blooms aren’t newcomers to our farm’s landscape. I think the nostalgia of seeing a specific bloom year after year also plays a key role in alerting us to the start of a new season. Perhaps we saw winter honeysuckle while riding our bikes at our family’s homestead, or we may recall sunny daffodils popping up in our mother’s garden. Whatever the reason, if these blooms signal spring in your mind, I encourage you to plant a few of your own to enjoy next year. At my farm, flowering plants aren’t the only ones indicating the arrival of spring. What’s growing in the vegetable garden is equally important. I love to enjoy spring delicacies such
Living salad bowl Get an early start on enjoying garden produce by planting lettuce in easy-tomove pots.
as fiddlehead greens, mushrooms, asparagus and leeks. Just as the blooms of spring hold a bit of nostalgia, so do these vegetables. You’ll begin to see them appearing in your garden (and hopefully on your menu) around the Jane Colclasure
same time you take note of spring blooms. Filling your plate with these vegetables while at their peak can take you back to a spring family gathering in no time. Just like the blooms, I encourage you to plant these seasonal delicacies and enjoy the goodness of spring!
Grow your own “living salad bowls”
Planting Instructions
If you’re ready to welcome spring with your own green thumb but want to start with a small project, I suggest a
1. Fill your container with soil to about six inches below the top.
lettuce container garden. Follow these three quick steps and
2. Plant the lettuce in the container, and then fill the
you’ll have the base for a delicious spring salad in no time. In
pot with additional soil, leaving about one inch of space
fact, I like to refer to these containers as “living salad bowls.”
between the soil and the top of the container to allow
Here’s what you’ll need:
you to water easily.
• 18-inch container with saucer (I love using traditional
3. Place the container in a spot that receives full sun
round terra cotta planters with pre-drilled drainage
to partial shade, and keep the soil consistently moist.
holes.)
When it’s time to harvest, cut the leaves above the crown.
• two six packs of lettuce plants (I suggest trying arugula, oakleaf or my favorite, buttercrunch.)
If you continue to care for your lettuce, you should have a new crop to harvest every few weeks.
• potting soil (with a slow-release fertilizer)
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