For most home gardeners, March is the true beginning of our gardening season. Yes, we may have visions of seed packets dancing through heads beginning in January and by the end of February those of us who cannot wait have already sowed our first trays of onions, shallots, leeks, and some perennial flowers. By the time March rolls around, we should have completed our winter clean-up tasks, pruned our fruit trees, and planned out the upcoming season. It looks like we will be having an earlier, warmer,
and wetter spring this year. Are we ready for it?
Harvest Market is ready to help with some of your gardening needs. We have carried the very popular Botanical Interests Seeds for many years. This year we’ve expanded our selection a bit. I’m looking
forward to trying two new lettuces—Brentwood and Ezrilla–as well as All American Parsnips and several new pollinator-friendly flowers. We will also have a good selection of our local Organic Mechanic potting soils and amendments. Seed Starting Mix is in stock now and the Composted Planting Mix andContainer Blend will arrive by the second week of the month.
I started my first garden 57 years ago—I was nine, you can do the math. Gardening is an anchor for me.It keeps me grounded and in touch with the annual cycles of our earth. I’ve planted peas in a cold, February rain (a mistake, but I learned) and I’ve harvested more zucchini than my family could eat or even give away. Gardening can be a great form of moderate exercise. Many of the famed Blue Zone
centenarians have been gardeners. Gardening can help keep you young.
If you see me in the store stocking shelves, feel free to ask me your gardening questions (or food, health ,and fitness questions). I was a member of the first class of University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Service Certified Master Gardeners back in 1985. Or if you’re shy, you can get tons of gardening knowledge on YouTube. Some of my favorite presenters are Epic Gardening (the new owner of BotanicalInterest Seeds), the Millennial Gardener and Canadian Permaculture. There are dozens more, but you
can find quick gardening tutorials on almost any question you may have. So have a great 2024 gardening season.
Bob Kleszics
