Thursday, March 22, 2012

Edna Day 2012

Grandma Schroeder was born right here on Elm Street 107 years ago. Yep, right at the beginning of springtime. It was a fitting birth date for her; it matched her personality.




So we remember her each year when we put pansies into the front planters. (I’ve talked about this before.)

This year, since the weather was so unseasonably warm beginning in February, I took a chance and planted some veggie seeds for a change. Some kind of “mesclun mix,” spinach, and a few rows of radishes.




When we got a little snow about a week after I planted the seeds, I was kind of worried, but not really. It was no problem. “A little spring snow never hurt anything.”




We added pansies about a week ago. We got them this year from the Dutch Bakery in Tipton. I did tell you they sell plants, too, right? They’ve got far more than those incredible “Dutch letters”!

The radishes are coming along. I planted a bunch of different types. Looking forward to a couple of radish sandwiches!




We’ve already had several salads from thinning out the various lettuces and other greens in that mesclun mix. Oh it’s so good!




Happy spring, everyone!

4 comments:

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Dang your lettuce is ahead of ours. You pansies are beautiful. Mine didn't winter as good as normal. Guess they like those freezing temps better!
Happy spring!

Julianna Schroeder said...

Hi, Patti! Thanks! Yes, planting lettuce and radishes seems a little cheeky, but this year it paid off. Now I wish I could tell what all these different varieties of "greens" are. "Mesclun mix." Hey, as long as it's all edible!

We buy new pansies every year; since we grow them in the front planters, they usually completely dry up by July. So around May, we just replace them with something that likes hot bright sunshine.

This year, I was pleased to discover we have "field pansies" (wild johnny-jump-ups" growing on our front terrace. I'd never noticed them before. Sure, we have wild violets all over the place, but discovering the field pansies was fun. Here's a link:

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/johnny-jump-field-pansy

abb said...

My dad grows lettuce all winter long in his garden room - nothing better! Bet he's planted some outside as well. (Mom and Dad are in Columbia of of 63)

Julianna Schroeder said...

Hi! I keep thinking I need to keep some herbs going over winter. Sure, I can make pesto in the fall, but I really (REALLY) miss parsley and mint in the winter. I can buy it at the store, but that seems so ridiculously expensive, especially with mint, which is fundamentally weedy! But last time I tried mint indoors, it got buggy.

How does your dad keep bugs out of his garden room (while keeping everything edible and nontoxic)?

Julie