Goebbert’s opened today, and unlike last year it was 82° instead of snowing.

My first task was to weed the pea enclosure. I pulled out the trellises and, with a trowel, dug out the Lemon Mint and Canadian Thistle that was growing mostly behind the trellis. I hadn’t done that in a few years.

Actually, my first task was to put a new handle on the trowel. The old handle was cracking apart on the end, and I gave myself a nasty blister on my palm last year from aggressive digging and the rough end of the handle digging into my hand. I replaced the old handle with a new wood and metal file handle. It should outlast me, but it was about a 45-minute job to get it fitted properly.

After the weeding, which took a couple of hours, I had a meeting at SA and then went to Goebbert’s and got my plants. It was a really small selection, but I got mostly what I needed, other than parsley, beets, and spinach. I needed a nap after that. (The first day of gardening after sitting on my butt in front of a computer all winter comes as a shock.) My energy was restored after that, and I took my Ryobi electric stapler and connected the bottom of the fencing to the wood frame around the beds to keep my rabbit friends out of the patch. Then I planted peas and 9 Imperial broccoli plants. Imperial is a new variety for Goebbert’s. They have supplied Green Comet in the past. That finished the bed. I’ll plant pole beans in June when the peas are done.

Then I planted the greens in the first bed and am hoping that the taller sides on that bed will discourage the rabbits. We’ll see. Planting was easy as I had rototilled in the fall, so I just needed to break the surface up with the trowel. I planted 6 Green Romaine and 6 Red Romaine. I really like the Red Romaine, and they didn’t have it last year. Then I put in 6 Red Kale, 5 Mustard Greens, and 3 Chinese cabbage. Somehow I grabbed two packs of Mustard Greens rather than two packs of Chinese cabbage. I really need to check what I buy as this happens every year.

I have Rosemary to plant yet, but that will happen tomorrow.