Hit the Dirt; Spring is for Planting

It's my spring garden or play the first act open on an afternoon in early April with a promise of warmth in the air. But the chilling shadow of winter still lurking about. The curtain would rise with my pea patch center stage and I guess that is only fair since peas are undeniably the stars of this production as they are in many people's gardens today. And just as they have been for years. Rebecca Rupp and her book of garden lore entitled blue corn and square tomatoes relates by the 17th century green pea eating have become a positive passion. I'm a sixteen hundred ninety five letter of wood on the mountain on last and most successful of Louis the Fourteenth mistresses reads the subject of peace is being treated at great length and patience to eat them. The pleasure of having them and the longing to eat them again are the three points about which our princes have been talking for four days. There are some ladies who after having supped with the king and will stop to help themselves piece at home before going to bed. At the risk of indigestion. Well nowadays gardeners are still willing to take risks for and are quite passionate about peace both eating and growing them.

I know of quite a few gardeners who run competitions each year both formal and informal with their neighboring growers to see who is the first in town to have fresh peas from the garden. Some of even tried starting them indoors in March in hopes of coaxing the prized tender sweet peas from the plants by early June. Wants not to be so dramatic about the first piece. There is a good reason for starting them early on. The vines will produce much more prolifically if they come into bearing before the heat of midsummer. Unless you garden in a relatively cool foggy location spring Piso and made much after early May are not likely to garner the rave reviews the earlier sones would check the habits of the peas you were planting tall varieties like call them in shell peas Sugar Snap snap peas or mammoth melting snow peas need to be supported in the Rolls short varieties such as daybreak shell or the so-called leafless varieties like a novella can stand on their own in wide rows or beds varieties of intermediate height are usually best grown on a trellis. Otherwise harvesting can be a drag as the vines tend to

flop over and grow into a tangled plant the peas an inch apart and an inch deep. Making sure to first inoculate them with the proper nitrogen fixing bacteria which is inexpensive and widely available at garden centers and catalogs. Even if they all come up. There is no need to thin them trellis systems like state sets are designed to the whims of the producer. Chicken wire has done the job well for me although it can be awkward to disassemble disassemble and store especially if you garden alone. The new nylon Troels is now commonly available are lightweight easy to set up convenient to store and durable. I highly recommend them. The old traditional pea brush trellis also works great is biodegradable inexpensive and can give you Garden State a rustic woodsy feel. But peas are not the only actors in this drama. There are numerous possible supporting roles who wish to fill your performance carrots can be sewn by now and last low to develop first soon make their

mark with a bold interpretation of Lacy veg or carrot seed is quite small and so should be covered only lightly. However this makes it quite susceptible to drying out during the three weeks or so it can take to germinate. So keep it well watered. If your soil is on the heavy side you might want to try the shorter shot in a globe types. Radishes can make stunning cameo appearances in the early direct garden especially well-suited for filling in and marking the rows of carrots parsnips and other crops slow to emerge with parsnips used fresh seed as even your old seed has often lost much of its acting ability and so on the thick side covering the seed lightly later thin to three to four inches apart. Fava beans are unusual characters which to spice up your plot. Unlike the other beans they like life cool and so are well suited for the early production. But they are likely to lose their cool and fade from the stage when it turns hot. So like peas. Get these broads out of the limelight. The first couple of X beats are hard to beat for getting a

claim here in Maine where the crowds seem to go wild over both their tops and bottoms. Plant seeds a half inch deep and pressed down on them hard to ensure firm contact with the soil. Even with such prodding they may be slow to get their act together. So a good soaking for an hour or two prior to planting may waken them up and get the show on the road a little quicker. My cast of early direct seeded veggies is rounded out with the Greens contingent lettuce planted a quarter inch deep spinach is sown no more than a half inch deep and both are later thin to 6 to 8 inches apart and mash or minor salad actors I like to plant thickly in April or early May as well. The thinnings of all these make delightful for salads of the season. Of course no show is really complete without some herbs and flowers to add flavor and color Dill seeds will Germany faster with exposure to light. So only cover them with a dusting of soil if at all. The first one can be made as soon as the ground can be worked and later thinned to 4 to 10 inches apart.

Sweet Cicely is being given a role in our Spring Garden for the first time this year. Kemah meal is another early term that can be direct seeded with good success as soon as the ground can be worked and later thinned six inches apart. For many garden productions of course the flowers end up stealing the show. The bright costumes and heavily perfumes liven up even the most boring of scripts. Sweet peas can be treated like edible peas calendula and bachelor buttons are all the blooming character actors which perform best in cool weather. Plant calendula soon after sowing peas and cover the seeds Well later thin to about one foot apart. Is it like full sun cover bachelor's buttons lightly with soil and thin to about eight inches apart. But I've read that they do tolerate portals and crowding. Perhaps they would be good for some of the mob scenes. Well time to get back to the director's chair. See you next week and hit the dirt and May no one in your garden forget their lines.