The Serendipity of Gardening

The world is shutting down and many of us are living tiny in our homes with a prospect of weeks or months of relatively little direct human interaction.  Yes, there are books and yes – the phone and internet.  

There is also – the garden.

What can you do with a garden in thirty or sixty days…or a bit more?  I’m guessing more than you think.

In twenty-one days you can grow a bed of lettuce from seed.

In twenty-five days, you can grow radishes. Not a choice I would make but they’re fast, fun, and kids love to see them develop.

In thirty days, you could be harvesting bok choy or spinach (you see a trend here…leafy greens grow quickly).  But you can also harvest a crop of baby carrots too.

Larger full-size carrots take fifty days.

Sixty days?  Bush beans. Summer squash (actually 35 to 55 days) – those never-ending zucchini and relatives.

If you’re impatient then try cheating and starting from your salad discards.  The ends of green onions can be set in soil or a glass of water to grow new green tops.

The same for carrot ends (the top end where the leaves were).  Place in moist soil or a glass of water and watch them grow.

If you buy lettuce with the root still attached you can place that in soil and have fresh salad greens within a few weeks.

And celebrate the end of your confinement with a healthy salad or stew with fresh veggies.

VEGATABLE PLANTING GUIDE