Hello friends! Things are still busy around here, but luckily the last few days have been absolutely gorgeous, giving me an opportunity to snap some pics from the garden. Though there is not a whole lot new, it is still always fun to track the progress and watch how quickly things start to pop once the weather truly warms up.
We had a dip in temps last week with a few nights hitting the freezing mark or just below. Of course that's not out of character for Mother Nature in the springtime, but I was a bit worried about our wee little sprouts in the garden. Luckily most everything fared well, and the only plant that seemed hit hard should bounce back just fine given time. The fig tree had started sprouting new leaves and branches, but they wilted in the freezing air. We wouldn't get any fruit until the fall anyway, so I think little figgy should bounce back fine now that we should be done with freezing temperatures.
The rest of the garden is still just showing signs of life, but here's what we've got going on so far...
Lots, and lots, and lots of strawberry blossoms at this point! Some wee little babies coming along, so hopefully soon we'll get our first berry to try. At least my farmers have started bringing strawberries to the market as of last week (many grow some in hoop houses so they have a head start) to tide me over. Although our small backyard patch is nowhere near big enough to satisfy my appetite for fresh spring berries. I'm closely watching updates for U-pick to start locally to be able to really restock the freezer again! But they sure are pretty to watch grow.
Our one patch of lettuce is looking about big enough to start plucking some tender leaves. I forget what the red leaves are, but the green are Komatsuna mustard. A very mild and tasty type of greens packed with nutrients. We really do need to start planting more greens, but it can be hit or miss with the bugs and weather. Hopefully we can harvest a good bit of this before the bugs start eating it all since they're coming out of their winter slumber.
The kohlrabi and perhaps broccoli or cauliflower (can't remember what got planted where) is slowly coming along, but still not sure if it will mature enough to bear fruit before the heat zaps it. If nothing else, we can also eat the greens from these. You can never have too many leafies to munch on. 馃槈
On the seedling front, the beans are coming on strong. We have a mix of string beans, cowpeas and possibly edamame. I think the edamame was the slow grower last year, but we're ready to support the other beans as they quickly start reaching up tall. Hoping for a good harvest of all this year because beans are another favorite in the P2P household.
Squash is, of course, another classic here in the South. Patty pan and a more traditional type of zucchini are in the raised bed 
Some teeny weeny watermelon plants are also coming along. Since going 85% or so plant-based last year, my dad has developed a voracious appetite for watermelon. As much as I would love some juicy sweet fruit, it would be fun to be able to share some with him if we can. I opted for a Georgia variety, so hopefully it does as well as the Candy Roaster heirloom squash that I also bought to represent on the local seed front.
The tomatoes are sprouting, too, but they're still so small it's hardly worth sharing a photo of--especially since I don't want you all getting tired of seeing pictures of essentially dirt. 馃槀
On to the herbs! It still amazes me how quickly the oregano and other herbs bounce back after the winter. This patch has probably at least tripled in fresh leaves since I last shared a photo. Given that we were almost out of the tincture I made around this time last year, it was time to cut some back for the same purpose again.
A whole colander full (plus a few clippings of lemon balm and mint for infused water) hardly made a dent! But it did net me three jars to steep in 100 proof vodka for a month or so to extract and preserve some of the healing benefits attributed to the herb. I still only dabble in the easiest of herbal remedies, but it is nice to have a few regulars in our homemade stock. The BF swears that between the oregano tincture and the pine catkin tincture his allergies are much less noticeable this year. Luckily I just jarred up 4 batches of catkins last week, too!
Oregano
Pine Catkins
The other herbs we planted this year are also starting to sprout. Before long we'll have fresh basil, dill, cilantro and hopefully rosemary and lavender. We're also still waiting for the eggplant and cucumber seeds to sprout, and have just a few more things to plant.
I hope this time next month to have a bit more abundance to share! Perhaps not much of a harvest until June, but I just enjoy when the tiny little baby fruits start emerging from the blooms so I can cheer them on as they grow. Every day I can't help but go out and see the changes, however slight. A few moments of joy even on the busiest of days.
This post is in response to the latest Garden Journal prompt from 
@woman-onthe-wing and @dksart