What's Old, is New Again...

So, as I was working outside this weekend, I came across some amazing things.  Now, every year, I get so excited about spring that I prematurely work in the garden.  This year is definitely the exception, and this is why...

This past fall I had planted cabbage and broccoli.  I never do well planting cabbage and broccoli in late summer for a fall crop.  The bugs absolutely love those crops that time a year.  So, what I do is let the bugs do their thing and use those plants as compost.  This year, I come outside to a beautiful cabbage plant that is doing wonderfully in this weather.  So, needless to say, it was left alone and I worked around it.  

Saturday when I came home from work, my dad had worked up the raised beds.  You saw from my last post that my one raised bed is full of garlic, but this raised bed will be for carrots, collards, and peas-- a typical, nice spring garden.  

This year I am trying a different method of planting.  Not sure what it is called, but in the past year I have been researching historic gardens, and all the gardens have crops planted in hill-rows instead of flat rows.  Since I live in a pre-Revolutionary War era farm house, it seems appropriate to plant this way, or at least try to plant this way.

If you've been following, you know that about a month ago I planted collard greens and kept them in the cold frame until they were large enough to transplant.  Well, this weekend I had the opportunity to transplant the baby greens.  

If you have not had the opportunity to try collard greens, I highly recommend them.  The smaller greens are very tender and only require sautéing them in garlic, olive oil, some red pepper flakes and salt.  The larger greens are often tough and requires more cooking time in a liquid such as water or broth.  

Before I got the opportunity to cut back my blackberry bushes, they already started growing leaves! Yikes!  When they were getting cut back, I discovered my 4 original plants multiplied to 8 plants!!

Pictured below is the the new extension to the garden.  Fifteen years ago when we moved into the our house, this was the original site of the garden.  The garden I refused to work in, if only I knew then what I know now.  If only, right?  Planned are two raised beds for strawberries, two rows of asparagus, and possibly spring onions or sweet potatoes. 

From small beginnings, come great things.  (American Proverb)