I love that phrase – “the spring quickening.” Its that time of year when winter has lost the battle to spring, which is quickly gaining momentum. Everything starts to come to life, out of its winter dormancy, and quickens with almost a pace of urgency.
Two crows are guarding their nest in the tall white pine outside my window, kicking up a big commotion one afternoon when a hawk came by looking for an easy meal. The early bloomers like the crocuses and coltsfoot are up, and the bees are bringing in the first n
ectar and pollen. Spinach in the greenhouse, long dormant over the winter, now seems on a tear for growth, providing many salads and spinach pies. The garlic has jumped out of the ground, beginning it growth just as the frost left and there was the first sign of warmth.
This week we will start doing more intensive work in the garden beds, doing spring cleanup, spreading compost and adding some soil amendments. We will start some direct seeding of cold hardy plants like arugula, cilantro and radish.
Our seedlings are growing well in the transplant production greenhouse, as they put on new sets of leaves and begin to fill out the plug trays. We will be upgrading the ultra-hot chilies from 2″ pots to 4″ pots. These were started back in mid-February and are coming along well.