What's In, What's Up

by Ken Greene

If Mr. T was a gardener, (and maybe he is), right now his sage garden advice might go something like this, "I pity the fool who is fooled by the weather." The weather has been pulling at our green heartstrings and making us believe that warm spring days are here to stay. But as last night's crisp frost showed us, it's still to early for full on gardening. (This just in-- snow tonight?)

We've been getting lots of questions from gardeners who are confused about what to plant and when. Doug's Seed Starting 101: Crafting a Seed Starting Schedule is a great place to look for answers.  Here's a real-time list of What's In and What's Up on the Seed Library farm.

Plants we've started early and are growing under protection:

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, artichokes, Asian greens, lettuce, cabbage, kale, collards, parsley, celery, celeriac, most herbs, chard, cilantro, tomatillos, ground cherry.

Plants we've already direct sown outside:

Peas, arugula, radishes, claytonia, spinach.

Plants we're currently transplanting from the greenhouse to the farm:

Onions, leeks, scallions.

What we're already eating:

Asparagus. (Our first ever! Nothing quite feels like home that your own asparagus patch.) Lettuce, Mache, Spinach, Kale, all overwintered from last fall.

Of course, your garden's micro-climate has its own needs. Our farm is wet and prone to frost, so we have delayed some plantings. Your garden may be warmer, or drier, or higher. So when making decisions about what to plant, make sure you take into account your garden's personality. Remember, our gardens don't read the same blogs and books that we do. Gardening is about learning to read your landscape, getting to know your plot, and sometimes using trial and error to figure out what works best for your spot.

So get growing, but play it safe until last frost.