Fenton Friday: A New Growing Season

We're back in Plot 16 and actually started the gardening season back in February, but this is my first chance to catch up and post about it. The garden is in pretty good shape to start the growing season thanks to a thick layer of straw we put on most of the beds in late fall. Still, some of the chickweed and henbit are popping up wherever they can get a toe-hold so I'm still ripping them out by the armload and depositing them in our communal compost pile--where I see many fellow plot gardeners are doing the same!

Returning from last year in the garden are several plants. The garlic we planted in October is about 6 inches high and the fall-planted arugula, cilantro, and broccoli actually wintered over okay under covercloths. I may even harvest some small broccoli heads this weekend. 

We also have our perennial edible plants: thornless blackberry, strawberries, asparagus, yarrow, and lots of garlic chives. The last two of which I'd just as soon be rid of, but there they are, back again. 

I also left a small patch of Wild Violets at the front of the plot this year. They are edible (see the Violet Syrup recipe in our March 2024 issue here.) Really though, I just think they are pretty and they support our native pollinators.

Two weeks ago, during a rather warm spell at the end of February, we planted seeds for 3 different kinds of Spinach and Dill. The Dill was a BIT early to do so, so I bought 3 Dill plants and we planted those as back-up this week. This past week, we planted 'Sugar Daddy' sugar snap peas, carrots, and radishes. So far, only one of the Spinach has emerged, and the weather had turned a bit colder in between our visits, so I'm not surprised.

Next week, I plan to plant a parsley seedling I bought at the Valley View Farms garden center along with seed potatoes and onion sets.

Are you back in your edible garden yet? If so, what are you growing?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 13th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).