As long as this particular winter seems to have been, spring is even more a season of time staling and standing in place. The temperatures are not the issue as much as too many rainy days making the ground hold all these ponds around my area. They are the reminder that the soil is probably too wet for me to get excited about planting.
The plum tree is fully in bloom in the front yard and is getting a lot of comments from John and the grandchildren. I have seen one humming bird near it but no Mason bees. I am going to take one of my fine watercolor brushes and see if I have the touch to pollinate fruit trees. I understand in China they hire people on a regular bases to do the pollinating of trees.
I have sprouted some peas, radishes and spinach in the house on a heating pad. They has made it to the raised beds but now wait for the warmth of the sun. Just hanging out, I could say.
Radishes has taken over my curiosity this year, this is the climate I imagine that they would do very well. I shop at a little store front Vietnamese grocer and am very interesting in the vegetables I have no word for. The idea that I may be missing something that I could enjoy cooking and eating has me staring at them, week after week. This has lead me to buy Daikon radishes this winter and I am growing comfortable throwing them in soup and on salads. I use the computer to find ways of cooking with them. The Kitazawa Seed Company has three pages of radishes listed and each are described as if they were, each, the lead star in a movie. There are Chinese radish, small radishes, Japanese radishes, Korean and giant white radishes plus radishes that are grown because their leaves are tender and good flavor. I want to serve myself a platter of radishes this summer of sorted colors and tastes, maybe photograph it and them paint them. Don't they serve radish tea sandwiches in parts of the world? The fact is this climate was not made to grow tomatoes, maybe radishes are the answer!
On Friday, the afternoon was a teaser, the sun was out and it was warm and the memories of past springs and summers made everyone rush out of buildings to experience a new season. My grandchildren and I planted some potatoes. These potatoes were harvested from last fall and were in the garage and had sprouted eyes. I viewed that as losers as far as eating but organic as seed potatoes to plant. I was very careful to plant them in clean soil but after following that rule, I broke all the rest. I followed Carol Deppe's theory, cut a piece with an eye and put it in the ground. No dipping in stuff, no drying out, no spacing and measuring. Put them in the ground. Then I covered the whole area with some leaves that were piled all winter to protect my two figs trees. (That didn't work out so well) As the weeks go by I will be checking my potatoes to see if they grow, if they need more soil build up and I will harvest a few very early as fingerling. My grandchildren enjoyed the project for a couple rows but there were there long enough that they now know how to plant potatoes. I want them to know how to grow their own food
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