Spring Garden Up-Date

It's always so exciting to see new life in the garden, when you realize that the seeds you have planted have germinated and have begun to grow! I was so amazed by this the first year I had my garden -- and I never grow tired of it.



My shelling peas (Alaska) have poked through the earth and are an inch or so long. If I look very closely, I think I see something starting in the carrot (Nantes) bed. I have diligently kept these moist because if this is what carrots like (they do), then this is what they will get! All of my transplants are doing well: leaf lettuces (Salad Bowl and Red Sails); a nonspecified type of romaine; Swiss chard (Bright Lights); and a nondescript mesclun mix (called "European").



In between the lettuce and mesclun transplants, I have scattered seeds. Thus far, the arugula is the most productive. Not so much for the red lettuces (Outredgeous and Silvia)! Likewise, no sign of life for the beets, chard seeds (Lucullus), or the dandelion greens for the geese.


However, most of all, I am excited because I have finally seen life in the fava bean section! Five daring little shoots have pushed through the ground at this point -- eight more to go, if I am to have 100% germination. We shall see! I've heard they can be temperamental. Keep your fingers crossed!



About half the garden is planted at this point. The other half still needs to be cleared -- and I need to get busy because I anticipate my tomato and pepper live plant order from Burpee very shortly.



But, wait -- oh, no! What about the beans, the cukes, the Brussels sprouts, the edamame, the bok choy? The gardener's perpetual dilemma -- what if there's not enough room to plant all that I want? Somehow, I suppose I will find the room -- or expand my garden!