Getting You and Your Garden Ready for Spring and Summer!
Spring equinox arrived around my part of the world on March 20 and we’re starting the run up to summer with really perfect weather (cool nights and mornings with sunny skies and mild daytime temps)! Now, I have to admit that doing my spring/summer garden prep work was never a source of serious intestinal “knottage” in my earlier years. In fact it was a seasonal milestone that I really looked forward to…a sort of “back to school” feeling that everything was nothing but possibilities. It’s that “starting with a clean slate” enthusiasm that inspires all of us gardeners at the start of a new growing season - new weather patterns, new plant palette. But times…oh how they have changed!
Luscious Leeks
A beautiful and ancient monocot, the leek is, as far as I’m concerned, a necessity in any serious cool season culinary garden. Certainly, there is hardly a European garden without the gorgeous blue-green stand of leeks in winter. In the U.S., however, the leek remains under-appreciated. Let’s change that!
The Nutritional Powerhouses of the Cool Season: GREENS
Nutritionally, you can’t beat greens. They are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, folic acid, antioxidants, carotenoid, riboflavin and iron, as well as a great source of fiber, and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. The darker and leafier the green, the higher the health benefit for us – anti-aging, cancer preventing, skin care, pregnancy health, heart health – to name a few. Convinced? Good…now let’s get out in the garden and grow them!
Beautiful Broccoli - The King Cole
Consumption of broccoli has shot up in the last couple of decades. A third of American households are eating it at least once every two weeks, up 33 percent since that infamous quote from President George H.W. Bush in 1990! And since a Georgetown University study in 2011 found that isothiocyanates (ITCs) found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables caused cancer cells to die, well, let’s just say broccoli is no longer the awkward kid no one talks to at the party!
Raised Expectations: How & Why to Build a Raised Bed
This is one of the questions I get the most often so I decided to add this to our Garden Blog library so you could refer back to it as needed. I promise you…it’s easy to build one of these yourself. YOU CAN DO IT!