What’s Growing?

Using a wheel hoe.

In the spring we watch the weather reports closely to weigh the risk of planting too early and losing our new plants to freeze and frost.   We’re often out until it’s too dark to see our boots anymore, squeezing as much garden and farmwork into our days as we can.  All the plowing and harrowing has been done for now.  Four thousand little onions and over four hundred pounds of seed potatoes have been tucked into their rows, one by one. Rows of  beets, lettuces, peas, carrots, garlic,arugula, kale, bok choi and spinach  are all marching through Abundance, Bountiful, Paradies, Hazon and Teikei Gardens.

Winter-dormant  spinach and kale have awakened from their soggy naps to stretch new growth into the spring sunshine we’re getting these days.

The peas will have their trellises when they are ready so they can discover how to attach and climb.

Tomato plants will soon be settled into our newest and largest hoop house in Boo Radley, a new growing area just west of the barn.  Last season our tomato harvest from there was very abundant and almost totally free of the dreaded hornworms.

Outside in other garden patches we have rhubarb, asparagus and herbs growing.  Most of the blueberry bushes and the strawberries seem to have survived the brutal drought of last year.  Zinnia and other cottage flower seed will be sown soon.