Folks who are use to the conventional garden with straight rows of one crop per row and bare ground don’t often know my garden is a vegetable garden. I’m not sure what they think it is.
One of my favorite stories to prove that point took place some years before Bill died. It was a particularly abundant year and everything was producing even more than usual. I had different varieties of lettuces, kale, cabbages, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, peas, herbs, potatoes, asparagus, strawberries and other things I can’t even remember.
As long time readers will recall my saying — I’ve been buying straw from the same family for over 40 years. The patriarch of the family has passed into history. His son (the 2nd generation) now brings my straw. And his son (the third generation) is the young friend I mentioned in the last post.
The big rolls of straw are positioned about 5 feet from the garden..
After unloading the straw during one delivery, he looked out over the 2500 square feet of garden and said, “You know, if you ever decide to have a vegetable garden you’ll do really well.”
As you might imagine I had no idea what to say. So I said nothing.
Early Spring Garden – April 11
At the upper end of the garden looking to the lower end.
You should be able to click on the picture and enlarge it to get a better look.
What’s in the Picture
At the bottom of the picture is the long loose pile of chickweed, henbit, and other wild plants that I’ve just cleared from the bed adjoining that path in order to plant peas there.
I’ll gather and “tighten” the pile to take less space and give me room to walk.
The warmer the temperatures the more quickly it will decay and once again become part of my rich garden soil.
One tomato stake is standing as a reminder that I planted something there.
Several are stacked in a path until I’m ready to use them.
Mache
The light frothy green that appears in the picture above the loose pile is Mache flowering and going to seed. Since Mache is my favorite green and helps sustain me through the winter there is no such thing as too much. It reseeds all over my garden and appears again each fall.
When Mache finishes its cycle something else can fill the spaces it occupied.
Close up of Mache in bloom
Above the mass of blooming Mache is the last fall planting of Winter Density lettuce.
Winter Density
And on the other side of the lettuce bed is another patch of fall planted garlic.
Purchased Cover Crops Again After 10 Years
Cover crops are the tall dense greens you see in the picture.
Several rows of cover crops I’ve already cut to the ground. Most likely I’ll plant beans in those beds.
If the roots are in the process of decaying and/or they’re not too dense I’ll make a hole for each bean. Usually the covers of oats and peas die off over the winter. But this winter was so mild die-off didn’t happen until cutting them to the ground.
If I have to I take I’ll remove the roots and lay them either beside the bed or on top of the bed to finish decaying.
Covers not yet cut
Soon the covers that are still growing will be cut. Then warm weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cukes when big enough will go into those beds. If oats or field peas continue to grow they can be used as a living mulch. (But I’ll keep them cut.)
The bed of field peas in the picture below is designated for three or four tomato plants. The field peas will be a living mulch for the tomatoes until they die off.
When they do I’ll add more mulch around the tomatoes.
Closer view of bed of field peas as a cover crop.
Diversity
This is the first year since before Bill died that I was able to plant purchased cover crops into some of the beds last fall. Long time readers will know that when I don’t have bought ones growing I use my wild plants (some folks call them weeds) to feed and improve the soil.
I was glad to have something besides my wild plants for the sake of diversity.
Diversity is another secret to your garden’s success. Each plant offers something different for your soil as it decays. So the more variety you have the better off your soil is.
Blueberry Bushes
At the top right of the photo the blueberry bushes are in bloom. For the last decade there has been a continuing decline in the number of bees that show up to pollinate the blooms.
I was delighted to see a bit of increase this year.
Behind Me
From where the picture of the overall view of the garden was taken there were 3 more rows behind me. One is filled with onion seedlings And the other two are currently empty.
The other side of the center path in this upper section is filled with strawberries, some potatoes and asparagus.
Strawberries in bloom and a plant of wild cress
Entrance Path
My entrance gate is close to the lower end of the garden on the right hand side.
Entrance path to the garden. Once you get to the wild cress’s yellow bloom the center path goes left and right.
What’s in the Entrance Path Picture
A closer view of the Yellow bloom of wild Cress in the entrance path picture.
Once you pass the cress, the tall dense greens are rows of cover crops that I’ve not yet cut.
To the right of the cress are peas just showing themselves through the straw.
Top corner far right is another row of Winter Density lettuce which does not show well. With the lettuce are 3 pieces of arugula in full bloom and setting seed at the same time. In the overall garden picture you can also see these 3 pieces in bloom and to the right of them (across the path) you’ll see more arugula in bloom with a short row of cover crops.
Arugula in full bloom.
Arugula in full bloom and setting seed at the top of the stem.
In the top left corner of the Entrance Path picture is some garlic. I didn’t have a large space last fall that I could designate for garlic so I planted it wherever I had a small spot that was free.
A spot of Fall planted garlic
Not Shown in the Entrance Path Picture
but was to my left as I took the picture is a Kalibos cabbage seedling that made it through the winter. I planted 4 but don’t see but the one.
Based on experience the other 3 could still show up even though I can’t see them. I was shocked the year that 3 I thought had not made it showed up unexpectedly. They ended up as 3 of the most beautiful cabbages in the garden.’
Here’s a picture of the one that definitely made it.
Kalibos cabbage seedling
Close to the cabbage seedling is Reine Des Glaces lettuce that is being somewhat concealed by the Mache that has bloomed.
Mache bloom and Reine des Glaces lettuce
And directly across from the yellow blooming cress at the edge of that row of cover crops was a large parsley plant. What a great surprise that was. Evidently the oats and field peas gave it a lot of protection during the winter and it’s now gorgeous!
Parsley from last year. It’s much prettier in real life than in this picture.
Spinach
For some reason spinach has never done all that well for me. But I love it and it’s got a lot of good nutrients so I’m trying again.
I just transplanted these seedlings to the garden the other day.
Spinach seedlings.
Final Thoughts
There’s not a lot visible in the garden this time of year, but I thought you might want to see it before it grows up so much.
Wishing you a great start to the season!
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