Garden Season is upon us!!

Finally! I thought that winter was NEVER going to end! Finally the birds are chirping, the dandelions have opened their sunshiny faces, my yard is filled with violets. The hope of morel mushrooms, that secret spot where I dig ramps- these are happy happy days. Spring is also garden season. Many of our wonderful recipes depend on garden fresh produce and herbs picked immediately before using and having a garden is the surest way to have fresh, delicious food. 

Many people these days are concerned with what commercial growers do to the food crops in the field. Raising your own garden puts you on control of everything- from the type of tomatoes and peppers to the type of plant food or amendments you make to your soil. If going organic is important to you, gardening is the perfect way to do so.

Baby kale!!

It's also very economical. A packet of seeds costs just a dollar or two and  can provide dozens if not hundreds of food-producing plants. Some seeds are easy to start, others more difficult, just grab a garden book or head to Google and read up! Garden centers are also full of transplants ready to go right into your garden- every year I do a little bit of both. Some plants, like radishes and carrots, need to be direct-sowed too.

Baby lettuce in one of several pots.

I used to have huge gardens in the ground, and eventually switched to large raised beds, but as my family has grown up and gone out on their own, I don't need such a large garden anymore. Plus, I like to switch it up and try new things every once in a while. This year I am growing some veggies in containers, some in the ground, and some in straw bales.

For now, I've got four tomatoes planted in their pots, two habanero peppers, two serrano chilies, loads of herbs, zucchini, lettuce, kale. In a few days I'll be starting the straw bales and getting the in-ground things in. I have a few new and interesting things to share with you as soon as get the rest done- so stay tuned!