Digging In: Garden Prep For Spring & Summer

I know it's nearly spring because 1) I'm popping antihistamines and guzzling hot tea to soothe my allergies, and 2) we just planted broccoli, beets, carrots and broccoli rabe in the community garden plots this past weekend.

At home I planted three containers of bibb lettuce and four containers of Red Russian Kale. The herb seeds we scored at a recent Grow Share Charlotte seed swap are now planted in some old pots I found in our shed and soaking up the daylight in my office windows on folding TV trays. (We are some cheap frugal resourceful types, I tell you.) Hopefully in a week or so we'll have Lemon, Thai and Genovese basils, tarragon, lavender, marjoram and thyme friends sprouting.

Here are the herb pots below, transported in the Little Red Wagon Scott found abandoned and slightly paint-splattered on a property in Concord. Again, we're so cheap frugal resourceful.

We had a productive workday at the community garden on Saturday. Over 15 garden members mulched the new front walkway and added the county's compost to the new-to-us raised beds that Scott salvaged from a flood plain demo'ed property in our neighborhood. Sweet potatoes, watermelon and an herb/tea garden will go in the raised beds.

Scott and I also weeded and amended the soil on our two plots. In April we'll buy tomato and pepper plants to go with our Seed Savers Exchange okra, cucumber, zucchini, cantaloupe and bush green beans. Our row of five or six Swiss Chard plants survived their over-wintering and are sprouting little shoots, and we found two stray beets in the other plot.  We welcome all veggies -- intentional or not -- to our garden party!

And speaking of buying plants... if you're in the Charlotte area, come support the Winterfield Community Garden and its Garden Buds program, Saturday, April 16, 8:30-noon, at Winterfield Elementary, 3100 Winterfield Place. Our Plant Sale will offer lettuce, tomato and pepper seedlings and several varieties of flowers, and the school is hosting a yard sale, so please shop with us! 

It's amazing how a little bit more daylight and a few things planted in the ground can perk you up this time of year. While Scott loves the weather of the Pacific Northwest and Scotland, spring in the South is my favorite time of year, despite the deluge of yellow pollen currently kicking my tail.

I love the daffodils coming up to greet us in our front yard, the birds chirping, the kids coming out of hibernation to play in the neighborhood, and the opportunity to shed the winter wardrobe for some lighter garb. And of course I get to wear my favorite accessory - sunglasses!

What are your spring plans? Do you want to grow some veggies this year? Let us know!