After a very long and snowy winter, the vegetable garden is free of snow. I have been aching to get my hands dirty and I have done just that this week. The Spring birds are back and their various songs just add to the joy I feel working the soil.
Planting Peas
In my opinion, one of the best reasons to grow your own vegetables
is the unique advantage of harvesting peas and enjoying them fresh.
I love fresh peas. Until you’ve grown your own, you really don’t know
how delicious they really are. The old adage “fresh is best” applies
to peas more than any other vegetable I’ve ever grown.
This year, I am planting some left over seeds from last season, a variety known as KARINA. Aside from their great taste fresh, they also freeze well. For planting instructions, please use the search button on the homepage and type in “Planting
Peas’.
Planting Onions
My wife Catherine doesn’t spend much time working the vegetable
garden but she does help planting the onions every year. I purchase plants which arrive in late March/early April. We try to get them in the ground as soon as possible. Like garlic, I plant my onions in four foot rows, six inches apart, rows 6″ apart. We planted three varieties: Walla Walla, a sweet onion to enjoy in mid to late Summer; Red Zeppelin, a red onion to enjoy from mid Summer into early Winter; and Patterson, a yellow long storage onion for late fall/winter use. In all, we transplanted
240 seedlings.
I prepped the soil by addiing a layer of compost and some lime , tilling
and then raking smooth. We have been using a 6″ grid system for many years. My beds are mostly 48″ wide. We can plant 8 onion seedlings per row. Working from opposite sides of the row, we sprinkle in some all purpose natural fertilizer, set in our four seedlings, cover with soil and move on to the next row. I use a tape measure on each side of the
row so that we can insure even spacing of our rows. We use a sheetrock square with markings to help us space the seedlings across the row. The markings are set at 3″, 9″, 15″, 21″, 27″, 33″, 39″ and 45″. It works for us. When we’re through, I generally treat my wife to a meal at one of our favorite restaurants.
Transplanting Leaf Crops to the Garden
Lettuce, kale, cabbage and frissee seedlings started indoors four
weeks ago were transplanted to the garden. To protect them from
the weather and the chickens I set up some wire hoops and covered
the bed with fabric row cover.
All the best,
Greg
