Planning a garden?

Every year, I try to boost this website (the precursor to the Backyard Garden blog) that I made in 2010 giving advice and resources for urban folks trying to start their own gardens.    If you fall in that category, please check it out.   It has information on what to plant ("easy" vs. "hard" plants, cold vs. heat loving plants, shade tolerant plants, etc.) and where to plant it.    Also, where to get good cheap stuff around Boston.     It also starts out with a very cute essay about why gardening is so awesome (and how Dawn and I started our own backyard garden from a trash-filled lot!)

Enjoy!

https://sites.google.com/site/abbymachsoncarter/home/boston-backyard-gardener

Spring has sprung!

well....I already know from looking at my garden calendars that spring is actually WAY early this year (compared to the last few).    While in years past we've had nights still down to freezing at this point, my early April hardy plants (lettuce, spinach, radishes & peas) seem to be doing just fine.   Usually at this time of year I'm reminding folks that the last frost date isn't until Mother's Day, at least!   Now, however, I feel like we have no idea - so this year I'm trying to get on board and plant hardy plants ASAP...so that they can be of harvestable size before whatever is coming next (namely, tender squash, beans and cukes!)  Is global warming helping my garden?

Also, the dandelions are up!  I used to think these were just completely obnoxious weeds..until, perusing some garden reading, some author mentioned how helpful dandelions are.    So many beneficial insects need flower nectar to feed off of, and dandelions, one of the first flowers up in spring, provide an excellent source before the real cornacopia of spring and summer flowers get going.   So, the advice goes, let dandelions flower with reckless abandon - and then uproot the heck out of them when they start going to seed!

Spring lettuce and spinach in the front raised bed

hardy urban dandelions

First day of "eatin' season!"

Well, it's official - i ate something that grew out in my backyard!   I guess this season I'll be making paleo, seasonal food  - which shouldn't be too hard, since what I grow is vegetables, and that's what we're supposed to eat...right?

So this morning I made myself a mushroom and backyard chive-and-marjoram omelet.   These tender herbs are the very first things to come up in spring (other than garlic shoots...which I skipped in the fall and, as always, miss in the spring!)  verdict?    I don't actually like Marjoram.   Bought it at the local garden shop to try something new...turns out it was the ubiquitous herb-of-choice in Ecuador during my study abroad....and although I enjoy the time warp quality of eating something I haven't had in a while, I pretty much made myself forever sick of that herb (as well as chamomile tea!).

So....anyone want some marjoram?  (ie, wild oregano?)