I often wonder if I would love spring so deeply if we didn’t have such long winters here in Wisconsin. These are the days that remind me of why I live in Madison. The rainbow of spring flowers, the intense yellowish green of emerging leaves, the white puffy clouds against a vibrant blue sky – my heart swells almost to the breaking point with happiness at this time each year.
As spring starts to turn the corner towards summer (my second favorite season!), I thought I’d pause and take you on a tour through my garden as it is right now.
The photo at the top of the post is the view of my front yard from across the street. My husband and I created a berm with perennial flowers as a visual buffer between our garden and the street. One of my favorite bulbs, purple allium, is scattered throughout the bed.
Now that it’s the first week in June most of my beds are filled with transplants and seeds. This shot shows the raised beds near the street. The two closest are the early spring crops of salad greens and peas. Farther back are onions, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, leeks, broccoli and kale.
The next photo is the other half of that same garden with lots of garlic, peppers, eggplant, beans and my herb spiral.
Here’s a close up of my early spring bed. The one in the foreground was under my hoop and was planted in early March. The second was planted a month later and by now has caught up to the first bed.
I’ve harvested more salad greens this year than any other year in recent memory. I have felt so rich with salad – we eat it as much as we want and there’s always more waiting in the garden to be harvested.
I love Hakurei turnips for a quick growing addition to spring salads. I also have overwintered scallions planted from seed last summer. My kale has been big enough for a few harvests so far as well.
You may have seen me build my herb spiral last fall on The Perennial Plate show. I planted it with rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, parsley, basil and calendula.
Onions are one of my favorite crops to grow. We usually plant between 300-500. In fact, we are still eating our storage onions from last year!
My side yard garden doesn’t have a fence around it right now, so I didn’t plant any of the spring crops that rabbits love to eat. It’s mostly filled with hotter weather vegetables that were recently planted.
We are experimenting with trellises made from livestock fencing. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, hyacinth beans, clematis and love vine to climb them. The love vine, below on the right, is just starting to grasp onto the wire.
For the past 10 years we grew 38 tomato plants. This year I reduced it to 16 to change things up a bit. As a result I’ve been feeling like I have so much space in the garden this year!
The cherry tree we planted last fall had a pretty good crop of flowers, many of which are small cherries now.
Thanks for taking a tour with me! I’ll take you on another one in a few months to see the vast changes that always happen in summer.
The last post about what my neighbors think of my yard sparked a lot of comments on the blog. Read what people had to say and join in the conversation here.
Comments
Your hard work is paying off. Your gardens look amazing!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Katie! It’s been a lot of fun.
Thanks for your response. Where can I find marsh hay in Madison? When I tried straw bale gardening a couple years ago it wasn’t successful as the hay/grass grew better than the tomatoes and strawberries I planted in it. I’ve been nervous to buy what was sold as “straw” again.
Sarah- I get mine from Jung’s. Yes, straw is often oat straw, so the oats will sprout with moisture. They don’t do any harm though, and usually die in a few weeks.
Beautiful gardens, your greens look delicious! Do you use straw mulch for most of your veggies? I’m trying grass clippings for the first time this year around my tomato plants.
Sarah- I use marsh hay on all of my garden beds.
Could I ask where you purchase march hay in Madison? Thanks so much!
Hi Sarah- I get marsh hay from Jung’s Garden Center.
We received Hakurei turnips one year in a CSA box. I loved them, but haven’t ever found them since. Can you give me a source so I can plant some next year?
Thanks much!
Hi Laurie! You can find Hakurei turnips at Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They’re a great fall crop – plant them around the third week in August here in Madison. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7922-hakurei.aspx
I have a developing natural yard and my neighbors aren’t getting over it. I’ve started a blog (whatsinthatyard.wordpress.com) as well as a petition (https://www.change.org/p/madison-building-inspection-division-stop-attacking-natural-gardeners-20b4ce15-ed2a-43ce-9169-e6c96904eaaf) to educate people about natural yards and ask the city to stop discouraging them based on the complaints of a few people. Can you help me promote these?
Thanks so much!
Hi Janette- Thanks for sharing! I agree that we need to expand the notions of what a “yard” can be in Madison. I’m glad you’re participating in that conversation. I’ll share your petition.
Wow- your site is amazing! Incredibly inspiring. I am looking forward to starting my first garden next spring. I am starting to research the basics and came across your blog. I have you bookmarked for future reading.
Glad you found me, Beverly. It’s so exciting to start your first garden!
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