Here is the first planting of the year with a variety of salad greens.

Usually my gardening season begins with the harvesting of horseradish and the preparation of many jars or the pungent root. This year is different, as I am in the process of moving my studio from the location in downtown Barrington that  I occupied for at least the last 36 years, and there was no time for horseradish. Natalie went out and bought some roots and prepared them was we usually do, but to my taste it wasn’t quite the same.

But this is a temporary setback and when the move is complete by mid May, my hope is that since I will be working out of the house, there will be much more time to tend to the gardening on a regular basis.

But in any case the planting has begun, and this weekend I made my first trip to Goebbert’s and got kale plants, collards and mustard greens in the ground. From seed, I planted spinach, lettuce and arugula. Rain followed.

The thyme plants wintered over well and are very vigorous.

The herb garden on the south side of the lot is doing well. Some of the herbs wintered over and are much more prolific than in the planter boxes by the deck. I’ll adjust the later plantings of herbs accordingly. The thyme wintered over exceptionally well, better yield than ever, and the oregano looks great as well. The tarragon is leafing out well and I may need to move it as the plant really spread out last year and was encroaching on the thyme.

The oregano is growing fast and did well over the cold winter.

The sage plants got hit by the cold, but there are buds popping out on the lower portions of the stem. I think the sage would benefit from mulching in the fall. The lovage plant is springing up and will probably be a lot larger this year.

I have parsley plants to get in the ground yet and I will plant them in the planter boxes by the deck as they seem to do well there.

The horseradish plants occupy too much garden space, so I am going to reduce that patch considerably. I’ll put some more effort into cultivating fewer larger roots, which should be a lot easier on the harvesting end. Hopefully with fertilizer and cultivation I can make that happen.

I’m still behind with the cleanup, but even with the move, I think I can stay somewhat on schedule. The hawthorne tree is shading the garden too much so I’ll probably have to remove it. I also need to get a professional to remove the pear tree.

But, as usual, it is wonderful to be out in the sun with the smells and sounds of spring and to again get my hands in the good earth.