sunny day.
So i might as well go with a zapper.  It looks like it would cost the same anyway, the number of metal fence posts i'd need for the chicken wire- or even wooden stakes plus the wire itself...
I expect to get two rounds of wire from this, one low and one a few inches higher.

We'll see how it goes!