March Forth

It really does feel as if winter is behind us. There was a slight chill in the air as I headed outdoors this morning in my long-sleeved sweatshirt. The sweatshirt provided the perfect amount of protection from the March wind, but I soon discovered that sunglasses would be a necessary accessory. The brilliant sun shone down, making for a very pleasant half-day in the garden.

Occasional clouds blew overhead, creating large temporary shadows.  Alas, by 3:00pm the clouds were overtaking the blue sky.  The afternoon took on a decidedly gray character and 51 degrees in the breeze felt a bit cool. No worries! By then, I was in the house, washing and cooking fresh-cut greens for the coming week.

There were plenty of chores to do in the garden.  It's transition time!

Collards

The arugula bolted long ago. The collards and the tender-green mustard began to bolt this week.

Tender-Green Mustard

I left the mustard and the arugula for now, but harvested all the collards. The leaves were sturdy, yet tender ... a dark green that foretells the nutritious deliciousness that is in store. The worn-out broccoli was next in line. After I had cut the last of the tasty side-shoots, I pulled up the plants.  All the leftovers got thrown into the chicken pen.  I prepared that bed - as well as the one next to it, along the chicken fence - for potatoes. The potatoes will be primed and ready to plant in a day or two.

I moved on to the other greens, cutting the mustard that hasn't bolted yet, plus lots of kale, and spinach.

ALL the beds needed weeding. The chick weed in particular is coming on strong.

The bush cherries are blooming! First time since I planted them in spring of 2010.  I'm looking forward to the promise of "highly productive" plants.

The fava beans have been blooming all winter. It's going to be interesting to see the bean pods form and figure out how to eat those things. They require extra processing ... will they be worth the trouble?

I planted an empty bed in beets ... one row of Forono variety, and two rows of Ruby Queen ...and a half bed (next to lettuces and spinach) in a mix of radishes and tendersweet carrots. A few of the peas Andrew planted a month ago have sprouted, but the germination rate was not good. I started soaking some sugarsnap peas yesterday and planted them today to fill in the rows.

Spinach and Lettuce

We will enjoy the fruits of my labor this week ... a big mess of mixed greens, a pot of collards, the last bit of broccoli ... plus spinach and lettuce.  I love this time of year when the greens are plentiful and the bugs are absent!