Burns Best Farm

Where the Vegetables Play a Trick on Me

So, I've been starting seeds, as I mentioned in a couple of blog posts lately.  And I started a flat of arugula inside last week and the germination is great.  I seem to remember that last spring, the arugula did great inside but faltered terribly when I set it out. I can't remember if that was because I didn't harden it off (very important) or if the weather was too warm overall for it to flourish. It is, after all, a salad green and they do like cooler weather.

Anyway, with today being such a gorgeous day, I decided to throw caution to the wind and I made an executive decision:  the remainder of the arugula seeds were going straight into the raised bed, today.  We might still be six weeks from frost date, but I could always cover it up with plastic sheeting if we had another serious cold spell, right? 

I walked out to the raised beds and began to prepare my soil (digging down a little, raking it smooth).  I looked up at the bed where I planted arugula last spring, and can you guess what I saw?

All around the edges of the wooden bed, beautiful, full arugula plants were everywhere!  At least five of them, with two being quite large. 

I'd been inside 20 minutes earlier, wondering if it was too early, too cool, too this or that, to sow my seed.  All the while, the seeds that were dropped when last year's planting bolted way too soon in the hot weather were just chugging along, doing what God intended them to do!  How embarrassed do you think I am?

Pretty embarrassed. 

So then, I planted two packs of spinach, more arugula, and a whole bed of leaf lettuce.  The romaine and butterhead will go in this weekend, after I get back from the Georgia Organics conference.

I might be embarrassed, but I'm not stupid.  Let's get this party started with some salad greens!