In Memory of My Father

Dad, you were my best fan.  You diligently read my blogs, told me how smart and clever I was, and repeatedly told me to "publish a book".  You took great joy in reading my armchair philosophy as reflected in my organic gardening blog. You laughed, you critiqued, you tasted, but most of all you encouraged me.  Though you passed away on February 22, 2014, you remain in my heart and soul.

As I drank in the sun-drenched, softly windy day, I felt it must be time to begin the planting season.  There is little forecast for rain or more winter, so even though I know better than to start planting this early, I did it anyway.  I had planted beets and leeks on February 17th and they had sprouted very nicely.

Although you can't see them, the beet sprouts are in front of the wind ornament.

The leek sprouts are in the wells next to the wind ornament.
 

Today, I planted one zucchini plant, which I forgot to plant last year.  I am hoping to get enough for some killer zucchini bread again this year.



This is the zucchini planting.

I also planted some Italian flat leaf parsley on March 17th and it is sprouting too.  Then today I planted some Thyme.

Parsley sprouts up front by sprinkler; Thyme is behind it adjacent to the second stone.



 

My dear husband hacked away at the strawberry patch that grew like crazy but did not have many strawberries, so I have a newly cleared area for other plantings.  A fresh start, crop rotation, nicely turned soil, all good.  I planted Cilantro, Basil and Romaine lettuce in the back row against the wall.

 

I also went to Sperling Garden supply and purchased some seedlings.  Still no peppers, but got some bush beans and marigolds - the natural pest repellant.

 

 
Here we have the leeks next to the circle wind ornament; behind that I planted leaf lettuce; in the left front are the beets; behind that is the arugula, then the group of bush beans and another arugula behind that.  I forgot to take a picture of the cucumbers that are planted in the trench in the rear by the grapefruit tree.  The tree has grown large and bushy so that it shades the area a bit too much.  The cucumbers like sun, but not heat, so if I am lucky, they will still be able to grow and thrive.

 This is the leaf lettuce up close and personal

So, we are off to a fairly conservative start.  I plan to add tomatoes, corn, eggplant, sweet peppers, carrots and more lettuce.  I will wait until April/May to do the rest of the planting so that it is more in accord with the "usual" weather patterns.

 

So while I remember with sadness that I cannot share this garden, my new discoveries, and these random thoughts, philosophies and simple garden journaling, with my beloved father, I treasure the gift and joy of life even more strongly.  Thank you Daddy for teaching me to be strong and to follow my passion in all aspects of life.