At The Root Of It All

    It is 20 degrees and sunny this afternoon.  This morning, it was so nice out that I decided to weed the two segmented lettuce beds on the front lawn near the cherry tree. That location seems to be too hot for radishes and lettuce (they bolt quickly), so I am going to try growing beets there this year. I planted Detroit Red beets, Chioggia beets, Golden beets, and Cylindra Beets.

    Butters came over several times to socialize and help. She is so happy to have company outside!  She chased the birds, watched me dig, rested under the crab apple tree, rubbed by elbow and gave me head butts.  It's nice to have a feline assistant while I'm puttering in the garden.

    Some garlic and kale have sprouted in the raised bed by the currant bush.  I found the plastic mesh and covered that bed to keep the cats out, and covered the beet bed with an old section from a wood screen door that was in the shed. Fit perfectly. 

    This afternoon, I planted carrots and a few garlic chives in one of the raised beds along the driveway.  There are already a few red onions sprouting around the perimeter of that bed. For carrots, I planted Berlicummer from Salt Spring Seeds (long, coreless, orange), Scarlet Nantes (traditional orange), Jaune Obtuse du Doubs from Baker Creek Seeds (pale yellow), and a mix of purple, white, yellow, and red carrots from The Cottage Gardener (the varieties are not specified on package).  I covered the bed with burlap and floating row cover, watered the heck out it, and hope to see some carrot sproutlings in a week or two.

    I was happy to find the order of seed potatoes I placed with Eagle Creek Farms a few months ago in today's mail.  I ordered a foursome of Caribe, Linzer Delikatess, Alaska Sweetheart, and Nicola potatoes.  We'll fill in the rest of the potato patch with the same potatoes (Russets, mainly) we grew last year.  For now, they are in my closet, where it's nice and cool!