It’s always a mad-dash to get ready to leave town for a week. In addition to the usual laundry and cleaning, I wanted to plant all my lettuces for a spring harvest before I headed down to the farm. Reading old posts from blog, I was reminded that the first week in March is a great time to get started. So I was quite proud of myself that I turned the soil, cleaned the yard and planted rows upon rows of lettuce before I left on March 8th.
As I was driving back last week, I was most worried about the state of my basement. I had heard horror stories about the torrential rains and flooding in New England — 7 inches in 3 days, road closures and most horrifically – raw sewage was being pumped into Quincy Bay because the treatment plant could not handle all the rainfall. I thought the bright spot in this rain was that my seeds would have sprouted. As I thought about taking pictures to share with you, I was quite excited.
Thankfully, when I came home, the basement was dry. The ceiling was dry. No water damage. Alas, I had damage of a different sort. Some critter, with 3 inch paws, ate every single lettuce seed planted. Can you see the indentations in the soil??
Today, I replanted everything, but with a different strategy. I went to the hardware store and purchased window screens to lay atop of the beds. They will allow the light and rainwater to penetrate, but hopefully keep the critters from nibbling at my seeds.
In other garden news: I had hoped that when the Brussels sprouts defrosted again, they would rejuvenate and I’d be able to harvest them. Alas, they did not survive. Totally bummed that I didn’t get a chance to harvest more sprouts before the deep cold of winter hit.
The scallions have resprouted again this year. I’m happy to have my garden supply again, so I no longer need to rely on the produce section of the grocery store for this staple.
The garlic is sprouting as well. I think it will still be a few months before that’s ready to harvest… though I’m tempted to dig up a plant just to see what it looks like at this stage.
We raked off our garden yesterday and discovered chives, garlic sprouting, and signs of life on the thyme plant. When the mint starts to peek its head up, Ill know its really spring. Sorry for the loss of your lettuce seeds; I love the screening as a defense!
So many things to contend with in a garden. Sending good thoughts for more lettuce!
Sorry about your seeds. The screen is a great idea! Not many signs of Spring in my neck of the woods yet.
Im curious to know if your screen idea works out. The squirrels in my city are large and not particularly shy. So, I am going to need to figure out how to protect my garden from them.