Happy Easter, And Nature Waits on No Man
Happy Easter!
I always think of early April as time when gardening really kicks off. Sure, I have been sowing seeds inside for almost two months, but now I can get my hands dirty outside! Just two days ago I planted Broad Beans, Tibetan Barley, Ethiopian Blue Tinge Wheat, and Kabuli Chick Peas. If I hadn’t run out of steam I would be also sowing my potatoes, peas, carrots, and transplanting out some of the early crops still in trays inside. It is hard to find the time to do it all!
Yesterday I spent the day cleaning out our big greenhouse (20 feet by 100 feet), and composting and preparing beds to plant. We winter our sheep in there and it was FULL of old bedding. I haul it all out to compost; it’s a massive job, but all the compost is worth it. Then I spread finished compost and mix it in, after loosening the soil with my subsoiler. The sheep really compact the soil in the greenhouse over the winter, but it’s worth the extra work because they fertilize the soil too, all winter long.
Seedy Saturdays are done for the year— at least where I live. We had our best year, and it is really great to meet so many of our growers and gardeners face to face. Tomorrow I am going to be at our regular Farmers Market here on Gabriola Island. If you’re on Gabe swing by and say hi!
We are hearing from a number of gardeners that they are planning on growing more this year because of the war in Iran. Regardless of where you stand on the war, food prices are going to go up in the coming months. It makes sense to offset this with good food grown at home. That said, “Nature waits on no man”, as the saying goes. Or woman. Or anybody. With some crops, you can plant them anytime, and they grow so fast, and are so hardy that you will get something. Kale comes to mind. Others, like peppers, tomatoes, leeks, and onions need a longer season to grow to produce or size up. And some things, like arugula or cilantro, just bolt right away if they are planted in the long days and heat of the summer.
That’s why farmers work so hard in the spring: there is a window to get things done, and if you miss it, too bad. I am sending out this quick reminder that the planting window for all spring crops is open! On the coast at least. Hold back on the warm weather stuff— the beans, squash, cukes, etc. That window is still firmly shut. Free shipping is continued until the end of April. Happy planting folks! I am off to plant some carrots!
