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Hi Reader,

Well this last week we have had all.the.weather: sun and 70, hail, rain, and one morning that was frighteningly close to frost! Seeing the weather in the rest of the country on social media and the news, though, makes me think we're all in the same boat pretty much! Wild April I guess. 😀

Thankfully, my little seedlings have been enjoying the greenhouse. I did move some zinnias and other flower seedlings to the greenhouse from the house last weekend and they've done great with no other type of hardening off. I'm going to plant them this weekend, I think, though I will set them out for a few hours a day a couple days before. Next up I'm going to move the tomato and pepper seedlings out. I'm a little nervous about that though, since the greenhouse can get really hot before I notice it sometimes (the other day it was 56 outside and 90 degrees inside!). We don't have electricity for a fan yet and it does cool down nicely when I open the door and window, so it should all go okay.😬

Right now I have major gardening on the mind, wanting to get things planted and feeling behind from 2 months of not being able to do much with my wrist out of action. So meals have been pretty basic and I haven't been planning a week in advance (first time in years, really!). I have been going each morning to the freezer and fridge to see what we have to use up and planning meals from that. Which has actually been a pretty good way to use up more things that have been languishing in the back corners.

What's popular right now

I checked my Google stats to find what recipes and articles people are visiting the most right now and it's a fun mix! You can definitely see what is on gardener's minds in April (and I wonder if the granola bars are because of all the spring sports - I would always make them for our daughter's track meets!).

• ​Homemade Granola Bars in 30 Minutes​
• ​DIY Watering System for Gardens • Easy & Inexpensive​
• ​Easy 30 Minute Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe​
• ​5 Easy Ways To Add Cottage Curb Appeal • No Matter How Old Your Home​
• ​Easy Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing Recipe • Make Ahead​
• ​Trellising Tomatoes The Easy Way​

From The Blog

​Slow Cooker Barley with Curry and Carrots​ A slow cooker (read: hands-off!) barley recipe with curry and carrots is an easy side dish packed with flavor that's healthy and frugal. RECIPE HERE!

​11+ of the Easiest Vegetables to Grow (+ 4 That Aren't)​ The truly easiest vegetables to grow that produce well with less effort, plus a few to avoid for a productive, low-maintenance garden. READ IT HERE!

A Few More Things

A friend emailed be recently to ask about the type of black plastic I use under permanent gravel paths and patios, which made me think to mention it here, too, in case anyone is creating some new areas. I use this 6 mil thick black plastic (which you can also find in 10 and 20 foot widths) under all our gravel areas (like the Sunken Garden). People always ask how I don't have weeds and this is it: no weeds come up from below or on the sides (like terrible landscape fabric does where the weed roots just grow through it from all directions - arrgh) and any weeds that blow in are easy to pull up, roots and all because they can't find any footing. The edges of the gravel over time create tiny holes that allow water to filter through so I've never had any pooling, even after heavy rains. I also use this to kill areas of noxious weeds - simply lay it over an area, weighting the edges down with rocks and leave for a couple months and let the sun and heat kill the weeds (you can see that in action here). (NOTE: This is for permanent paths, I do not recommend this with any topping that disintegrates, like wood chips or straw because the plastic won't totally be covered all the time and will tear and break up more. For those areas I recommend cardboard, like my vegetable garden.)

I just found the most recent installment of the Countess of Harleigh Mysteries on Hoopla and am enjoying being in this world again! I just really like the narrator, Sarah Zimmerman - and the story set in Paris in 1900 is just as fun as the other books.

Thank you for reading and supporting me and An Oregon Cottage - you are the best!!

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