My Vegetable Garden in Late April
There's already so much to see growing in my giant vegetable garden here at my farm.
Having a really good vegetable garden where I can grow lots of fresh, delicious and nutritious produce is extremely important to me. I share the vegetables with my daughter, my grandchildren, as well as other relatives and friends. Every spring, I prepare the soil for planting - till the earth, add natural fertilizers, and top dress raised, well-aerated beds. Then the planting begins. I already have peas, spinach, fava beans, radishes and herbs growing. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted beets and turnips. And, I've harvested the season's first stalks of asparagus.
Enjoy these photos.
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- It’s so refreshing to see the gardens in spring. My vegetable garden is looking spectacular with composted beds all ready for planting, blooming tulips, and vegetables in different stages of growth.
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- Earlier this month, my outdoor grounds crew top dressed all the fed beds with a nutrient-rich compost mix I make right here at my farm.
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- A three inch layer of compost is spread over each bed carefully and evenly. When spreading compost, be sure it is not too thick – putting too much could block sunlight from growing crops, trap moisture, and suffocate microbes crucial for compost breakdown.
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- This is my asparagus bed now. When I created this vegetable garden, I made sure one of the biggest beds was earmarked for asparagus. I’ve already harvested the season’s first spears. On the left is an earthenware cloche specifically for growing white asparagus. The plants are the same, but the spears of white asparagus are blanched, or kept from light while growing.
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- Asparagus, Asparagus officinalis, are the edible shoots, commonly called spears, that rise early in the season from underground stems called crowns. It’s a perennial, so once it gets established, the tender spears return year after year.
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- Nearby, another perennial – the fragrant herb, mint.
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- And this is my rhubarb. Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable, generally eaten like a fruit. It’s very easy to grow and thrives in colder climates. These rhubarb plants were moved from my flower garden and are doing well in their new home here. They should continue to grow nicely for many more years.
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- Not long ago, Ryan planted the season’s first radishes. One can see them already shooting through the soil.
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- And look at my fava bed. We planted this crop last month. Fava beans, also known as broad beans, come in pods. They have a slightly sweet, earthy flavor and are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. I always grow fava beans in the garden.
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- The plants are large and leafy with hollow stems. Fava beans’ pods, beans, shoots, leaves, and flowers are all edible.
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- In the center of the garden, a long bed is set up for climbers, such as my peas.
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- These plants are several inches tall already. Snap peas are a cross between snow peas and shelling peas – the whole pod is eaten and has a crunchy texture and very sweet flavor.
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- On the other side of the bed are the shelling peas. Shelling peas are also sometimes called garden peas, sweet peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, and the round peas inside need to be removed, or shelled, before eating. The peas are sweet and may be eaten raw or cooked.
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- The spinach is also looking good, lush and green. I grow spinach all year long – outside during the warm season, and inside my vegetable greenhouse in winter. It is used every day for my green juice.
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- And blooming on one side of my garden are a handful of beds filled with gorgeous tulips. Tulips, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are perennial plants that open up each spring. They’re grown for their graceful leaves and bright, cheery blooms.
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- Ryan keeps a very detailed calendar of when he plants what in the garden. Yesterday, he planted beets and turnips.
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- Two of my favorite sources for seeds are Johnny’s Selected Seeds and the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Here, Ryan writes out small markers, so we can keep track of what varieties are growing and which ones we want to grow again.
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- Ryan uses Johnny’s Bed Preparation Rake to make appropriately sized furrows.
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- Ryan drops the seeds in the furrows. This is called direct sowing, or planting seeds in the garden, rather than starting seeds indoors earlier and transplanting them outside. Some crops do better planted directly into the ground. These plants won’t experience the stress of transplanting and will not need time to adjust to their new growing conditions.
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- Here are the beet seeds encased in protective shells. Once they germinate, Ryan will check the young sprouts and pull any that seem to be too weak or not growing properly. I grow both red and gold beets.
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- Large markers are used to label the bed.
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- Ryan plants the parsnips next. Here he is creating the variety marker.
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- White Spear parsnips are are strong growers and packed with essential nutrients. They are a good source of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as folate and fiber.
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- Ryan carefully plants the bed with rows about 10 inches apart to give them ample room to grow.
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- Then Ryan carefully back fills all the furrows in the beds until all the seeds are covered with soil.
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- These newly planted beds don’t look like much now, but one will see sprouts poking through the soil very soon. A new crop is planted every day until the beds are full. It’s going to be a great season.
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