First greens of the season taste like gold

(The first salad of the season, picked March 27, 2010)

The saying goes, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb," but I think the lion made not only an entrance but will make an exit as well.
It was a brisk weekend, the last weekend in March, as I worked among the beds in the garden. There is so much to do this time of year — I spent all last weekend raking out the flower beds and picking up twigs all over the lawn. This weekend I headed toward the garden to see what was going on.
I was tempted to peek under the protective row cover of Reemay I put in place at the end of last season — and it was well worth the look.



The very first of the spring greens are ready to harvest! It's like Christmas at Easter. I remember picking the greens last year the first week in April, so this was a little earlier. Salad would be the star of Saturday's dinner.



Luscious spinach was peaking under cover. I could not help but eat some of the leaves right after picking, and they tasted as sweet as candy. Nothing compares in taste to freshly picked greens; the life energy they give off is amazing. It's love at first bite.



The seeds are a smooth-leaf hybrid from Johnny's, which I planted Sept. 13 last year. We ate greens from that batch well into December, when things finally froze, including the Reemay cover. It's good to keep a gardening journal so you can plan accordingly. I also planted some Franchi lettuce seeds, Lattuga and Misticanza, which are nice Italian greens, micro greens from Botanical Interests, which are a colorful, spicy mix of greens, and a salad mix from Renee's. Except for the dog days of August when it gets too hot for lettuce growing, we ate fresh greens from the garden March through December — so satisfying.




As you can see, it is a vibrant mix of greens, ready for the picking. These will continue to grow into spring, and I will plant more seeds in the beds, once they are ready to work, to keep consecutive plantings of lettuce going strong.



Young arugula leaves are thriving under cover, too. I can't get enough of those peppery, nutty-tasting leaves in salad. I will make plenty more plantings of this in the beds when it's time.



And, look, the garlic I planted on Halloween (110 cloves; 10 different varieties) is popping up, ready for the warmth of spring.



I've got a brand new pair of purple Atlas garden gloves to get down and dirty in the garden. I'm lucky to have a pair of gloves last one season, although I highly recommend this brand for the comfort and light feel of the fiber, which is pretty strong so far ( I already poked my finger with the pruning shears and the gloves did not tear). And for $6, they seem to be a good deal. That's some garlic that wintered over from last year's crop on the table next to the gloves.
The cloves were big and white and I thought I would be able to use them, but, alas, they had a large core in the center and seemed kind of woody.



And of course, it's the same story each season, my gardening buddy kitties choose to snooze more often than help, but that's OK. That's Carlos curling up in my gardening jacket on the picnic table.

On Sunday, I planted three different types of peas in the garden — snow peas, sugar snaps and shelling peas — and have started some more pepper and tomato seedlings indoors. I can only hope this season is a better one for the tomatoes than last year, when that nasty blight wiped out my entire crop of tomatoes.

So, here's to the start of another gardening season. I love this time of year, don't you?