Snow

Yesterday morning and then again this morning. Sigh. This is not the spring weekend I wanted.

On the bright side, the cold weather has kept me indoors. I slept 11 hours on Wednesday night and went to bed at 9:30 last night. I've surrounded the bed with gardening magazines that my neighbors left me before they moved. BBC Gardener's World is by far my favorite. Apparently gardening in the UK is a lot like gardening here. I read them until I fall asleep and then I drool on them... flowers like water, right? I've read them so many times that their covers have fallen off. I adore them.

I got my gardening fix last weekend and throughout the week. I went to the nursery last weekend and found some new edible friends:

Strawberries
We had two June-bearing varieties before (quinalt, hood) but I live with Ken and there were never enough to go around. So I bought three varieties (25 plants of each) so we have well over 100 strawberry plants to keep us well-fed. I planted the strawberries under the rose and blueberry bushes.

Aromas- Everbearing. Flavorful, large, darkred berries. Very high yields. Disease resistant. Considered by many to be the best everbearing cultivar.

Diamante - Everbearing. Excellent fresh fruit. Compact, erect plant form facilitates higher plant densities and easy harvest.

Eversweet - Everbearing. Amazingly productive! Exceptionally sweet, large berries have a delectable flavor reminiscent of heirloom varieties. A truly outstanding performer, its production surpasses that of any other cultivated strawberry. Full sun. Water regularly.


Lingonberries
I planted two plants of a dwarfing variety, but I can't remember the name. They're in front of the strawberries, under the blueberry bushes.



Hops
We're up to four plants now (Cascade, Nugget, Willamette) and now...

Kent Golding - Alpha acid 56%. Developed in Kent County in the UK. Adds flowery aroma to some of the best English bitters.

All four will be trailing up and over our soon-to-be arbor over the back deck.



Hardy Kiwi
Kiwis are generally giant plants. We're talking 30 feet. And you need male and female varieties to get fruit. But did you know that there are hardy kiwis that can withstand -25 degrees F, are self-fertile and can be eaten whole -- skin and all). The fruit is slightly bigger than a grape. Plus, this variety does not get gargantuan like most other kiwis... only 8-10 feet. Perfect for a wall or fence. Behold:

Actinidia arguta "Issai" This is one of the only self-fruitful varieties of hardy kiwi. It bears within 1 year of planting and produces a smaller vine that's good for container growing. Hardy in USDA zone 5.


Seeds

All seeds were 50% off this past weekend, so I picked up a bunch. I can't remember the names off-hand but there were some dwarf sunflowers, pole beans, sugar snap peas, detroit red beats, lemon cucumber, a regular cucumber, sweet peas, chives and some other goodies. I will start them indoors this weekend.



Citrus
Citrus doesn't grow well in the cold. Sad. So imagine my surprise when I found this new friend. I ordered him two days ago; he'll be here next week. I told a friend about it, who sent me this article. I am excited.


Yuzu Ichandrin - Prized in Japan for flavoring and juice, this very hardy variety bears abundant, easy-to-peel, 3" diameter fruit with tasty, lemon-lime flavor. Yuzu Ichandrin is reportedly hardy to 0°F. Around 5 feet tall.