Its Spring Gardening Time!

It's Springtime! .. time to get the spring garden into the "ready to go" position, at least for those of us down here in southern Louisiana. For this backyard gardener its always a chore to remove the fall broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, winter weeds, and remnants of last year's summer garden debris. I can usually count on the weather making matters worse - either showing up as rain a few days before the weekend or as uncomfortable warm and humid weekend work days. However, this year mother nature was very nice to me. The normal late winter/early spring rains have held off for 3 solid weeks. Not something we usually encounter. Also, the weekend weather has been extremely pleasant with cool breezy days. The net result is that the Spring 2006 garden after 3 weekends of activity (March 11 through 26) is ready for planting. This is about 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule.

So what and when to plant. ... Normally, the tomatoes go in first followed a week later by the sweet corn, followed by bell pepper and eggplant another week or so later, followed by okra, squash, hot peppers, cantelope, tomatillo, and whatever else based on space available. And with 2000 plus square feet there is always a few square feet of available space to squeeze something else into. But for now the tomatoes and 8 of the 12 rows for sweet corn are planted. The bell pepper and eggplant plants are a bit too small to set out and will likely go in next week. The remaining plants will go in around Easter.

Peanuts are also to be planted but these are "phase II" in the spring garden. These will be planted once the onions are harvested in late April or early May. The heat is generally brutal at this time. But any rainfall is only a short term issue - thanks to the May heat. Since there are only 3 rows to plant this should be a tolerable situation.

Our Purple Martins have been watching over the gardening activities. It looks like a lot of house building is taking place right now. I have yet to figure out how many families have setup shop in the 12 room house. I am certain about occupancy in some of the rooms. But occupancy in other rooms is not clear at this time. I'm guessing there are at least 5 or 6 pairs in the house. Anyway, I sure seem to be getting a lot of instruction from the group on what I should be doing or not doing while in the garden. I wonder what they are talking about. If I could only understand "Martin talk".

It may be a bit premature to guess the successes or failures in this years garden. Either way the inventory from last year's harvest needs to be consumed, from both the quality perspective and to make room for this year's production. I generally can count on help from my children and grandchildren. My 3 year old grandson Benjamin really has come to like the broccoli from last Fall's garden. I mentioned to my daughter Mitsie that he now NEEDS to like the spring garden veges. Carter, Benjamin's brother, also needs to help out here but he is only 1 and only just beginning to eat "people food".

Speaking of "helping out". I often remember the time when my Paw Paw got me started on gardening. It has ever since been a gratifying hobby. I look forward to sharing the same experience with my grandchildren. Who knows maybe one day I may be watching Benjamin and Carter put the garden together while I watch in my lawn chair.. Mitsie, any chance of this?