April's Garden (2019)

This is the month when we begin working frantically to get the garden planted.  April 15th is my last average frost date so I like to wait until after that time to begin planting.  This area has been chosen for this year's winter hoop houses. Choosing the spot early saves so much work later.  Some of these plants will continue to grow through the winter, most will be harvested during summer and then others will be put into their empty spots.  Since these seedlings can withstand cool weather, they were planted first.

Since I HATE to weed, we use grass clippings for mulch.  In past years, Bill would need to mow some of the pasture to get enough to cover every bare spot in the spring garden.  Since the horses have stripped the fields, I asked their breeder if he would bring us some old hay that had not been sprayed with chemicals.  He was happy to give us a bale. 

The round hay bales don't look very heavy but it was a shock when I began unrolling it.  I had read that they can weigh 1,000 to 2,000 pounds depending on how tightly they are rolled - that's true.  The grass is packed in solid like a rock.  I thought I could push it around the yard but that thing won't move.

Sitting beside the winter hoop house rows is the spot that held last year's tomatoes.  The fence remained up all winter because fava beans were planted beside it for support in the fall.  In early spring, I stuck some peas into the empty spots between the beans, but the rabbits found all but two of them.  Lettuce is happily growing on the other side.

The fava beans made it through the winter fine without any covering.  They continue to blossom and any day now I will be picking fresh beans.

Behind the fava bean fence in the direction of the woods, will be the weird plot.  It will hold all the odds 'n ends that don't fit into any category - like Erba Stella Minutina or Salt Wort or...

 

Rat-tail radish, Shungiku Chrysanthemum, or lemongrass.  Many more oddities are waiting to be planted.  I do like trying weird things.

In the center of the garden sits the once prolific strawberry/watermelon bed which now holds assorted varieties of Swiss Chard.  Perhaps this will be another winter garden, but I am undecided at present.  Last fall I tossed out some Bread Seed Poppy seeds and now they are blooming between the chards.

The back half of the row has a few strawberry plants, Egyptian Walking onions, and Harris Model parsnips which will be allowed to go to seed.

Nothing yet has been done to the furthermost area by the pasture.  My tentative plan is to put sweet potatoes to the far left so if (when) the horses reach over the fence, they will only eat the leaves and not harm the potatoes underground.  Next will be tomatoes to the right of the potatoes and that's about as far as my plan goes.

This is the remainder of the two winter hoop houses and it is still producing quite a bit of food underneath the weeds - lettuce, chard, carrots, kale and a few onions.  Mostly it's producing weeds.

This morning I harvested: Bionda di Lyon Swiss Chard, Cosmic Purple carrots, red onions...

and also, Freckled Romain lettuce.  

It looks like a weedy mess, well, it really is a mess, but it's full of bolting plants of which I am saving the seeds.  In about two weeks, everything will be finished and it will be plowed under.  

No matter how many years I garden, there are always surprises. This was the first time I have grown or tasted Giant Prague Celeriac.  It not only survived the winter weather but is beginning to bloom.  These seeds will definitely be saved.

The other surprise was Frisee Endive.  It was a short, small plant and look how tall it has bolted! It will probably get taller since there still aren't any flowers blooming yet.

The back of the garden in front of the woods in the shady, dry area is the assorted unknowns.  They have grown large enough to harvest so I am clearing (eating) walking paths. The fast-growing varieties are picked first which leaves room for others to grow.  Every seedling looks the same when it first sprouts so it is still too early to tell them apart.  Since I have been saving these mixed seeds for years, I might not recognize most of them.  At least I do remember they are all edible.

"It isn't gossip if it is true."  declared Scooter.  "Mom has been horrible to me. She threw away my large carpet, said it was worn out, then gave me this cramped, 'easily washable' rug on which to sit while guarding the house.  If that snub wasn't enough, now I am surrounded by seedlings, tomato plants, and boxes of drying seed pods!  The world needs to know this treatment is unacceptable!"

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Next Month's May Garden (2019)
Last Month's March Garden (2019)
Last Year's April Garden (2018)
April's Garden (2017)