This Week in the Garden April 26

In the next few weeks I look forward to change in the garden. The spring crops are thriving.
Georgia and I went down on Saturday to check it out and pick whatever I could find for a salad to go with the spinach lasagne I was making for dinner. Lasagne because I love it, it makes two or three dinners and truth be told I needed another flat to start more basil and the big container that fresh baby spinach comes in is the perfect size and shape. Lasagne reminds me of dinner at Lake Nuangola when someones friends were about and we were cooking for a crowd. I took pictures on Thursday evening so I had an idea what is coming up. It is usually a day or two between visits. As summer progresses I might go by almost every evening on the way home from work but right now I visit maybe 3 times a week. This week the arugula is getting large enough to cut handfuls. If you cut it carefully it comes back again. I planted this in February and seeded more a few weeks ago.I love that sharp taste. In our garden, when the regular arugula has bolted there is plenty of rustic arugula coming up all over the place. One year it was all the fashion in the seed catalogs and everyone planted some. No one has had to actually plant any since.

There is some nice radicchio to pick leaves. In the summer it is dark green with reddish patches. I planted a lot in February, the larger plants are ones that weathered over from the fall. Borage is coming up all over the plot. It has a funny fuzzy texture and a great cucumber taste. I slice it thinly in salads. There is a little lettuce here an there that overwintered. the Chris plot didn't have much. I picked some violet leaves and flowers tender dandelion and chick weed. In the herb garden there was some sorrel. Our gardeners are enjoying it. I'm on the lookout for more seeds to expand the patch, we don't need all of the mint surrounding it. Its sort of a stinky smelling spearmint. There is also peppermint that can stay. Not the great spearmint in the basil herb garden annex.
In the Elliot plot the turnips that were buried under are also coming up along with wildy spaced radishes. This is what happens when you turn a plot that has been recently planted!

We use coffee bean bags for ground cover between the plots. it's like a patchwork quilt; with each new delivery new images appear. The Rainforest alliance bag is new this week.

Yesterday, I planted out some of the tomatoes from the light box in the basement. I chose Rutger's Rambo and Brandywine this year. It was so hot today, I need to check up on them. Our yard in the back is kind of chaotic, with the winter compost circle still up and everything hither thither. sunflower seeds from the bird feeder thick on the ground. Pots turned over from the winter winds and tree branches from Kara's old cherry tree around. I want to develop it this year so we can sit out there. I do tend to fill it up with plants. All the house plants go out and then there are lots of peppers in pots a tub or two of herbs. It needs a plan.