Sowing the Seeds

The gardening has begun. Last Thursday I spent most of the afternoon rebuilding my plot walls, adding a little sprinkling of compost, and turning the dirt. After consulting my 2011 plot plan (drawn up way back in January when the first seed catalogs came in and my dreams were a little bigger) and editing it based on the seed selection available to me at the local Shoprite, I got to sowing. Thus far we have: Mesclun "Spicy Mix" Radish "Cherry Belle" Carrot "Nantes Half Long" Beet "Detroit Dark Red" Swiss Chard "Fordhook Giant" I tried to rotate my crops and I adjusted my rows this year to accommodate more carrots and fewer beets. After several years of meager radish crops with fancier varieties, I stuck with the old standby "Cherry Belle". I also opted for Mesclun instead of lettuce this year hoping to get a little radicchio and frisee out of the mix. I'll try to remember my camera next time so you can see my fancy plot walls. Also: I had one head of Escarole survive the winter and my oregano is springing back to life.