A couple of weeks ago I quadrupled the 3' x 8' potato patch I had cleared in the front yard last fall; the Mantis Tiller we acquired made fast work of that chore! Today I planted about 3' x 12' of potatoes -- reds, purple and yellow steamers and Russian fingerlings.All "seed" came from the market -- some as food we intended to eat but which sprouted, some bought as seed expressly. These should be edible by late summer and fall, and fall potatoes can go in again come October or November.
We just finished eating the last of the forced-harvest of potatoes after the Great Freeze of '07. Had the freeze not come, we would be pulling those first 'taters now, and the rest of the crop in May, June or so. But 'twas not to be.
South "Forty"
Also planted out the rest of the South Forty (forty linear feet that is, 2' x 20'). Two kinds of lettuce, spinach, some green onions all going great guns. Cauliflower has given up its three tiny heads, and in the morning the failed cauliflower patch will be planted in bush peas.
Also tonight put in two kinds of pole beans, standard blue-lake and something called "Italian" pole beans and marked "rare," both from the organic, sustainable folks at Seeds-of-Change. The pole beans are right beside the chain link fence, so no polls needed I hope. Two kinds of bush beans are along the front of the planting bed.
Of course, the last time I planted beans and peas it didn't work out so well. The peas were scrawny and vexed by the heat, and didn't get planted in enough quantity despite knowing that a pea patch did not do well on two or three plants. Last fall's beans never sprouted at all. (Or maybe got eaten. We shall see!)
Garlic Greens
Meanwhile, the horse trough is planted half to garlic and some green onions; in a few more more weeks I will plant the other half to spread the maturations. I like having garlic greens and even young green garlic for summer cooking.
If you have never tried garlic greens, you owe it to yourself to try 'em in salads or any place a green onion or chive would go nicely. Mild garlic flavor and a little crunch is quite yummy. You can snip them of with scissors judiciously and not harm the growing bulbs. You could even plant a few store-bought cloves in a little clay pot and snip greens all summer without worrying about the clove development.
Speaking of chives -- they are a perennial, and I didn't have a spot to dedicate to 'em just yet, so they were planted in a large pot on the patio. So far, no sprouts, and I would have expected them by now. With any luck they will be up by next weekend.
Weather has been mild, 30's and 40's at night, 70's during the day. A little rain last week and the week before. One useful trick is that I can now double check to see what the rain and temps have been like all week not just relying on intuition. Our backyard weather station is online at WeatherUnderground.com by clicking here.
Bee Buzz
Spring is always a time we anticipate the bees (a good thing) and maybe I'm just paranoid, but they seem a little sparce this year. Boysenberry and apple blooms usually bring them in in great droves, but the visitation seems a little light. Hope this is just my imagination and not a sign of the greater bee-catastrophe that is bothering commercial bee keepers.
