Gardening begins

Overcast skies with slight drizzle: perfect weather conditions to start preparing our raised-bed vegetable patch here at Spiritwood for this year’s crops.

First job in the raised-bed garden is deciding which bed would be used for edible pod peas. This is because we rotate crops in beds, so as to discourage accumulation of insect pests. In addition, we have a pea vine support system of poles and 4-inch wire mesh (purchased at hardware stores to stabilize and strengthen concrete) which annually needs to be repositioned into its new bed. The peas entwine up the wires and form a dense, tall bush of vines, which is easy to pick because pods dangle down from it rather prettily as well as handily. We’ve used this system successfully for a dozen years or so.

Eric used the post hole auger to dig three holes; then we positioned the wire mesh and lashed its two sections to the poles. After Eric prepared the soil (while I weeded other beds…) I planted two types of edible pod peas along the support system, followed by spicy mesclun mix salad greens, spinach, pak choy, nasturtium, purple haze carrots, and kale. Hooray! One entire bed is now planted.

Meanwhile, Eric rototilled the potato patch in the west field, roughly an hour-and-a-half job. Fortunately, we don’t need to purchase the machine: we’ve got an excellent rapport with our neighbours, with whom we trade various equipment, on an as-needed basis. And so another bed is readied for planting, when the soil warms up a bit.

Next job? I removed the woven plastic sheeting we tie around our small apple orchard and mulberry trees. While storing them for the summer, I cheered Eric who is trying to figure out why our tractor doesn’t start: now that’s a setback. We’d hoped to build a larger compost bin on the north side of the garden wall for weeds today. That will have to wait until the tractor’s running.

Finally, however, it would be remiss not to mention how blossoms are starting to swell, everywhere. Lilac buds are showing which are leaf and which are flower buds. Red maple leaves and blossoms are just blushing the crimson they’ll soon become, and poplars are showing their promise of emerald green.