March 2010 Garden update

Here it is still the middle of March (the 18^th) and my raised beds are in full swing. (Do you think I’m trying to rush things a bit)? But, I’m not really. The soil in my beds which is now over eight years old is in very good tilth as they say. Even though there is moisture present, I can still pretty much work it with my bare hands. Even the earthworms are up and about! Like them, I got my hands dirty running them through the loose friable loam that is guaranteed to perk up even the stodgiest old cougher like myself. The last week has been very overcast, cool and damp (read as depressing) which was just perfect for the lettuce and radish seeds that were planted out earlier but not so good on the emotions index. When I checked them early today they were gamely poking up out of the soil raring to go. The sun, which was out in full force today, didn’t hurt either. So, seed packets in hand, I went ahead an planted four square feet with bush beans each spaced about 5 inches apart. Sown in between were radish seeds that will act as markers (and reminders) that something is planted in that spot. The radish seed of choice for me is Cherry Belle. It’s available in a packet for under a dollar at Garden Centers like Home Depot in Branson Missouri. The bush beans were from last season and my feeling is if they succumb to a late frost then I’ll just replant. Sometimes I get lucky. What can I say?

After managing to get some bean seeds into the dirt, I went ahead and repaired a section of lumber that had rotted over the course of a few seasons. I’m using boards I’ve found after a recent flood rather than going out to purchase new. They’re free and I’m recycling after a fashion. I replaced about six linear feet this time and still need to replace a four foot section on the end. During one of my hikes in the woods by the rivers edge, I’ll keep an eye out for something that will work. It just kills me to use fresh lumber what with the cost they run these days and all. If I run out of used wood, I’m thinking of switch to rocks and stones which are plentiful along the river down here in southwest Missouri. It’ll be hard work, but since when is that a bad thing? (One of the benefits of a raised bed that has stone walls is the ability of the sun to heat the stone during the early days of spring and then, once the sun has gone down, keep the soil warm for a good period of the evening hours).

So, right now I have the following plants either seeded or growing actively out back; romaine lettuce, potatoes, chives, parsley, bush beans, onions and carrots (from last season). That’s a pretty durn good start for the year by my way of thinking. Inside, I have a tray of peppers and lettuce that was just seeded along with a small plastic pot that will contain early basil. In the front mini-cold frames, I have lettuce both that is growing and lettuce that is being harvested. Earlier this morning, I dug up some carrots from the bed and they will be steamed this evening as part of my dinner. That, my friends, has gone a long way towards making me feel better. Now, for tomorrow, I hope to get the lawn mower in shape for the season of grass cutting that lies ahead. Not as much fun as playing in the dirt, but you have to take the good with the bad, I guess.