Potager Coming to Life

After a long winter nap, the potager is waking up with new life poking through the leaf mulch in the cutting garden. Daffodils are in full bloom as are some of the early tulips. Wintered over lettuce, arugula and spinach are providing fresh greens for the dinner table. However, most of the garden activity is in the basement seedling nursery, the cold frame and the greenhouse.

Peppers, tomatoes, impatiens, and zinnias are germinating on heated propagation mats in the basement. After germination, they will replace lettuce and pansies under the grow lights. More pansies are lining the window sill waiting to be transported to the greenhouse or cold frame to mature a bit more before planting in the gardens and window boxes.

North End of Cold Frame

Cabbage seedlings and sweet peas did their germination on a hot bed in the cold frame and have joined the rosemary (from fall cuttings) and strawberry plants (from runners) in a cooler area of the cold frame. At the north end the lights have been removed to expose the over wintered lettuce, spinach and arugula to the cool spring air.

The greenhouse shelves are laden with cuttings of rosemary, lavender, geraniums, and lantana turned into nice little plants. Orange geraniums, foxglove and more pansies from seeds are waiting patiently to be planted in outdoor pots and gardens. The lemon fig tree is starting to leaf. The Sun Sugar tomato plants are putting out blooms. Blooms are on the strawberry plants that spent the winter in the greenhouse.



It is a busy time around the potager! Two beds have been planted with beets, spinach and lettuce. As the weather warms, more beds will be planted. And of course there are leaves to be composted, fountains to be reconnected, furniture to be painted, pots to be washed and all those seedlings to be planted! Busy indeed and I love all of it!