The snow has melted, and the sun came out long enough for me to get outside and see if the garden beds had warmed enough to plant. They were sufficiently defrosted, so I planted our 4×8 bed with all of the radish seeds I could find:  French Breakfast Radish, Plum Purple Radish and Cherry Belle.

I basically just split the bed into three 8 foot rows and spread each type in a row. Nothing fancy. If they get mixed together, it won’t matter. They should be finishing up just in time for us to get the bed ready for corn, red beans and squash. I am hoping to have lots of radish to ferment and pickle this year!

One of the difficulties I have had in the past couple of years – is growing salad greens. When we purchase them from the grocery store, it’s super expensive and they go bad before we can finish eating them. I have been searching for some kind of green that will grow easily and come back each year. I finally found Claytonia (Miner’s Lettuce) and Mache that should re-seed and act like perennial greens with a potential of over wintering in a cold frame or small hoop-house.

In the back garden:
       

For this 4×4 bed, I pushed back the straw layer and pulled out a few little spring weeds. I divided the bed into four squares and planted one square each of Claytonia, Mache, Oak Leaf Lettuce and Arugula. When the Arugula and Oak leaf (left side of the bed) are finished, I have Purple Grape Tomato plants to put in. The plan is that they will grow on the south side of the bed and shade the Claytonia and Mache so it continues to grow through the summer. If this doesn’t work, we will find something to shade the greens during the hottest part of summer.

On both of the beds, I laid some fencing down to cover and keep the feral cats out. I will probably get some cattle panels or mesh wire that will be able to stay over the beds permanently and keep the cats from using them as litter boxes…

So that’s the beginning. I took a look around the garden and most everything is budding. Strawberries are greening, Chives and Sorrel are coming up. I’m so impressed by these three and how they have grown in the last two years:  Pear, Autumn Olive and Hazelnuts.

The first of the plants I ordered will arrive on Friday.  So begins the daily “work” in the garden – although it doesn’t really seem like work.

Happy Spring!
~Michele