April is here at last. No more excuses to put off outdoor chores. That is if you don’t mind getting your muck boots sucked off in mud.
Most serious gardeners in the northern hemisphere sowed the season’s first seeds indoors weeks ago. Now temporary indoor growing spaces such as kitchens, crawlspaces, bonus rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and even walk-in closets have exploded into racks of seedling pots and trays, along with tangles of wires and timers for grow lights and heat mats, all of it threatening to overtake the ever-shrinking human living spaces.
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While some seedlings seem content to wait for warmer outdoor air, others—like our purple kohlrabi this year—outgrow their nursery pots by the week. These tough little cole crops won’t wait for their outdoor homes. We wonder how big they might grow when transplanted outside in a few weeks. Will they overtake the garden? We can’t wait to find out.
While the night frosts are far from over in Ohio, the countdown to garden starting has begun—as has spring’s delicate dance with low nighttime temperatures and late-season frost warnings. While some seeds and seedlings can tolerate a light freeze, all it takes is one poor prediction or incorrect calculation to kill an entire crop.
Those who don’t garden might not get it, but growing your own produce is an investment well worth the time, labor and—at least this time of year—mild weather-related stress. Growing your own fruits and veggies isn’t just personally satisfying, but it also ensures you and your family will enjoy fresher, tastier produce for less money than you’d otherwise pay in a restaurant or even a grocery store.
Naturally, eating organically grown local produce is good for both you and the environment. Not only do you get to enjoy pesticide-free fruits and veggies, and tomatoes that actually taste like something, but the planet enjoys a break from the copious amounts of fossil fuel needed to bring you mostly flavorless out-of-season grocery store produce from thousands of miles away.
Apologies in advance if we ruin the grocery store stuff for you. Once you eat a farm-fresh tomato, pepper, melon or herb, the store-bought stuff just doesn’t cut it. For some of us, this may come to mean skipping fresh things that aren’t in season for several months of the year. But if we Ohioans can make it through six months of frigid temps, ripping winds and epic mud, we can wait till June to enjoy a ripe red Ohio-grown heirloom tomato.
Trust us. You can make it to June—though your muck boots may not. Happy April!
—SK
Ranch 61 