April 13
Spring Planting

What a great Easter week loaded with gardening and entertaining guests for the Egg Hunt! The hunt was a great time to look in all areas of the yard for signs of spring. In my yard, things exploded over the week, and tulips have finally arrived! On the east side of our house the foliage has emerged. I will look forward to them blooming in the next couple of weeks. Those vibrant blooms will continue to wake up our yard. Up next will be green grass and radishes, because the ground in my vegetable and herb garden was perfect last week to plant. The tiller is currently in the shop, but my muscles were able to till up an area for planting cool season vegetables. Tools necessary for such fun were a hoe and a cultivator. Both tools worked very well to get things planted on Holy Thursday, and fortunately, I was motivated and determined to get things in the ground. Many people kept telling me that I should plant my potatoes on Good Friday, which is a tradition to many, but my schedule only allowed for planting on Thursday. I planted two kinds of radishes, brussel sprouts, lettuce and a ton of carrots. Radishes are not a favorite of mine. In fact, I really don’t care for them at all, but they grow so fast and are fun to watch. My friends and family enjoy radishes, so I thought I could grow them to share with them. If you are looking for something quick and easy to grow, radishes are the ticket. In only 30 days, they will produce an interesting vegetable for you that come in a variety of colors. For instance, they can be red, white, orange, yellow and many have a different colored center than what is on the outside. Last year, I planted White Icicles, which grows like an icicle. They grew well and were on the spicy side, so I really didn’t like them but others did. Well, about those potatoes. They did not get planted on Thursday, because I couldn’t find them, which worked out fine, because I did run out of time that was set aside for gardening. Friday evening, I combed through the house and garden shed looking for those potatoes, and they were found and planted right away in a 25 foot row next to the radishes. Now, I can let everyone know that it was Good Friday when they were planted. They will be relieved to hear that I have stuck to the tale. In the past few years, the ground has been frozen on Good Friday, so no one has been able to plant potatoes. I feel so lucky this year to be in the garden already!

Speaking of potatoes, I had a seminar over the weekend on Gardening with a Budget. I mentioned an easy way to grow potatoes that does not take up a lot of space. You grow them in a potato tower. It looks so fun and easy to do, especially if you have kids or grandkids.

Things are rolling in the garden and at the garden center. New things are arriving daily at both locations, and we’ll have annual packs and vegetables plants before you know it. Stop in and say hello! We’ll be glad to see you.

Let me know if you have any questions or have an interest in something you'd like to read about. I can be reached at wajasper@sargentsgardens.com

Happy Gardening!
Wendy Jasper
MNLA Certified Professional

Past Journal Entries