Goodbye, Winter Garden!

   As well as the winter garden provided, it is time for a good bit of it to say goodbye.  I hate to part with my fresh veggies but the cauliflower, cabbages and broccoli have seen better days.  Most are spent and we are eating the new leaves that form after the head has been cut.  The mustard greens, peas and beets are still flourishing so they shall stay a bit longer.  It is time to make room for the summer garden.

  Most of today was spent harvesting and tearing out old plants.  First on the agenda was to pick the peas as they take the longest and I wanted to get the job done while it was still cool.  Otherwise, the gnats would have eaten me alive!  The rest of the morning was spent picking the other veggies.  The afternoon saw me ripping out the old, spent plants and digging rows for tomato and pepper seedlings from the greenhouse.  Tomorrow, rows will be made for squash, green beans and cucumbers.

  Several folks have pondered why I work so hard in the gardens.  Pricing the peas alone is a good enough answer for me.  At nigh on six dollars a pound my fifty pounds harvested make it worthwhile but it is more the fact that I can share with others.  Gardening makes me feel good physically and emotionally.  Sitting is not for me.