Spring has Sprung! (Sort of...)

Ok, so it has been abnormally cold here, but according to our "usual" last frost date of May 4, (Zone 5) I have started my seeds!

A few weeks ago I planted grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, parsley, oregano, mint, and thyme.
I am also going testing out artichokes from seed this year, which should be interesting. I should have planted them a couple weeks ago, but couldn't find any seeds. Let's face it, who besides a crazy person like me tries to grow artichokes? So I had to order them online and started them a little late!

Anywho, this weekend was the first one that was warm enough to start gardening outside. Of course since we just bought our first house, it is taking me a bit to pick up all the right tools so I can actually do some yard work. Have you ever seen how a wheelbarrow fits inside of a Honda Civic? Want to?

 Poor B2 (that's my car's name) is really getting a workout this spring.

The project this weekend was planing my hops. No, not like a bunny hops... beer hops! (See the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops) All you really need to know is that they are an important ingredient in beer, and they grow trellised on long vines (but they call them "bines" just to be confusing).
I tried them last year but failed miserably, and only 1 out of 6 grew. This year WILL be better!

Here is Dear Husband (DH) digging out the two ornamental grasses for me. Doesn't he look ruggedly handsome shoveling in his flannel shirt? (I think so)

Let me tell you, these grasses were a bear! They were VERY overgrown and I had to use a hacksaw to cut them apart! Each one probably took about an hour and a half to get out. Needless to say, the other seven are staying right where they are at for now.

So I found out we have very sandy soil, so I needed to add some nutrients. It just so happened that the previous home owner left four bags of garden soil hidden behind the shed, jackpot! So I mixed that with two bags of compost (had to buy at the store since I don't have my own pile going yet). Also thew in some slow release fertilizer, mixed it all together and planted the hops.
Hops grow from rhizomes, similar to iris flowers. Basically it is a large piece of root that sits pretty close to the surface and the "bines" come off of there. Now the funny thing about hops is that they can grow really fast. When mature (2-3 years) they can grow up to a foot in one day and end up around 20 ft! Since we don't want them sprawling across the lawn and Eva (puppy) chewing them up, you have to set up your trellis when you plant them.
Another funny thing about hops is that all you have to put up is a rope, and (after just a little encouragement) they will actually "climb" the rope as they go, winding themselves around it clockwise as they follow the sun! How cool is Mother Nature?

So here is a picture of the end product after an exhausting weekend:
You can see I set up 3 ropes (each rope has 3 plants below it). It is tough to tell from the picture, but the ropes actually extend over the deck and attach to the house, so as DH is grilling out in the summer he may just get a little shade as well.
I will post more pictures as they start to (hopefully) grow. I have got to be able to get at least 1 out of 9!