Friday, April 29, 2016

Chilly Greens

This spring is proving once again that the wisdom of the Olde Tymers is worth listening to.  In this episode we are experiencing why it is recommended to wait until Mother's Day to put seedlings into the ground.  This becomes a tricky balancing act between the excitement of getting seed catalogs while there is snow on the ground, planning out what the gardens will look like at its highpoint, and getting the seeds started.  So sometimes things can get a little leggy before it is possible to put the seedlings in the ground.  Back in 2008 we had similar problems where we lost hundreds of plants to a cold snap and now, eight years later, we are dealing with another extended cold spring and some of the plants are looking to get in the ground.  There is even a small cucumber popping out.
Of course there are plants that can be directly seeded early on according to other Olde Tymer wisdom as early as St. Patrick's Day, such as lettuces and spinach
 peas and radish
Some plants are hardy enough to over winter such as sage
 and chives
and we put garlic in back around the first frost
Things are bound to warm up soon and before we know it the gardens are going to be overflowing with plants we have seen before and new ones that look so good in the catalogs' photos.

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