We have had an incredible spring in the Pacific Northwest. Three days in April above 80 degrees set a new record, and now here we are May 1st and it was 80 degrees with more sunshine in store for tomorrow. Last weekend, it was raining, so I transplanted the cool weather crops: lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and nasturtiums. This weekend, I have been trying for two days now to plant everything else. Granted my mornings are taken up with breakfast, a dog walk, and a two-hour run, so I haven't been able to get started until 1:00.
Can you say beans? We made the decision to eat vegan to see if lowers our cholesterol. Eating a plant based diet is supposed to help with all sorts of diseases, so we are jumping in. That means we're going to eat lots of beans. I planted every last bean I had. I am growing many varieties: Cherokee Trail of Tears from my pal Nicole, Sunset Runner Bean, Eye of the Goat, Zuni Gold, Good Mother Stollard Pole Bean, Bolita, and Flambo Bush Bean. With the exception of the last, they all require something really tall to grow up. I think I may have gotten a little carried away....
I think I had 10 flats of bean plants, and I still have two left to find homes for. I managed to plant squash, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage yesterday, but I can't believe I am still planting beans. Tomorrow, I have the day off work, thank goodness, so I will finish the beans and I hope to plant my flower pots and spread rock dust in my garden.
Rock dust is how you replenish the mineral content of your soil. I got a five gallon bucket of sludge from Marenakos, a rock center, for free! It isn't a fertilizer, so it won't make your plants grow better. It will, however, make your fruits and vegetables taste better and be more nutritious. It's hard to know for sure if there is a difference in taste because I can't do a side-by-side comparison, but I have had two people tell me that my cucumbers were really good. One person said they were the most cucumber-y cucumbers she'd ever tasted!
Meanwhile, it would be nice to weed the blueberry patch, set up a chicken pen in some weed controlled garden beds, take some garden photos for this blog, and, oh yeah, relax. Maybe next weekend. But next weekend, I'll be painting some Adirondack chairs.
-NGG
