Spring Gardeners —

It’s officially SPRING (AKA: the busy season)

Last week we got after it. Mulched a few more beds, planted donated seedlings, watered and weeded, and gave the berry vines some support. Harvest was stacked with lettuces, beet greens, arugula, kale, chard, spinach, cilantro, a rogue potato, green onions, and bok choi. We turned five compost piles, started a fresh one, and picked the perfect spot for our soon to be shed. The dream is almost real!

This Week's Work:

• Harvest

• Deliver SAFE donations

• Weed

• Water

• Turn compost piles

• Mow outside the garden

• Remove wasp nests inside shed

• String several lines on berry trellises

• Deliver a second load of shredded leaves to the garden

• Remove old banner

• Plant remaining onion sets

Garden needs:

• kitchen scraps for compost

• dibbles (3)

• 3-4, 5-gallon buckets

Garden Happenings:

Thanks to local gardener Leah Clayton for donating seedlings of collards and spinach!

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This week we plan to order our new shed. Build and delivery time is 4-6 weeks. The shed is 8' x 12'. We'll buy it from a business in Pittsboro. We plan to paint the shed and work in veggie-themed images.

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Last week a murder of crows tore through two of our compost piles. It looks like the group picked through many kitchen scraps in the piles, robbing piles of nutrients. We'll work toward a response this week!

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We'll begin sowing seed of summer crops next week--squashes and cukes to start.

~ A Word on What’s Good Right Now….

Greens are especially plentiful now and are fresh and tender. Buttercrunch varieties of lettuce continue to out-poll other varieties. A variety of Arugula we can't identify does not have the sharp bitter taste of many Arugula varieties and was a big favorite among last Saturday's gardeners.

Last fall's green onions are sharp and almost sweet after winter low temps. Last call now for Cilantro (though we will leave it in place as it bolts for Sandy, she uses it all year!).

Chard and bok choi taste better now, early in the season, and are excellent uncooked. Blueberry bushes are loaded with flowers. Strawberries should be coming in later this month. 

Recipe Corner:

Short video preparing a simple mixed green salad with a spectacular dressing:

Green salad with vinaigrette with Chef Jacques Pépin

See you in the garden!

The Sax Patch Team