When we dream of summer throughout the cold winter months, we often lump June in as one of those summer months. It's true that the landscape turns all sorts of beautiful greens, restaurants open their patios and we start enjoying little picnics and BBQs. BUT the warm weather is still just settling in, and so our nights tend to dip down to those single digits, threatening frosty conditions. The gardens are coming alive, but the growth is still very slow and many of us farmers must be reminded that Spring is a transitional seasonal, and transitions are often difficult, testing our patience and our capacity to believe that Spring will eventually unlock those warm Summer months! And so during this transitional time, I am guided by the power of seeds and the belief of growth. I calm my nerves and continue to plant more seeds and tend to those that emerge and grow.
So what does the garden look like these days? Well there are a lot of planted rows with very little tiny seedlings sprouting. The colour of our red soil is a lot more prevalent than any kind of green growth. To be perfectly honest, most of our seedlings are covered by row cover or tunnels to protect them from the chilly nights. If you sneak a peak under the covers, you'll see a lot more spring growth. For instance, our tomatoes are well over 2 feet tall and demanding to be trellised and pruned. While our kale and chard plants have become colourful bouquets. Our little basil plants fill the tunnels with a sweet and peppery aroma. And our zukes and cukes are just about to unleash their first blossom.
Out in the fields, you'll find smaller seedlings that are still just emerging and harder to spot, including our crunchy carrots, colourful beets and flavour-filled cilantro and dill. It's hard to believe that we'll be enjoying those veggies in just a few weeks' time!
And finally, there's the garlic. That majestic plant welcomes spring with tremendous growth. It has been waiting patiently all winter, under a thick cover of straw and snow. Our garlic has LOVED these past four weeks of spring and is already lush and deep green. If the garlic is any indication of how this growing season will be, well we're going to be just fine, 'cause I think this might be the best looking spring garlic we've ever grown!!! :)
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