The last week of February brought tornadic weather that prompted me to bring my flimsy cold frame indoors for protection. It had been blown apart by storms several times and each time I jerry-rigged it back together. It’s at the point now it can no longer be mended. But it’s also amazing that winter plants have not really needed a cold frame to survive this year. The only reason for resetting it out now would be to shelter early spring plantings, but I may not need it for that as future night time temperatures are not predicted to dip much below freezing.
March 3 & 4 both hosted high temperatures of 73 F - great days to get outside and begin cleaning up seedbeds with a little help from my great granddaughter.
March 11 I started lettuce, spinach, basil and tomato seed in the basement.
March 12 I harvested carrots and parsnip.
Parsnip, a parsley family member, grew in a wild form in Europe in ancient times. The Romans cultivated parsnip and used it for livestock feed and as a sweetener for cakes, breads, and jams. Brought to America by English colonists, its sweet, nutty flavor made it a popular ingredient in soups, stews, marmalade, beer and wine. With the increase of cultivation of cane sugar, the importance of parsnips as a sweetener declined.
I grow Hollow Crown. This English heirloom parsnip is so named for the sunken, crown-like structure at the base of the leaves. It thrives and sweetens in harsh winter weather. I like to roast parsnips with potatoes, carrots, turnips, and onions. They are also good just boiled, nuked, or baked until tender with added salt and butter.
March 12 I transplanted outdoors rapini, cabbage, onion, and broccoli.
March 17 Put cold frame over the outdoor transplants. Overnight freezing temperatures expected for the next two weeks. Rhubarb is peeking out above the straw and I found two large asparagus spears large enough to eat. I don’t ever recall asparagus from the garden in March before. Perhaps chalk it up as another signature of global warming.
Asparagus, mid-April is the usual time to push back the straw and start looking for edible spears. If you need to start a new bed, that is also the time. I really like Millennium, a high yielding all-male variety named “Seed of the Year” at the 2004 Toronto Royal Winter Fair. The spears are tender and flavorful and can be harvested over an extended period of time.
Millennium is a creation of Guelph University a.k.a. Canada’s Food University. Guelph U. was built in 1964 on the treaty lands of the Mississauga of the Credit tribe and is committed to reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Dr. Wolyn runs the Asparagus Breeding Program with a focus on developing all-male hybrids adapted to northern winters.
March 18 Transplanted indoors into six-packs all the tomato, eggplant, and basil started on the 11th. Also some of the spinach and lettuce.
March 20 The first full day of Spring is frigid, but I find already emerging Jacob’s Ladder, Spring Beauty, and Dutchmen’s Britches that are the obvious result of the earlier 70 F days. The perennials Columbine and wild blue phlox are also leafing out along with many other shrubs.
March 24 Sowed peas, radish, and spinach outdoors. Petunias indoors.
March 25 Sowed carrot and beets outside. I’m keeping a close eye on the juncos to see when they return north.
March 30 Repotted most of the plants in the basement from six-packs into 4 inch pots.
