After many missed weekends, we finally got the garden stared yesterday.

We have small patch behind our house and often have to limit what we plant. This year we've decided on: Garlic, Beets, Green Onions, Leeks, Broccoli, Peas, Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, a host of different Salad Greens (Arugula, Romaine, Mesclun, Red Leaf), and some of our favorite herbs (Parsley, Rosemary, and Thyme).

Because our family's obsession with Pesto, Basil is not included in our "herb garden". In our house Basil is it's own food group and thus planted en mass and tended as if it were the most precious of all crops. Along with Bell Peppers, Eggplant, and Tomatoes, Basil will go in the garden in a few weeks - when the threat of frost is behind us. In upstate New York, you can't be too careful about frost. Even after consistently nice weather for the last few weeks (including some 80+ degree days) a snow storm wouldn't surprise any of us in April.


So back to yesterday...We roughly mapped out where things would go (a plan that is in flux until the last seed is in the ground) and got to it. We've been eating a lot of Kale and Beets recently, and because they do well throughout the season, we gave them lots of play this year. We put some Garlic in last Fall and made a small herb bed around it, filling in with some small herb plants from Early Bird.

In the far corner we dedicated a lot of space to Salad Greens this year. Lettuce and the like are so expensive these days and are infinitely better right from your garden. We also did our peas a bit differently this year, so we shall see how they do in a new part of the garden.