The honeybees arrive

The landscape changes so quickly this time of year. Ten days ago, eighteen inches of snow covered the ground. Today, the snow is gone, except for a few isolated patches in the woods, and neighborhood honeybees have discovered the crocuses and winter aconites that seem to appear almost overnight.

In the tunnels, the overwintered spinach, kale and chard is growing rapidly. Next year, I think I’ll plant an entire bed of spinach late in the fall. These went in after the squash and beans succumbed to the first killing frost, too late to grow enough leaves for a fall or winter crop, but apparently perfect timing for establishing enough of a root system to be ready for an early spring growth spurt.

Spinach, wild onion and baby leek

The hardy greens – planted in the warm frame just under two weeks ago – are also doing well. The combination of the warmth from the composting manure, the heat from the driveway stones surrounding the box, and the fresh soil is paying off. The seedlings are are up more than a week ahead of those planted in one of the low tunnels at the same time.

Asian savoy, senposi, and arugula seedlings in "warm frame"

These longer days offer time for a walk after I get home from work. Yesterday, I tossed some rice into the rice cooker and went out to wander the woods and see what I could find. Not surprisingly, the stream is running full with melted snow.

The wild onions that Richard’s dad dug for us from his land a couple years ago are to dig. Richard planted several clumps on the rise above the stream bed. They have already begun to spread, and eventually they will likely form a large colony. Wild onions, along with their cousin, wild leek (or ramps), are in the small, but valuable, category of vegetables that grow in the shade. Wild onions come up in the damp deciduous forests they favor in early spring, taking advantage of the access to sunlight that exists before the trees and shrubs leaf out, shading the forest floor. These will make a delicious addition to a Sunday omelet or early spring salad.

Back in the garden, I found the rhubarb poking its magenta head above ground, the garlic beginning to grow, and the buds on all sorts of early flowering trees filling out.

I picked a small bowl of leaves from the overwintered kale and Asian greens to toss in the fried rice, along with one of the remaining bags of frozen snap peas from last spring. Dinner was on the table in short order, not hindered by my wandering at all.