Spring Gardening

I suppose some gardeners have their plots ready to plant. They've added the chicken manure and had sifted out the roots clumps missed in the fall. I have done nothing--I admit it, I'm a bad gardener. I've been socializing, working on my writing and art, and learning to tango. But the truth is, when spring comes, the urge to get my hands in the soil becomes too strong to resist.

One of the first things to remember is, plant after the soil has warmed. If you plant too soon the seeds will rot in the cold, damp soil. You can plant indoors or in your cold frame. This will satisfy the early bird gardener. I've always found it interesting that the longer I wait, the faster the seeds sprout and the more quickly they grow.

Two early plants you might want to experiment with are peas and potatoes. Peas will need the soil to be warmed a bit too, as they also can rot. If you have trouble with birds nipping off the sprouts, cover your row with garden cloth, or you can cover the plants with upturned recycled plastic containers. I do this with zucchini so the plants aren't mowed down by slugs. The clear plastic makes like a little greenhouse for the plant to get off to a more flourishing start, too.

Okay, if you want to get out there--do. Have fun.

Ciao! Flower

Green Coral Lettuce

Section off part of your garden for greens. This might include spinach, mixed greens, lettuce, kale, chard, etc. I was always told not to use etc. in my writing, but hey, I don't recall all the names of greens and it's easy to look in the catalogue and pick out something new to try. Remember some are peppery and some are bitter. You could acquire a taste for bitter if you are a person who loves sweets. It's good to eat the bitter to counter the sweet--good for the body.

Well, my garden friend was heading toward the garden the other day and when I saw him I felt glad that he might do a little work on my plot--which he said he'd help with this year. I also felt the ongoing garden guilt I feel when I don't pay enough attention to my garden. My life is very full, as is yours, I'm sure. So unless gardening is something you spend all your time at, time in the yard may have to be scheduled. This seems ridiculous to say, but the weeks fly by with all the things on the list: groceries, work, kids, friends, husbands, lovers, etc. Oh, there's that etc. now. Yes, staying busy is good, but let's not forget how good it feels to get our hands in the soil. Grounding. And now, it may be even more important to substain ourselves at our own hands.

Order seeds now from seed catalogues and then, when the soil is warm, and/or when your newspaper pots or peat pots are lush with seedlings, go out there and plant. Preparation of the soil is hard if you're having lots of rain and the soil is cold and soggy. So don't get discouraged, just keep at it when you can. Happy spring--almost.

Ciao! Flower

Kale Seed

If you left you kale to seed last year you will have plants coming up in the spring. Weed them out except for the number you want to transplant into a row for this year. Kale has the highest calcium content of any green. I eat greens in the morning with my eggs. Lately it has been kale from the coop, organic. Lots of times it's spinach with goat cheese.

Try different types of kale in the garden, there are curlie types, red kales, purple kales. Kale is delicious sauteed with a little tamari and raisins. Very delicious.

Happy Gardening, Flower