Updated on Gardening

Spring has Sprung

Hey ALL! Annie here with an outdoor garden update. Celery, fava beans, lettuce, garlic, and more are settled in the garden and looking fabulous. Here are some photos of my 2021 garden, well under way!

This is a peek into my cold frame, where I was able to start lettuce seeds in February. I see salad in our future next week!
My celery plants were busting out of their pots, so I went ahead and planted them in one of my newly constructed garden beds. If it gets too cold (around freezing), I’ll cover them with milk jug greenhouses. There are little radish seedlings to the left, and red onion and pea seedlings to the right, which you can barely see. I put that horridly ugly wire fence there in an attempt to keep the dog and the chickens out.
This is my first attempt at growing fava beans. The most surprising thing I’ve learned so far is that they like to be planted in the early(ish) spring like peas, rather waiting until the soil has warmed up like other beans. I’m really excited to watch these unusual plants grow!
My first-ever patch of garlic is doing great! When I planted it in the fall, I buried the cloves about 6 inches deep, then I covered them with straw, chicken wire (to keep the darn squirrels out!), then a thick layer of fallen leaves over that. About a month ago, I uncovered the garlic tops, and about a week ago I planted lettuce between the rows. You can see it starting to come up if you look closely. The lettuce will shade the garlic as it matures—I read in a book that this is a good thing.
Our plum tree is in partial bloom. Stewie likes to stand underneath it and look handsome.
I have two new garden beds (thank you, husband!) to plant my berries in this year. I’ll plant strawberries in one and blueberries in the other. I currently have these berry plants crammed into a way-too-small bed by that rock wall to the left, which is also home to a couple huge currant bushes. The blueberries will finally have the acidified soil they’ve always wanted, which I hope will make them more productive!

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Annie

Annie works as a contributing food writer, editor, and recipe developer for Better Homes & Gardens and Allrecipes magazines. Located in Des Moines, she lives with her husband, Jay, and two daughters, Vanna and Farrah, along with a sheltie dog, four cats, one rabbit, and a flock of chickens.

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