Another vegetable is in season locally. I’m not sure why one of the easiest vegetables to grow has eluded me since I started gardening. Hm. Perhaps it in fact is not one of the easiest vegetables to grow? If it gets too much heat, they go woody and overly hot. They need to grow fast and cool. I think. What … Read More
Pausing to Appreciate Asparagus
It has been one crazy month. Lots of landscaping – hence the steady hum of static on the blog. Every spare moment has been allocated to breaking ground, building beds, seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, moving soil, gravel, and rocks, building compost, and harvesting. It’s been a gloriously busy month after a long winter and heavily snow-laden spring. Thankfully much of … Read More
An Evolution in Spring Salad
This is new territory for me. I can’t say I’ve ever had a salad of mache, blanched dandelions, baby red Russian kale, baby arugula – with a splash of mustard greens and mizuna. My previous assumption was that spinach was the first greens of the year. This year, the transplants for the cold frames won the race by a mile. … Read More
Rhubarb
I swear, abstinence makes things taste better. Having not had it since last year, a feed of rhubarb is a welcome twang of early season, fresh, fruity flavor. It feels surreal to be harvesting things right now, having only recently been buried in snow. This rhubarb harvest reminded me how important perennials are. Nearly all of the joys I’ve been … Read More
The Early-May Garden
Fronteac Grape bud swelling Wild chive at the peak of its youth
Blanched Dandelions
I’m starting to see dandelions as the single-most misunderstood wild food. People spend much time eradicating their robust roots from their monoculture of lawn. They spend money on toxic pesticides and various pieces of equipment designed specifically aimed at waging war on the dandelion. As I have in the past, I will offer the ultimate solution: eat them. Only this … Read More
One Month Early
Mission accomplished? My goal at the onset was to produce garden produce earlier than normal for my growing zone. How much earlier was to be determined, but my goal was a month prior to the May long weekend, when baby greens normally start to supply our kitchen. Today is that month prior. How did it go? I have to admit … Read More
Cold Frame Snow Protection
We get snow at this time of year. It’s a sad fact. I remember big dumps of wet snow in May when leaves were out, seriously bending, breaking, and otherwise damaging trees. My garden notes from last year read: “May 30th: Well, it snowed a lot. Again. I’d say the rain barrels were refilled 3-4 times over, so maybe equivalent … Read More
Direct Sown Seedlings
Germination. Although the snow has taken a serious beating as of late, my north garage bed that in the past has provided for copious greens is still under about 2′ of snow. But in the cold frames, life has begun. Arugula [seen left], radish [bottom], spinach, and the mesclun and ‘greens’ mixes are showing their faces. Not a great accomplishment … Read More
In Season: Wild Chive
I’m a little surprised, after quite a few years of gardening, that a perennial poking it’s new growth out gets me as excited as it does. That little piece of happiness is something I cherish about growing things – a simple pleasure embodied in change that by its nature forces abstinence, making its re-visit in a year as pleasureful as … Read More