By nacpark on 2016-03-23
After maple syrup season has come and gone, and it is officially spring, I begin my garden. A humble plot filled with herbs, spices and some vegetables. Each year I pick a few things to try. This year it is mostly Japanese herbs and vegetables which I've read about but never tasted--mitsuba, perilla, mizuna. I also think about what did well and plan to incorporate more of those into the garden. The first garden I planted consisted of lavender, oregano, thyme, savoury, and kale. The lavendar is still doing well, as is the oregano, incredibly the hybrid kale has surived 5 years as a single stalk with tiny leaves. This year, I'm going to replace it with an old variety that I hope will survive in a nicer form for at least as long a time. I'm also planting an improved variety of wild strawberries that I hope goes wild, some chilis, and
It is a fascinating experience to push seeds into the earth, water them and watch as the first grow fuzzy, then begin to push shoots up and and roots down. Growing tiny leaves before their true leaves appear. Later on putting them out in the sun to toughen them, and finally planting them outside when the frost is gone. There is a further fascination as they grow larger and eventually flower and go to seed continuing the process for another year.