From Seder Table to Garden Bed
The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here at Midwestern Yardener, what with the Passover buzz and our early planting escapades. I have been neglecting everyone a Yarden update and it is about time I spill the beans on all the garden fun we've been having lately!
Last week I traveled to Chicago to attend the Chicago Tea Festival and to buy everything I need for Pesach. Pesach shopping is just a lot easier in Chicago, they have a much larger community and a large selection of Kosher for Passover items. Amidst the chaos of Passover prep – you know, the cleaning frenzy that ensues before the holiday along with all the food prep and preparing everything for guests. With all of this I still managed to sneak away to the garden to get some word done. There's nothing quite like getting your hands dirty and then coming in for matzah pizza, am I right?
Seder II Menu:
Gefilte fish
Deviled eggs
Blueberry Peach Salad
Matzah Ball Soup
Roasted Carrots & Potatoes
Chicken mabella
Passover Lasagnia
If you follow any of the content on TikTok, you know about the drama happening in our garden. Someone was munching on our cabbage! It turned out to be a groundhog who had made their home in my yard. Being the nice person I am, I placed a live trap out and made quick work out of catching it. They were swiftly relocated to a local park where I am sure they will find a much better home. Now critters were harmed in the production of this blog post. I like to think they are living their best life.
What did I do in the garden this week? For one… I finally got our leggy tomatoes into the ground. We planted them three weeks early, and they were yearning for the outside world. I was happy to grant their wish! Before people come after me, I am well aware that Mother’s Day isn’t for another couple of weeks. I choose to follow the Farmer’s Almanac and my gut, which says the last frost date is April 30. Looking at our 10-day forecast, I don’t see a single night below 38 degrees. I am living life on the edge, if I need to cover everything with blankets that will be the price I pay. On another note we need to harvest the rhubarb soon… it is massive!
In addition to planting the tomatoes, I also planted our eggplant and peppers. Meanwhile, our radishes, lettuce, peas, and cabbage are strutting their stuff like garden divas, promising us a harvest to rival any farmer's market.
Once I was done getting everyone planted, the garden got the real VIP treatment. Everyone got a generous helping of 20-20-20 fertilizer, I placed bone meal around the onions and added soil acidifier around the blueberries. Happy berries make for happy gardeners.
So hang tight, because we've got more garden antics and green-thumb wisdom coming your way from the wild and wonderful world of Midwestern Yardener!