Mother nature hates my garden

She must. Otherwise spring would be more springlike, wouldn’t it? The last two days have been lovely, sunny and warmish, but before that it was cold and rain and more cold and hail. Way more rain than we’re supposed to get even here. High winds tore down our cloches and two sowings of spring seeds drowned without that protection. Bah humbug.

I resowed a second time and the broccoli raab and lettuces are making a go of it, but the beets seem to have decided not to germinate at all. Again. I think I’m giving up on beets. I have yet to have any luck at all with them.

We’re having better luck with the plants I sowed in late summer and fall to overwinter and crop now. We’ve got purple sprouting broccoli, collards, two kinds of kale, spinach, and lettuce ready to eat now. Here was the harvest for dinner the other day:
spring harvest

Radishes, snow and snap peas, and spring spinach are all growing nicely, though a ways away from giving us food yet. The asparagus is coming up and the artichoke is coming back! That’s pretty damn exciting. Last winter my pet artichoke froze and died, so I’m thrilled to have this one sending its silvery spikes up now. It looks like an alien forcing its way out of the ground. I should head out there with the camera or something, hunh? Maybe I’ll do that later when the little lady wakes up from her nap.

Is it just us, or has the weather been weird everywhere? What’s going on in your garden?

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7 comments on “Mother nature hates my garden
  1. Laurie says:

    I can’t wait for my CSA box to start again. Last year I got so addicted to an easy dinner of greens (whatever was in the box) wilted with olive oil and garlic, some slivered almonds, and sprinkled with raspberry drinking vinegar (or a little vinegrette salad dressing). I’d accompany it with fresh baguette smeared with Boursin goat cheese. Heaven!

  2. Katie says:

    My garden is imaginary and filled with weedy syntax. It’s pretty fallow these days and I’m thinking about turning the whole thing under.

    We do a year round CSA from a local farm and so we’ve been getting sugar snap peas and zucchini and broccoli.

  3. Rae says:

    I have never tried purple sprouting broccoli but I do love the rest of the yummies you listed.

    I would love to start a garden but not real sure its possible considering I live in an apt but I am not giving up hope.

    Until I will stick to the Farmers Market & trying to get my hands on a CSA box this year.

  4. Mary K. in Rockport says:

    Home gardening doesn’t work every year weather-wise, but when it does, it’s great.We’ve had horrid springs and summers two years running in New England, and most everything didn’t sprout and the veggies that did, did poorly. Makes one have more respect for our ancestors who relied on their gardens to eat.

  5. Andi says:

    My first round of peas disappeared, and only a few have come up from the second sowing. Nothing makes one feel like a gardening incompetent like failing at peas and zucchini (which has also happened for the last two years). At least the wild arugula and parsley are amassing their armies and mint has breached the barriers. Garlic and leeks are doing well. So really, I can just live on tabouleh until winter. This spring I finally tried harvesting and eating dandelion greens. Not bad, but it hardly seemed worth all of the effort that goes into washing out the grit. Indoor vegetable starts are doing well, there will likely be extras of the eggplants, peppers and tomatoes if you’re interested.

  6. Kim says:

    Totally not you. We had a SNOW DAY yesterday…and an ice storm. Yes, I live in Canada, but COME ON!

  7. Lizbon says:

    Yep, weird weather everywhere. That pic and the description of your overwintered bounty are combining to send me to the farmers market tomorrow. Soup, ya know. It’s still cold enough.

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