Stepping into a Spring Garden

We live in zone 5b and the growing season (the really good parts) are June through the early days of September. When we began keeping a vegetable garden, it took us three years to learn the lesson and heed advice to not  plant before Memorial Day. We were so foolish! We wasted money and our physical energy, and we lost A LOT of plants. The warmth of those few days after a cold winter, combined with  colorful store flyers with the promise of warmer days and an abundance of fruits, vegetables and flowers, would pull us into the greenhouses every time. We were amidst others, amateur garden zombies, pushing carts through aisles of greenhouses, mesmerized by all of the possibilities. With each plant being loaded into the cart, we became increasingly hopeful and optimistic. Euphoria! 

We arrived home with trays of plants and then headed down to our freshly worked beds to plant those poor, unknowing starters that had only known the warmth of a greenhouse. Cold nights followed and stressed the plants. When  temperatures plummeted to the low thirties, we covered our precious plants. I recall covering over one dozen beds with a combination of tarps, plastic and empty pots turned upside down with a stone on top for extra protection against the wind. Morning came, and we removed the pots and sheets of plastic, and counted our survivors.  After a few cold evenings, we had more dead plants than we had survivors, and we were finally convinced to wait until Memorial Day for planting vegetables like tomatoes, beans, corn, squash, cucumbers, and peppers. 

If you're eager to get out there (and most of us are), then, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, cabbage, peas, potatoes, rhubarb, spinach and Swiss chard, to name a few, are among those that can withstand the cooler early spring temperatures. We got lucky and our spinach and kale over wintered. This spring, we have plenty of needed cleanup, which should help keep us out of the local greenhouses.  And that is where the idea for this week's blog comes in. If you live in a zone similar to ours, there is plenty that you can do now and it's time to take the steps to prepare your garden. After all, spring clean-up happens outdoors too. 

Our two asparagus beds came with our property and oh my, do I ever adore them! This spring, the plants have not been as plentiful as in past years, thanks to a burrowing creature that likely destroyed some of the root systems. On a trip to pick up more stone for our patio, I spied Purple Passion asparagus crowns and brought them home. New to planting asparagus, I did a bit of reading and learned that asparagus plants have a forty year life span. Wow! Impressive. That said, however, if you step on the tender crowns, you can end that life in 1 minute. 

To prepare the ground, my husband and I dug a trench 12" deep by 12" wide and about 6 feet long. We gently spread the roots of each crown out so that they resembled a mop being pressed to the floor, and gently buried them. These plants will likely produce asparagus next spring, and be ready for a greater harvest in two years. 

Now with our new asparagus planted and our established beds weeded, we inspected  the rhubarb. Rhubarb is one of those vegetables that thrive best in zones like ours, where the ground freezes in the winter. One thing that I have learned about this plant is that it has a voracious appetite and requires tons of nutrients in order to produce those lovely long thick stalks that find their way into jams, pies and even beverages. Rhubarb plants need to  be planted 4 to  6 feet apart and can be harvested for five to eight years.  Every five to ten years, established plants should be divided and transplanted. 

I'm not sure whether it is the age of our plants, the amount that I harvested was too much, or if the plants are simply overcrowded, or a combination of the above, but the stalks are relatively thin again this spring. Even early in the season, I cut back several pods of thick hollow stalks. Since the plants are no longer dormant, dividing and transplanting rhubarb will have to wait until late fall or March. 

Note to self: Resist no further and create a gardening calendar!

Lesson learned? Even plants need space to grow, and time to rejuvenate. They give, give, give and need to be fortified, and at times, left alone to regain their strength, to rejuvenate and to produce. Just like us, don't you think?