The squirrels didn't get all the peas

The snow peas I planted two weeks ago have been slow to sprout. Then again, it's been snowing a lot, so I guess I should cut them some slack. Anyway, yesterday afternoon, the first folded leaves emerged. From here they'll grow quickly.
What I'm really excited about though, are my fava beans. You can't buy fava beans in Colorado Springs. I had never had one until I had dinner at the Penrose Room last spring. They were divine. I've been dreaming of them ever since. And since they fit my garden plan of being easy to grow but hard to buy (like good basil and real tomatoes) I planted them. We'll see how they do.

Alternative tomato cages

A regular reader and friend, Chip, sent in this suggestion. Instead of using store-bought tomato towers, make your own out of wire mesh used in pouring concrete. The mesh is cheap, sturdy, and useful for many other garden projects. Mother Earth news suggests also using it to support beans and make small seasonal green houses. Read the article here.

For a snowy spring, a tomato igloo

I've written before about Walls-O-Water. These $3 plastic sleeves, filled with water, act as a mini greenhouse around individual plants. I used them last year when planting tomatoes two weeks before the recommended Mother's Day frost-free planting date, and it's a good thing. The one tomato that didn't have a Wall-O-Water died a quick and frosty death one night. This year, I decided to push the WOWs to the limit. I'd heard from Wayne Fisher, owner of Good Earth Garden Center in Colorado Springs, told me he once planted a tomato in March using a WOW, "just for bragging rights." That seemed extreme to me, but I did want to get a jump on the growing season, so April13, while it was snowing, I planted a wonderful heirloom Stupice tomato in a wall of water. Monday morning, after the snow had melted, it seemed to be doing fine. The key is to let the WOW sit on the site where you plan to plant for four or five days to warm the ground.
Will planting early make any difference? It's hard to say. It might be better to let the Stupices sit in Good Earth's greenhouse for a few more weeks. Maybe there is no advantage. But I wanted to find out. I plan to plant more on May 1. We'll see by July if an early start made any difference.
If you want to try Walls-O-Water, they are available at most garden stores.

A Garden's first green is gold!

Yes, I'm stealing a line from Robert Frost. But I'm excited. After planting radishes, lettuce, beets, snow peas, potatoes and fava beans the last week in March, my first leaves poked through the humus yesterday. It was the radishes, of course. They're always fast growers.Is anyone else planning a front strip garden this year, like I have? I saw a new one on north Wahsatch. Haven't talked to the gardener.

Click below and tell me your what you've planted!