When we think of March and special events that take place during this month, what comes to most people’s mind is likely St. Patrick’s Day, or possibly it’s the time of year when you set your clock forward and lose an hour of sleep. There are also special days celebrated such as National Plant a Flower Day, National Learn about Butterflies Day, and National Agriculture Day. But if you’re an avid gardener, there’s another day that is of significance. Spring officially arrives in March, and for many, that marks the arrival of gardening season. Let the dreams begin.
As you enter Brownwood Community Garden, it becomes obvious that spring has arrived. The monarch beds are a rainbow of color and the milkweed seeds that were planted last fall are up, although our milkweed plants from previous years have yet to make their appearance. Hopefully soon they will push their way above ground for the monarch butterflies that absolutely must have this plant to survive. We’re dreaming of the monarchs and a variety of other butterflies fluttering through our garden and delighting us with their presence this year.
As we move past the monarch beds and out into the orchard, we see that by the end of the month the peach and plum trees have dropped most of their blossoms. If you look very closely, you will see what’s left behind appears to be the beginning of a promising harvest for the upcoming season. Scattered throughout the plum trees are nearly microscopic plums, too numerous to count. The blackberries are also starting to bloom, and the fig trees have budded out. Mother Nature has been good to us thus far, and we’re hoping that will continue with no major storms or temperatures dipping down into dangerous territory. We’re dreaming of sinking our teeth into those sweet and juicy treats in the not too distant future.
Continuing on to the raised beds, the main part of the our garden, we continue to harvest our one and only asparagus bed daily. I truly believe, if you had the time and patience to sit down and just watch the asparagus, you could actually see it growing. Left unharvested over the weekend, we’re greeted with spears that are two feet tall or more. Other cool season crops that are being harvested this month are spinach, mustard, cilantro, and FINALLY a few, long awaited strawberries are just beginning to ripen. Although some of our onions have bolted, overall they are looking good, and a few are showing signs of beginning to bulb. Soon we will start looking for the “perfect” onion- those with 13 healthy leaves. Count the number of leaves, and that’s the number of rings your onion will have, and healthy leaves mean healthy, plump onions.
While it’s still a bit early, we chanced it and planted beans, squash, and cucumbers. It seems as if each year summer sneaks up on us all too soon, not allowing those plants to produce as they should before the heat sets in. Scattered among those crops you will find radishes, dill, marigolds, zinnias, five kinds of basil, parsley, buckwheat, and tithonia planted as companion plants, some to attract beneficial insects and others to keep the pests away. Squash bugs and vine borers have traditionally brought our zucchini and squash plants to an early death. It’s been an ongoing battle for years, and each year we’d gone down in defeat, La
But last year, by injecting the stems of these plants, we were able to defeat the vine borers, and this year we plan to help control those squash bugs by growing these plants vertically. We hope this strategy is much more than just a dream.
Finally, we’re so grateful to be blessed with more and more community involvement. Throughout the year we rely on our faithful volunteers to keep this place going. Early in the month a small group of city workers also came to the garden to help replace one of our garden beds using a different approach, allowing the beds to be built in place and cutting down on extensive dirt removal. Then on March 27th , a large group of students, staff, and others from HPU came for their annual Impact Day. And they absolutely made a tremendous impact from building garden beds to working on various painting projects, to moving rocks, placing trellises in our cucumber beds, pulling weeds, removing pomegranate stumps, to digging a hole three feet deep for a special project.
Yes, spring has arrived, and we’re dreaming of all the good things to come from our garden. Obviously we’re dreaming of the fruits and vegetables we will grow, but it doesn’t stop there. We dream of times spent with fellow gardeners, time spent outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, time watching things grow and feeling a sense of accomplishment. March, what a month!
[Written by Jan Green]