Spring fever

It’s got me. It’s got me bad. Like the trees that I saw poking out of the snow last week sporting tiny little buds, I am starting to feel spring in my bones. There’s no practical explanation for it – it was -24 this morning, when I walked the dog in the darkness – but the days are getting slightly longer and as a result, the trees are in bud and the seed catalogues have come in the mail. Like clockwork.

I promised myself I wouldn’t go insane this year. For logical reasons, I plan to hold back on the ambitious and usually-unsuccessful experiments. This year, we need to replace or resurface our deck, which will not only take time but also take up space. We will also be overseeing the construction of my brother-in-law’s cottage and starting to clear our own land, which we will be using on many weekends. I am not going to attempt to do planters of flowers on the deck this year because as much as I love them in June, in July they always get ignored and bake to death and end up looking awful. I had visions of window boxes on the north side filled with coleus and other shade-loving plants, but somehow I think if it’s not in the books in January it won’t be in the books in June.

This year, I really do want to focus on having a great veggie harvest. I am more and more interested in sustainability, which for me includes being self-sufficient as much as possible. I like to think of myself as an island. It’s delusional, yes, but it keeps me going.

The one large project I will take on, aside from the deck, is a new bed at the back of the house, on the south side. I want to cut some of the scrappy cedars out of our forest, which will open it up a bit for other plants to grow and also cut down on the bugs, increase the breeze, etc. I will then use these bits of cedar (and some metal spikes) to build a raised bed, about 18” high and 20” wide, along the wall at the back. I will build a trellis up the wall as well. Into this raised bed will go gravel, a batch of fresh compost, peat moss to absorb the roof run-off, black earth and maybe some sheep manure or something. I will plant this area in a concerted way with my squash vines, so they don’t trouble the veggie garden. I will surround it with copper mesh, so the slugs can’t get any purchase on my beloved squash. Dammit, I will have squash this year. If I have to cut down trees to create sunlight, I will have squash this year.

I have ordered some seeds, against my better judgement. Yes I have a two-litre tub in the basement filled with seed packets, but I can’t rely on their viability. Some of them are pretty ancient. I have ordered from Greta’s Organic Gardens once again, despite having mixed results last year (tomatoes were tinier than expected, melons didn’t really germinate, squash did nothing). I have ordered the elusive kale, which I will inter-plant with my garlic for a late harvest. I will plant a lot, so boerenkool all winter! I have ordered two kinds of tomatoes – one is an early harvest type, and the other is called ‘winter-keeper’ and apparently if you pick them slightly unripe, they will last up to 4 months in a cool dark place. Fruit flies here I come.

Also in my order are butternut squash and tiny little melons, which apparently ripen early. I love melon in summertime. You always have dessert ready! Lately we’re really into grapefruits. Dessert is either a grapefruit or yoghurt. Anyway I am off-track. In addition to that, I will grow peppers and small eggplants in pots on the deck – red pots – because I have had no success in the garden and they need more sun. Baking is good, as long as I water them every night. Also I can keep the earwigs and slugs at bay a lot more effectively in pots.

The main garden will be focused on: Tomatoes (x2), onions, basil, kale, garlic, mint, strawberries, beans, carrots and cucumbers. And cilantro, inevitably.

The new bed in back will be: butternut squash (they’re a compact variety, bush-style), melons, and zucchini (up the trellis in back). This bed will be about 10’ long. If that’s all too much, maybe I’ll do the zucchini in the garden as they’re easier to grow.

I will plant potatoes in the potato bin once again, as that was pretty successful. Last year’s successes were pretty much only potatoes, garlic and onions.

I’m giving up on all herbs that aren’t basil or cilantro. Turns out, I don’t use them. Maybe I’ll try a bit of dill for fish.

As for annuals, I want to get a few to fill in the perennial bed – orange poppies, maybe calendula. I have some other planters that need filling but I promise not to go nuts. I really want cannas but that has never really worked for me. Maybe this will be my year.

Finally, perennials. I always have to wait to see what lived through the winter before buying anything new for the spring. There’s a weird garden area at the back of my place that needs something permanent and ground-covering, so I may invest in that a bit – perhaps a variety of hostas would do the trick. They’re so low-maintenance - I love them.

This post has been very helpful. I have now made a shopping list, and will attempt to stick to it. I promise.