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The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

~Rabindranath Tagore

Dear Reader

Although there are still pockets of snow, the arrival of robins en masse tells me our winter has passed. Mama fox has also been sighted now on a daily basis, darting the edges of the garden fence with her mouth full of some catch to share with her kits. Thursday night, the spring peepers commenced their seasonal evening chorus. Yet each day, I weigh whether to bring out the broad fork to wake up a few beds or wait. Mornings are still below freezing. And although there may be a midday thaw, there is still no rush.

My attention instead turns to what is timely for this moment. The stalks and seed heads that were kept for our winged friends and overwintering insects can now be trimmed, and these cold nights and warming days are certainly conducive to some frost seeding. I’ve made my own mix of organic clovers for the orchard and garden paths, something that I’ll enjoy sprinkling about in the days ahead. Indoor seeding continues as the last of the cool-season crops are sown. Along with spinach, late cabbage, and radicchio, I seeded a full tray of mixed lettuce, some for us and some for the farm stand. These early varieties are such generous producers, allowing me to pick what I need from the outer leaves, keeping the core intact. This cut-and-come method is perfect for those with small spaces. A season’s worth of salad can even be grown in a container or growbag or two. Two of my favorites for late April planting include Winter Density (despite the name, it has proven its worth on both sides of summer) and this Italianischer Oak Leaf.

Another favorite that germinated so well that I couldn’t resist a few more rows is Florence Fennel. Even if I didn’t adore the crunch of thin slices in a summer salad, I find the bulbs and frilly fronds add a touch of class to every kitchen garden. My question is this: Can one ever have too much fennel? I’ll soon find out. Several herbs and flowers rounded out the list, and now there’s a brief planting pause. Time to catch my breath and chase those escape artist chicks who seemed to go from sweet to sassy overnight. Let me just go on record saying, it’s going to be a long three weeks before they graduate to the coop.

Just out our front door, the garden beds are home to a wild array of flower species, all early experiments. Just out our front door is a garden bed home to a wild array of flower species, all early experiments. One success came from a tiny net of winter aconite bulbs. Now blooming its second year, it has become my signal that the show has begun. Diminutive yet full of charm, winter aconite is the advance party. Its arrival, along with the robins, the fox, and spring peepers, serves as a sensory reminder of nature's poignant life, death, and rebirth cycle.

As a child of the 60’s, I was snagged into the seasonless world created by capitalism. I barely recall a produce department that didn’t sell grapes or tomatoes year-round. The seasons I experienced, different from just one generation prior, were created by mass marketing to sell holiday goods. What I missed in all of this contrived world was the beauty of natural cycles and their dependable rhythm.

I think this might be why I experience such a childlike enchantment today, marking time with nature’s gifts. It is also, at this moment, so deeply reassuring. While nature doesn’t deliver on a clock, there is a pattern to what follows. It’s both reassuring and thrilling. I won’t ever know what it will be like each season because its real not manufactured. Delight is what I experience with each new discovery, whatever season unfolds. I invite you to take note of the soothing rhythms available just outside your door this week. Do let me know what you might see or hear.

Until next week,

The sun transits through Gates 21 & 51

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