sometimes mother nature has her own agenda despite the time of year. snow in march? why not. for us at urban farm school the planting itch has become hard to ignore so the seeds have gone out, the transplants are under cover and the growing season has commenced despite the weather.
one of the most humbling parts of food gardening is the constant dependence on weather. too much rain or not enough, too much wind, still freezing, didn’t freeze enough, warmed up and THEN froze (always a fun one) all of it will make the garden a different kind of eden each year. one of the best lessons the weather teaches though is that our backyard gardens are places for us to revel in growing things, many of us depend on the things we produce to stock our shelves through the year, lower our grocery bills, and serve as a source of pride but we have options if it all goes terribly wrong. farmers depend on the weather for their livlihood. there is no walking to the corner store to restock the pantry, they’re the ones that stock the store. so when we have a terrible tomato year (like last year) a terrible apple year (like three years ago) be patient and persistent like the farmers in the field. the weather always comes around and the bounty follows, evenutally.
in this wet and cold weather try a small patch of peas, sweet peas, and potatoes to curb that itchy planting urge. they’re able to withstand the colder temperatures and don’t mind being wet too much; remember to plant small just in case mother nature has a few more tricks up her sleeve in this early gardening season.
