Getting Down to Earth in the Garden…

First Flowers: Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa luciliae ‘Gigantea’)

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, my hilltop was nearly invisible; blurred grey and white by snow squalls, sleet and driving rain. But today, all of the new snow has melted, the sun is shining and the sky is clear blue. Ah, New England. As they say: if you don’t like the weather here, wait a minute. Things change quickly at this time of year, and it looks like I may be getting down to earth about gardening soon…

Buds of Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’. Read more about this beautifully fragrant shrub by clicking here.

Meltwater in a Steel Bowl on My Terrace

Crocus tommasinianus against the warm stone wall

I decided to take advantage of the warm temperatures today, and headed out to the potager to sow some more early season crops beneath the protection of the hoop house cold frames. After wading through the melting snow-drifts (still more than two feet high in places), I checked on soil temperatures in the vegetable garden. The IRT plastic-covered earth (infrared transmitting plastic was placed last fall to warm the soil) along my kitchen garden fence is nearly ready to work, so I’ll be sowing snow and snap peas in a few days. Many gardeners rush to plant peas as early-as-possible, but I find that crops planted a bit later catch up and produce just as quickly as those hastened into the earth. The optimal soil temperature for sowing peas is around 50 – 70° F (a soil thermometer is a handy and inexpensive device to keep in your tool bag or tote at the beginning and end of the gardening season).

I keep my early crops organized by planting date and plan –ready to go & close at hand— in wire baskets. Here peas, beets, radishes, carrots and greens are ready to go when the opportunity arises.

Succession Planting Continues in the Hoop Houses (Repeat Sowing of Seed to Continue Harvest of Quick-to-Mature Crops, like arugula, spinach, beets, radishes, lettuce & other roots ‘n greens)

And I’ve pulled out my favorite clean-up tool, an inexpensive and endlessly useful Adjustable Steel Rake, in hopes of beginning a bit of garden clean-up later on this week!

It’s hard to believe how much things can change in only one day. Sure, snow may fly again tomorrow, but it certainly feels like spring is making progress. Today the sun is shining brightly on the first, pastel-colored bulbs and yesterday’s silly snow-woman has completely melted away…

It’s hard to believe that a gardening snow-woman stood here just a day ago!

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