Moxie Gardener

Growing for 8 weeks now...no sign of flower stem.

It’s been eight weeks since I re-planted my amaryllis bulbs. (See my earlier post about it here.) As you can see by the photo at left, they haven’t done much of anything. They each have two leaves and they seem healthy. So far there is no sign of a flower stalk.

Winter is dragging on here. One day it’s cold and blustery, the next day the air seems milder, kinder. The cold and snow seem to be lasting forever.

One day I noticed the snow near the south side of the house had melted and the ground was thawed. Of course I thought about planting spinach seeds there. The next day the temperature dropped twenty degrees and it snowed. It was a nice fantasy while it lasted.

Soon I’ll be able to start seeds, but not until the middle of March. It’s hard for me to look at the gardening forums and read about gardeners in warmer climates discussing their spring plantings. And they do it with a certain amount of glee, I might add.

Oh, how I yearn to plant.

Soon, very soon.

Last summer's kale plant poking out from its winter bed of leaves. (Yes, the white stuff behind it is snow.)

Last fall I covered a two foot tall kale plant with a heap of dried leaves. Above freezing temps for most of last week melted most of our snow cover and today I found the tip of the kale poking out of the leaves.

When its cold and everything’s frozen, it sometimes feels like warm weather will never come. Then you see a living, green plant in the frozen wasteland. Memories of warm spring days and the smell of unfrozen soil rush in to keep hope alive. Only a few more weeks until spring.

It comes to mind every time I look out the window and see snow, ice, and leafless trees. Only a few more weeks until spring.

It becomes the song stuck in my mind, accompanying my inner voice throughout the day. Only a few more weeks until spring.

The words echo in my mind every time I leave the house. Only a few more weeks until spring.

Most of all, every time I have to scrape frost off of my car’s windshield I tell myself: Only a few more weeks until spring.

Seems more like a lifetime.

Radishes mature faster than any garden vegetable.

Radishes are a favorite at my house. We have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner all throughout the year, but especially during gardening season.

Radishes are thought to have originated in China and moved across Asia along the spice routes. Egyptians and Greeks cultivated several varieties. By Roman times, many more varieties were cultivated that were much larger than the radishes we grow and eat today. Small radishes first appeared in written records in the 1500’s.

Known botanically as Raphanus sativus, radishes are a member of the Cruciferae family. The name Raphanus is derived from the old Sanskrit word rudhira, which means blood, obviously referring to their color.

We usually think of eating radishes raw but they are excellent cooked or stir-fried until crisp-tender. They make a good substitute for water chestnuts.

The French eat raw radishes along with olives and a glass of wine at the cocktail hour. Radishes clear your palate and make wine taste better.

Radishes grow best in cool weather during spring and fall. They mature in as little as three weeks. Plant radish seeds 1/2 inch deep and about an inch apart. Thin to about 2 inches apart. Radishes need to be watered every two or three days for best results. If radish seedlings are allowed to dry out, they will not form radish bulbs.

Because they germinate in only a day or two and mature so quickly, radishes have long been used by gardeners to “mark the row” when planting seeds that take several weeks to germinate. Plant radish seeds right along with your carrot, parsnip or parsley seeds. By the time these slow-germinating seeds come up, the radishes will be ready to harvest and have completed their job of marking where the carrots, parsnips, or parsley were planted.

It’s easy to tuck a few radish seeds here and there in your garden as space allows. It’s something I’ve done for years. During the heat of summer I tuck radish seeds in the shade of larger garden plants. I keep them well-watered and harvest promptly when they mature so they don’t get hot, bitter, and pithy.

I slice them thin and put them on buttered bread with salt and pepper for breakfast.

I eat them alongside a sandwich for lunch.

I put them in a salad or stir-fry (or both) for dinner.

I munch on them in the evening for snacks.

I grow radish sprouts in the winter and put them in salads or on sandwiches.

Can’t get enough radishes.