"First Day of School" Delay

I don't know how I'm feeling right now. I'm not a mother but I suppose what I could be feeling is that hundreds of my children just went off to their first day of school. In the garden they are so little, so pure, so sweet. How am I supposed to know that they'll even make it through the night? I don't, and that's why I think I've just become an irrational gardener...or am I?

After transforming the plot from this:

To this (11 yards of organic compost later):

I carefully set out my plants in their containers according to my plans. They looked so small in the large plot, they looked almost as if I would lose them in the vast darkness of compost. I saw the wind tousling them around and I felt the chill on my arms. NO! I can't do this! I snatched up all of the trays (I had to make several snatching trips) and took them to the patio. What was I thinking I wondered. I can't move my seedlings directly from the warmth of my apartment and my tender care just like that.

That's one of the first things you learn in a propagation class. You must harden them off first. Technically, you should move them to a lath house for at least 7-10 days and you should only harden them off for a few hours and build up their tolerance until they are ready to be on their own. I won't wait the full time just because I'm just not that way nor that thorough. Ideally, I'll plant them mid next week.

This is giving me a bit of time to review my garden plans and reorganize if need be. I've already decided on a new plan but I'm sure I'll adjust it again by the time I plant.

Today's accomplishments include, moving all of my trays of seedlings about 20 miles and not killing any of them, completing soil preparation, adding a new super to my bee hive and cleaning the frames, and moving my plants around for no reason. But most importantly, I have honey!!! I took my first taste today. I think they are making honey out of the sugar water that I've supplied to get my newly caught swarm started. I'm cutting them off now. They are doing marvelously - I'm such a proud bee mom right now. I just realized today that the bees I'm seeing today don't even know that they were ever a swarm. The original bees that I caught have most likely expired (except for the queen). It's just so amazing to me that there is constant coming and going of little bee souls and they all work seamlessly together. Once again, they are such amazing little creatures.

Here are some pictures from today's hive opening:

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and per my mom's request, I'm working with her in the yard tomorrow. No wonder why gardening is engrained in me. I think we'll be planting corn and okra and trimming back the dreaded Vinca major.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there!

Daphne