Planting Time

So I'm in the thrift store the other day and hear a man ask, "Hi Olga," (of course that wasn't her name, but I can't remember) "How's your garden doing?"

"Oh," says she, "not much going on yet."

To which he replies, "I've got lettuce about this big (holding his fingers an inch apart), ..."

That was enough for me. I didn't hear the rest, although he went on to mention other vegetables I hadn't even thought to seed yet. All I could think of was, "Yikes! I'm late!"

Now, a week later, it's still seasonally chilly and windy, and I still haven't gotten out there. Why is it that I don't get it? Some seeds actually like the chill in the soil and air. Me, not so much. And now I'm going away and it's going to be the same as every other year. May long weekend. Everything - cool loving or warm loving - gets put down. (Except for basil; it needs real heat before I set it out).

It's so sad that what we grow up with, we have a hard time diverting from. On the prairies, you darn well waited for the soil to warm before you planted (although my father seeded spinach in the fall).
Really, how long does it take to get out there and throw a few seeds in the ground?

I tend to overthink placement of vegetables. Will I try carrots again this year? They always have those pesky wire worms in them. I could cover them, to prevent that pesky rust fly, but how long? And don't they need moisture? You can't just put plastic over them until you harvest them...

I am thankful for my perennial crops that I only have to prune, fertilize and wait for: asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, kiwi, tayberries.

Every year I conduct one experiment. One year it was those mini squash, one year millet, and this year I'm going to try potatoes in my compost.

Through all the angst of planting, I'm grateful that I usually get a fair crop. I know what's gone into it, that it's been carefully and organically cared for, and that, when they're ready, I can pick the freshest veggies you can get.

Time to get out there!