New England Gardener

I bet I’m not the only gardener who collapsed on the sofa, exhausted from a weekend gardening marathon. I spent the last two days hauling, hammering, squatting, shoveling and yes, at long last, planting, with the crazed zeal of a New England gardener in early May.

Why work at such a frenzied pace? Because the garden has taught me that labor in May pays off in July and August. Getting cool weather crops into the vegetable garden now allows for additional plantings of favorites like peas and spinach. I’ve also found May is the best time to tackle any kind of garden expansion. I’m always energized by the fresh green color that comes in May and up for anything involving dirt and a shovel. By June, the newness wears off, and other interests, like boating and the beach beckon. So, instead of tackling that project I discussed with the spouse over cocoa in February, I opt for “same old, same old” and call it good. And by September, forget it. I know the pros say its a great time to plant and tackle big projects, but by then, outside of harvesting, I’m done.

I’d be interested to hear what others have to say, but I’ve found there’s really no perfect “conditioning” for the May gardening marathon. I did break a sweat at my local garden center after discovering that my favorite tomato seed variety had been discontinued, but that didn’t do much to prepare me for the weekend’s grueling pace.

I know I’m not the only one with sore muscles because the community garden in my town in Maine was buzzing with activity. The renters, nearly 80 of them this spring, moved into their freshly tilled plots carrying seeds and stakes. They were so anxious to plant, they didn’t even care that the water system wasn’t hooked up yet and many hauled jugs from home.

Over in the Children’s Garden we planted a new strawberry patch and erected three tepee structures. Garden tepees are great fun for kids. I’ve seen them done all kinds of ways. Ours are made of 10′ wooden stakes held together with twine and eye screws. We plant them with climbers including peas, beans (Scarlet Runner beans are great) and Morning Glories. Kids love to play hide and seek in them. Just remember to leave a space in the plantings for an entrance. Yes, I’ve made that mistake and had to tear out healthy plants so kids could get in.

Thanks to my husband and Zach we’ve now got a frame painted and built for the Just Add Water garden. The shell peas, sugar snaps and spinach all went in late this afternoon just as the water system was getting hooked up. The timing was perfect because after a weekend like this one, I wasn’t about to haul jugs of water from home!