Salty Lemons

March 9, 2011

Promises

It is warming up. Spring is on the way (finally!) and that means it is time to plan for the garden. The Swede and I have an individual plot in a community garden. We were waitlisted for over a year and late last spring we were issued a plot (we were ecstatic to say the least). It is essential to stay connected to nature in some way when you live in a "concrete jungle." And the refuge of the garden has proven to be therapeutic, especially after a long day at work.

Last fall after overwintering our plot, we planted some hardneck and softneck garlic cloves. I had researched (and heard) that garlic can overwinter which would give it an early start once the weather warms up in the spring. The hardnecks were purchased at a Farmers Market and the softnecks were purchased at a supermarket chain. The cloves were planted sometime in November and to my surprise they had sprouted and grown by late December. It was amazing to brush away the snow and to see that the cloves had made progress during such extreme temperatures. Apparently while I was freezing, the cloves had no problem at all with the weather.

We made the decision to leave various plants in the garden instead of potting them and bringing them home to see if they would survive. That included rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemongrass, Swiss chard, and a few other things I cannot remember now. I will report back on what made it and what did not. For Garden Season 2011, I am making a promise to do a better job with documenting our plot (and our bounty!).

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