April in the Garden

Spring arrived tentatively this year, but it feels like we’ve really turned the corner now. The grass seems to have greened up over night and lots of seedlings are breaking through the soil.

The peas and fava beans are all up and growing. This is my first time growing favas and I’m really excited about them. When I lived in New York I used to get them from a lady at the Union Square farmers market but I never see them at the markets here.

The garlic seems to be taller and greener every day. I’m so looking forward to having fresh garlic to eat. I’m at the end of last year’s supply and it’s looking pretty sad.

What I’m most excited for right now is rhubarb. I just can’t get over how much it grows every day. In a few weeks I’ll be enjoying stewed rhubarb with my morning yogurt. I can’t wait!

Emergence

Last week I was listening to a recent episode of the A Way to Garden podcast, in which the host Margaret Roach was talking to her sister Marion about what she’s dubbed “urgent garden questions.” Marion was saying that this time of year she spends a lot of time wondering if things are dead. This struck a chord with me, because like Marion I tend to be impatient, and I have a hard time believing that my perennials will have survived the winter. Continue reading →

March in the Garden

March in the garden is shaping up to look an awful lot like February in the garden this year. We had a couple of nice 50 degree days two weeks ago, and I really thought I’d be able to plant my peas by now. But winter returned last week and we got another 6 or 8 inches of snow. As of this afternoon there was still an inch or two on the ground. I stood there for a while staring at the snow, as if I could will it to melt away if I stared hard enough.

Continue reading →

Some Much Needed Color

Saint Patrick’s Day is supposed to be pea planting time, but with temperatures barely getting above freezing today, I was hunkered down inside instead of digging in the garden. Winter seems determined to hang on a little while longer this year, and outside the spring bulbs are just barely beginning to push up through the soil.

This time of year the spring flower shows at the Smith College and Mount Holyoke College Botanic Gardens are the perfect antidote to the late winter gloom outside. Continue reading →

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