Springing Into The Garden

We have had such a lovely early start to the spring season here that things are a bit ahead I think. Steve and I spent the day in the garden on Sunday, planting the peas, carrots, parsley and a few extra potatoes that my Mom brought with her when they came for Mother’s Day dinner. 

She had them leftover from my garden last summer and they had such amazing sprouts on them that we couldn’t resist digging a few extra holes and popping them in. They are a European variety called Pixie. We grew them last year and really liked them. More waxy than starchy they are a great variety for roasting, my most common way of preparing potatoes.

After being cooped up all winter it is always such a delight to finally spend at least the warm parts of the day soaking up some vitamin D and enjoying the sound of chickadees and finches.

The honey bees were out too, which always makes me happy. They were busy in my espaliered apple tree and the nanking cherries, the first of the season to flower out. We had these cool tiny bees that were swirling around our feet in the garden too. I have no idea what they are but I welcome them, and of course there was the big worker bee who got the row of peas planted. That is a job I dislike so I’m glad that he has decided that it’s his job.

Signs of life are everywhere. The tulips are in full bloom and soon the garden will be brimming with other early bloomers like allium and peonies. I even have a clematis that is ready to bloom – that seems super early to me but I’ll take it.

In the mean time I’ve planted up a pot of cilantro for the patio and have been babying the cucumbers, squash and greens that I started on the window sill in March. They’ve been in and out of the garage daily to harden them off and prepare them for whatever our crazy weather might throw at them.

This year I’ve started some collard and mustard greens, which I’m looking forward to trying. We can’t easily get them here as fresh produce so I’ve started just a few to see if I like them. 

To use up the rest of the unused seeds I filled a few clamshell containers with an inch or so of potting soil and thickly spread the leftover seeds. I’ll use these as tasty micro greens as soon as they have sprouted. Not sure why I’ve never thought of doing that before but I can’t wait to give it a try. I potted up some peas as well as some radishes, which I had three packages of for some reason. I’ll do the mustard and collard greens in a few weeks so that I spread out the harvest.

Micro greens don’t need much soil since they are eaten before they grow much in the way of roots so clamshell packages are perfect for growing them in. They are shallow and they come not only with built in drainage holes but also with their own vented covers – virtual mini greenhouses! 

If I enjoy growing them maybe I’ll invest in some sprouting trays.