Springtime in Winter

Hello everyone!  

I know it is almost the middle of January and for some of you the weather is downright UCKY (?) outside with snow up to your elbows, so...I thought I would add a little whiff of springtime to your dreary, colorless wintertime.  

The photos I have below are from a wonderful place by the name of Keukenhof Gardens and it is located in Lisse, The Netherlands.  Keukenhoff is the largest flower bulb park in the world and there are over 7 million bulbs planted by hand, each year making it an exquisite and aromatic stop on your European journey. The park is 32 hectares (around 30 acres) and there are over 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) of foot paths to view each and every different portion.  I honestly believe that God smiles when He looks down in this area and takes a huge sniff of the air.  

Jeff (hubby) and I were stationed in Belgium for 9 years and each year in April, he would take me to visit Keukenhof.  We would mostly travel by car (only a couple of hours where we lived in Belgium) and when we arrived annually we were inundated by the wonderful smell that permeates the air, when we left the car at the car park.  

Keukenhof is sectioned off into different areas a few of them being a children's petting area (beautiful peacocks, goats, cows, etc) and there is an indoor area where you can look at the different scenes created by the local growers, most of them involving bulbs of one sort or another.  

In each planted area, there is a plaque stated what sort of plant/bulb is resting there so you are able to visit one of the little kiosks there and order bulbs to be shipped to your favorite destination upon planting time.  Yes, you read it right, they ship world-wide.  They are marvelous to work with as well and speak excellent English.  Some of the people that work there are dressed up in local costume and there are beautiful swans, ducks and other fowl in the ponds and near the fountains.  It is truly a sight to behold.  

I do so hope that you are able to visit there at some point and time.  You will truly want to return each and every year when it changes again.

http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/

*hugz n blessings*

Elizabeth

Growing Vegetables

Here is the growing guide for vegetables, from The Farmer's Almanac.

http://www.almanac.com/content/vegetable-garden-planner

Growing Vegetables

Vegetable	Start Seeds Indoors (weeks before last spring frost)	Start Seeds Outdoors (weeks before or after last spring frost)	Minimum Soil Temp. to Germinate (°F)	Cold Hardiness	When to Fertilize	When to Water
Beans	—	Anytime after	48–50	Tender	After heavy bloom and set of pods	Regularly, from start of pod to set
Beets	—	3 before to 3 after	39–41	Half-hardy	At time of planting	Only during drought conditions
Broccoli	6–8	2–3 before	55–75	Hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	Only during drought conditions
Brussels sprouts	6–8	—	55–75	Hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	At transplanting
Cabbage	6–8	1 before to 1 after	38–40	Hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	Two to three weeks before harvest
Carrots	—	3–5 before	39–41	Half-hardy	Preferably in the fall for the following spring	Only during drought conditions
Cauliflower	6–8	1 before to 1after	65–75	Half-hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	Once, three weeks before harvest
Celery	6–8	—	60–70	Tender	At time of transplanting	Once a week
Corn	—	2 after	46–50	Tender	When eight to ten inches tall, and again when first silk appears	When tassels appear and cobs start to swell
Cucumbers	2–4	1–2 after	65–70	Very tender	One week after bloom, and again three weeks later	Frequently, especially when fruits form
Lettuce	4–6	1 before to 2 after	40–75	Half-hardy	Two to three weeks after transplanting	Once a week
Melons	2–4	2 after	55–60	Very tender	One week after bloom, and again three weeks later	Once a week
Onion sets	—	4 before	34–36	Hardy	When bulbs begin to swell, and again when plants are one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Parsnips	—	0–3 before	55–70	Hardy	One year before planting	Only during drought conditions
Peas	—	4–6 before	34–36	Hardy	After heavy bloom and set of pods	Regularly, from start of pod to set
Peppers	8–10	—	70–80	Very tender	After first fruit-set	Once a week
Potato tubers	—	0–2 after	55–70	Half-hardy	At bloom time or time of second hilling	Regularly, when tubers start to form
Pumpkins	2–4	1 after	55–60	Tender	Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Radishes	—	1 before to 1 after	39–41	Hardy	Before spring planting	Once a week
Spinach	—	4–6 before	55–65	Hardy	When plants are one-third grown	Once a week
Squash, summer	2–4	1 after	55–60	Very tender	Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Squash, winter	2–4	1 after	55–60	Tender	Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Tomatoes	6–8	—	50–55	Tender	Two weeks before, and after first picking	Twice a week

	*hugz n blessings* Elizabeth