Starting over

Miner’s lettuce

My cold frame has emerged from the two feet of snow that has been hiding it since January. What was a cold dark tomb, is now a hot, humid space. Thus I  can now start to direct-seed as well as transplant the first greens of the season.  With any luck we will be able to harvest in a month or so. This time of year is always exciting as it is the first time I can dig in the soil. Some years my hope is thwarted by the fact that the ground is still frozen, a fact I find out by attempting to push a trowel into my raised beds. But other years, the trowel slides easily into the warming soil, which is ready for seed.

For now it is too early to do much more than plant a few rows of greens and radishes as the beds where I plan to place peas are still frozen. That should change in a few weeks, but for now I am limited by how quickly the sun warms the ground.

Pak choi

I pop open the center pane of the cold frame and am greeted by a waft of warm air perfumed with the smell of rotting vegetation. Few of the larger greens I planted in the Fall wintered over. Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) has self-seeded with dozens of little plants scattered around the area. A lone, somewhat nibbled Chinese cabbage that I think is pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) is pushing up a few leaves. I didn’t expect much if anything after the late Fall carnage from some rodents that were wintering under the cold frame.

I can easily push my trowel into the soil and with a little clean up and broadcasting of compost I know that it will be ready for seeds.

Most of the other beds are now devoid of snow except for those that were shoveled upon. The herb garden has started to come back. The thyme (Thymus vulgaris), oregano (Origanum vulgare) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) have started to green up. Turning to leave the garden, I notice that the cutting celery (Apium graveolens) that I had planted last year was still alive with a few viable shoots. I grab one putting it into my mouth. A strong celery flavor fills my mouth as I crunch into its thin light green stalk. I grab another piece for Juana for her to sample when I return inside.

Cutting celery