Spring Has Sprung

Here comes the sun...do da do do!

Or something like that.  Well, there have been a handful of beautiful days recently.  Even one day that hit near 80 degrees...according to the Subaru Forester!  

Farewell, My Subaru...great book.  

Here is a snap shot of what my garden looks like as of a few days ago.

On the right, Chard, moving left is Chinese Broccoli, and then Broccoli Rabe.  These guys were casualties of frost earlier this spring...it was a miserable morning.  This sad event has been well documented in this blog.  I really need to just get over it!  Ok...I'm over it.  In the last row on the left is Bok Choi, seeded a few weeks ago and doing just lovely.  Chinese Broccoli (or Gai Lan) seems to be recovering well from the wounds of the overnight chill, Chard is doing fine, but Broccoli Rabe...they were hurt pretty bad.  I had such high hopes for these guys.  You might notice some plastic sheeting and the wood slats on the edges of the garden.  I used the plastic after that first frost to protect the seedlings over night from the next few frosts.  I made one big mistake...I left the plastic on during the day light hours on 2 occasions.  BIG MISTAKE!  I drove the temperature up so high under the plastic that the surviving Rabe decided to bolt...and I don't mean run away!  They began to flower...way too early!  And so, I have mostly puny, plants with florets and full blown flowers growing.  There are 1 or 2 guys I am looking forward to.  Not all is lost.  

In this bed is Yellow Onions on the right, Champion Radish and Corvair Spinach, then seeded Arugula, Red Russian Kale and Tuscan Kale and in the left row is Lupine and more seeded Arugula.  This is the first year I am growing Onions, any type of Kale, or any type of perennial flower like Lupine.  I figured if I can grow veggies for my family, I can grow landscape plants for my home.  The onions were started from sets, basically small onions grown the previous season (think pearl onions).  Again, you see the plastic, but on this bed I used green fencing cut to size and rolled over the top of the bed as a sort of hoop house.  GENIUS!  All is well in this bed.  I already harvested a few radishes and they were GRRRRRREAT...like Tony the Tiger.

My pride and joy!  My very first raised bed I built last year.  This guy is solid and is doing fantastic!

This is the rear of the bed, with Romaine and Lolla Rosa in the front, Snap Peas behind, and Cilantro and Corvair Spinach in the back.  I am still amazed at how well the Cilantro and Spinach are growing...these guys are the winter survivors originally planted last September in another bed.  I transplanted them with little hope they would thrive.  There will be salsa in the Sisk house this year!

This is the front of the bed and mostly seeded crops.  At the bottom is Mesculn Greens, then Mustard Greens, more Champion Radish, Kaleidoscope Carrots, and finally Razzle Dazzle Spinach.  I planted a great deal of spinach!  It is good for you...so we will eat spinach!  

Plastic Lesson Learned

My intentions were good, as my wife would say.  I wanted to protect my plants from the frost utilizing cold frames, hoophouses, mini green houses...whatever you want to call it.  I succeeded in saving an a great deal of plants from death my mildly chilly weather, but I also cooked some veggies prematurely by lazily leaving the plastic on during the day.  The Broccoli Rabe got the wrong message and decided that their growing season was nearing its end.  Grow Organic has a great article on making a hoophouse for your garden, and as always, my boy Mike McGrath (host of You Bet Your Garden)and the Gardens Alive website has some excellent information on hoophouses/row covers to extend your growing season.  I hope my mistakes help in some twisted way!  Peace.