Things have been busy around here lately in the best way. It seems like everything I had planned for the Spring started coming together all at the same time.

The Seedlings

The seedlings officially went through the hardening off process, which is my least favorite part. I love starting as many seeds as possible, but when it is time to harden them off I can get pretty impatient. Carrying trays in and out every day gets old fast, and I may have rushed the process a bit, but most of them made the transition really well. Some have already been planted out into the garden beds, and the rest are living outside full-time in their seed cups until I can get them all in the ground. At this point I’m just planting things whenever I can squeeze in some time.

The dahlia tubers finally arrived too, and those are officially planted. I’m really excited about those this year. I’ve never grown them before, so I am so excited to have these as another option for a big and showy bloom in my bouquets.

The Chickens

We also officially moved the chickens outside permanently into their coop, which has helped the house feel normal again. As cute as baby chicks are, I was very ready to stop having them take over the house. Everything was dusty, my dining table was unusable, and honestly, they were starting to get a smell. There is only so much you can do to clean out their brooder when it is in your house, and I was eager to be able to clean their space with a hose and not worry about the mess.

Before they moved out, we spent some extra time predator proofing the coop. My husband dug all the way around it and laid hardware cloth underground to keep anything from digging underneath. We also replaced some of the latching hardware that came with the coop because it just didn’t feel secure enough long term. With all of my reading and research so far, I’ve discovered that raccoons can open gate latches! Knowing the girls are tucked away safely gives me peace of mind, especially since we have stray cats, racoons, foxes, and bobcats in our area.

Irrigation System

The garden has expanded too. We added two new raised beds this year, which means watering is going to take even longer. Hand watering everything was already taking a huge chunk of time every day, so I decided to install a drip irrigation system. We’re about 90% finished with it now, and I already know it’s going to save us so much time this summer once it’s fully running.

Landscaping

Around the house, I finally tore out all of the old black plastic landscape edging that was popping up everywhere and looking terrible. Instead, I did a clean trench edge around the landscaping beds. I was able to buy 40 bags of mulch when they were on sale to freshen everything up.

I also picked up a few more perennials for the landscaping beds. I’m trying to be more thoughtful about planting things that are both pretty in the landscaping and useful for flower bouquets. If I can cut from my own yard for bouquet orders, even better.

Final Thoughts

Right now, everything feels like it is almost done. Bags of dirt are in the yard, tools are scattered all over, and so many plants are waiting to be planted. However, I know it will get done and all of the hard work will pay off!
Do you have any big Spring projects you are working on? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!