We stopped by the p-patch on the way home from school this afternoon and discovered that the garlic planted last fall is doing swimmingly. I used some maple leaves in the fall as a mulch, and the garlic now is growing through the leaves. Not just pushing the leaves aside and growing up between them, although there's plenty of that going on. No, this is garlic greens literally poking holes through the maple leaves and then pushing through and up, so the maple leaf is actually suspended several inches off the ground. I'm sorry I didn't have a camera with me - and that it didn't occur to me til just now - or I would post a picture.

There's also some kale chugging along out there, and a thin population of fava beans which will need to be cut down and turned under soon. I'm afraid my cover crop ambitions didn't turn out so well. I'm not sure if I should blame the fall weather or myself for not getting the seeds sown in a timely fashion. No, it's probably my fault, since I waited for the summer crops to be done before sowing the fava beans, thus shortchanging them on a couple weeks of growing time before the weather did whatever it did (I don't really remember what it did in November). I like the idea of cover crops, but I think I'm probably working in too small a space to really do succession planting right.

I was surprised to find two clusters of pansies that are doing really well, blooming even. I may dig them up and move them to the backyard since the space around my clematis is bare.

As we came to the house, Caitlyn noticed the crocus in the front yard starting to bloom. She's so excited about spring and summer that she's started breaking out last summer's wardrobe. Nothing fits, of course, which means it goes nicely (she thinks) underneath her winter clothes. I keep having to tell her to take the shorts off before she puts the tights on.