Crocuses in snow
“March is mostly a winter month, and carries the threat of a late season blizzard….
this is a month of promise, but also one of caution.”
The New Victory Garden
After thirty years of gardening in this particular place I have my favourites that I can’t live without. Yes it has really been that long.
Here is my list:
Garlic. This is the easiest thing you will ever grow. Plant in the fall and harvest in early summer.
Tomatoes. I am too lazy now to start my own seedlings and get them from my friend the Wind Chime Hater in exchange for snowdrops.
I think I get the best of that deal. It’s a lot easier to dig up a clump of snowdrops than to start and look after plants.
Parsley. Both curled and Italian are beautiful and useful.
Hot peppers. I like the moderate Long Red Cayenne. It dries well for winter use and is not too scary in terms of heat. If you need something more exciting talk to your local pepper heads. There are lots in this community who grow the hottest and weirdest peppers and like to spread the word to the uninitiated.
Zucchini. I have been growing Summer Surprise Mix from Vesey’s for a few years now. It’s a nice mix of colours and types.
Cucumbers. Martini yellow cucumbers, also from Vesey’s, has been my favourite for awhile. It’s relatively compact and the cucumbers are sweet.
Snow peas. I have tried yellow and purple podded varieties but always come back to Oregon Giant. Very productive and reliable.
Pole beans. The gorgeous purple leaved Carminat has become a garden staple for me. The purple pods are good when harvested fresh and they resist getting tough. If the pods are left to dry the pale yellow beans are also good as dried beans.
Then there are the sometime plants. These include Rhubarb chard, Russian red kale, carrots and spinach. If I’m having a particularly organized year I plant spinach in the fall and usually about three quarters of it overwinters. That means I have greens as the snow is melting. Take that west coast gardeners.
Rhubarb chard and Russian red kale are beautiful to look at with their dramatic colouring. I’m not a big fan of regular kale as it has always seemed to me to be tough as old boots. I agree with Dan Needles of Letter from Wingfield Farm fame that kale might possibly be a good material for roofing.
The last regular kale grown here (for a friend who was too busy to harvest it) ended up being a late winter feast for the deer. It had overwintered and was sticking up through the snow. But not for long once the deer found it.
And then there are vegetables that I always seem to have whether I want them or not. Fingerling potatoes are in this category. I have never been able to dig all of them ever and they pop up in several different spots in the garden every year. I don’t remember when I actually first planted these so it must have been a few years ago.
Finally there are the wild card vegetables that I sometimes grow just for fun. These are different every year and change according to my whims.
I have grown primitive wheat, peanuts and sweet potatoes. Oh and those weird peppers from the market that looked like tiny hats. I wonder what it will be this year.
By Jill Williams
