In Shaw (an historically gentrified blog): Mari, Mari, Quite Contrary How Does Your Garden Grow

Monday, April 14, 2008

Mari, Mari, Quite Contrary How Does Your Garden Grow

I was going to post on how I completely forgot to attend the school buildings meeting on the 10th, but that's just a downer. Instead, why not something happy, that makes me happy, my garden.
The peas are the exciting thing right now. Pea shoots have emerged from the ground and their tendrils are looking for something to latch on to. I read somewhere that pea shoots are a Chinese delicacy that you throw into a stir fry. I've eaten the thinnings raw and they do have a pea pod taste, I guess I could throw them in the pan. There are peas growing near my fence, peas in window boxes, peas in pots, everywhere.
As peas make their entrance other things that have weathered winter appear to make their exit. Cilantro is sprouting those funny looking tops that herald flowers, then seeds. Nicely though, I noticed little cilantro seedlings that must have come from earlier plants now long composted. The arugula is flowering and it's hard to find decent salad worthy leaves on the plants. The flowers are tasty though and are nice additions to salads. Also going to flower are the sage and the chives. I think sage flowers and I know chive flowers are edible and they too will make appearances in salad, as I'll let some go on to seed for the next season.
The Alpine Strawberries are flowering, but instead of a seedy end, I'll be getting strawberries. I don't have the sunniest plot for sweet fruits, but these plants have been wonderful for the past two years or so since I've had them. They give me small sweet berries that are enough to decorate a dessert or add to a small yogurt. They even produced when I completely abandoned them last year during the renovation.
I think I'm getting kind of late with starting my salad greens. The only greens I've got in pots right now are corn mache and spinach seedlings. A low and wide pot for the mesclun mix would do fine. I look forward to baby salads.
As soon as the sample dries out I'm finally going to get my front yard soil tested. I've heard some of your concerns and completely ignored them, regarding the soil from which I grow my tomatoes, chard, arugula, radishes, mint, thyme, and other edibles. Yet I'm curious to know if I'm actually right. If there is any significant amount of heavy metals (lead) in the soil, I guess I'll do raised beds next year.

Labels: gardening