“What is so rare as a day in June?” Especially when it’s not even the last week of March. I don’t know what the temperature was, but I slathered myself with sunscreen, donned shorts and a sleeveless shirt and headed for the garden. There isn’t really much I can do right now, but it’s hard to stay away.
The full garden; small wooden stakes are paint stir sticks and mark rows.
Right now, the garden is a combination of perennials, plants that wintered over, and newly planted seeds. I plant in stages, trying to time harvests so the cool season crops are ready when the warm weather crops need to go in. I planted a lot of lettuces and greens, including some I have never grown before, such as Broccoli Raab and Cornetto di Bordeaux. Both have come up, as has the chard, an all-
season crop, which will replace last year’s chard after it bolts.
This chard is still tasty; I'll be harvesting it completely soon, though.
Carrots and spinach are sprouting as well, but I am despairing of the onions, scallions, and parsley. I planted more of each hoping that the weekend’s predicted rain will help this batch be more successful.
The cold frame is doing its job protecting my tomato and eggplant seedlings and a volunteer lettuce. The seedling starts at home have also done well, with some sturdy looking tomatoes I’ll be able to give away and plant in a few more weeks.
Clockwise from top Roma, Amana Orange, and Celebrity tomatoes, and Black Beauty eggplant.
I’ve also had extraordinary luck with columbine outside my fence where the depredations of dogs and drunks make it hard to grow things. Now the columbines, which had pink and white blossoms, have seeded and come up inside the fence, so I’ve been transplanting them as well as giving them away. A hardy plant along a hot sidewalk is hard to find, so I’m encouraging them as much as possible.
A hardy Columbine volunteer...
In the next few weeks, I hope to harvest food for myself as well as AFAC’s Plot Against Hunger and maybe do a few vegetable exchanges with fellow gardeners. With gardening there are so many variables, but I’m hoping for a good year and looking forward to radishes and peas soon.
The oregano is coming back as the arugula, upper right, bolts. I just used the last of my dried oregano this week.
arlingwords 