Early March Garden

Checking an old nest in the camellia

March is when the gardening season increases in intensity. I will prepare my garden beds, and plant seeds indoors and out. Right now, it's still too cold to plant outside, but I have lots of preparation work to do!

Agenda:

1. Read "The Serviceberry"
2. March tasks
3. Plant indoors

4. Phenology journal

1. Read "The Serviceberry":

Today I'm reading from "The Serviceberry", by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2024). I got this sweet little book for Christmas.

This book is a rambling essay on abundance, reciprocity, and the gift economy. She talks about how good we are at providing a gift economy in a time of crisis, and suggests that we challenge ourselves to "cultivate our inherent capacity for gift economy without the catalyst of catastrophe." 

"We have to believe in our neighbors, that our shared interests supersede the impulses of selfishness." 

2. Early March tasks:

I'm using the Second Breakfast Garden monthly guides to update my checklists, because they are in zone 8b. In early March my priorities are to:

1. Harvest! I need to eat all the bok choy soon because t's starting to flower. The beets I planted last fall look good, and I've got a tiny bit of kale, too.
2. Set up for seed starting: Get out my grow lights, clean some 6-packs, finish making potting soil, and boil some water.
3. Start some seeds indoors: Our last average hard frost is April 22, so this week I can plant anything that should be started 7-8 weeks earlier (see below).
   
4. Bed Prep: I started bed prep on Hina Matsuri, and my onion and spinach beds are almost ready - I just need to add some compost.

3. Plant indoors:

Peppers are one of the first things I plant indoors, because they require 8- 10 weeks indoors before setting outside in April or May. This allows the pepper plants to grow into a large bushes early in the season. With a larger plant, you’ll get more peppers.

Poblano peppers originate from the Puebla region of Mexico and are a staple in Mexican cuisine. They are large and heart-shaped, and are deep green when immature and change to a dark red or brown as they ripen. Poblanos are known for their mildly spicy and slightly sweet taste, and a subtle heat that enhances the flavor of dishes without overpowering them. Poblanos prefer warm climates with plenty of sun. They grow on bushy plants that can reach up to about three feet in height.

I have saved seed from last year's bumper crop of poblanos, and also seed for some hot Bulgarian Carrot peppers! This week I will plant them about ¼ inch deep, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged.

I will also plant my favorite Buttercrunch lettuce this week, and every three weeks after this. Lettuce is in the Compositae (Aster) Family. It has grown wild since antiquity, and the ancient Egyptians were probably the first to cultivate it. Modern lettuce has five classifications: Crisphead, butterhead, loose-leaf, cos or romaine, and celtuce or stem. Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow; the seeds are quick to germinate, and the leaves grow fast. They might be ready to set out in 4 weeks, and our soil just might be warm enough by them.

And some Italian parley!