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Leaflet eNewsletter
March 2016 Edition
Maureen Horn, Editor
                       

      
In This Issue
Letter from the President
Harbingers of Spring
Imagination and Nature
Top Award Winners
Adult Ed Classes
Summer Opportunities
Catching Up with Mass Hort
Help Mass Hort Climb the Leaderboard on the Globe Grant Program
Oxford College Gardens
Twilight Garden Party
April Hort Hints
Earth Day
Awards Reception
How I Know it's Spring
Upcoming
Mass Hort Events
Thu Apr 14 @ 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Sat Apr 16 @10 a.m. - noon

Thu Apr 21 @ 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Sat Apr 23 @ 9 a.m. - noon

Thu Apr 28 @ 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Gardening for Bees: Their Flowers and Nests in Your Homescape

Thu May 5 @ 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Sat May 7 @ 10 a.m. - noon

Wed May 11 @ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sat May 14 @ 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Thu May 19 @ 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. (Eight Sessions)

Thu May 19 @ 7- 8:30 p.m.
Roses

Tue May 24 @ 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Jazzing Up the Garden with Color, Contrast and Movement





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 Letter from the President
                      
Greetings!,

Good day. I think it's spring. I am hopeful we don't get any more snow!
We seem to have had starts and stops, but I am sure nature can handle it.
It is exciting to see the gardens slowly come back to life. I am especially thrilled when I pop into the greenhouses and see all the Master Gardener volunteers helping to plant seeds and plants. Many hands make a very big job much easier, and I really appreciate all the help, as does David Fiske.
As our opening gets closer, May 1, please help us spread the word about what a wonderful place The Gardens at Elm Bank are for people of all ages to visit and explore. Take a class, or just come and walk the grounds.
Happy Spring,
Kathy Macdonald

Harbingers of the Spring
John Forti, Director of Horticulture and Education
Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis)
                                                          
Spring comes earlier for the home horticulturist! While less experienced gardeners wait until Memorial Day to get out in the garden, they often lose opportunities to engage with the earliest signs of spring. Flowering perennials and cold hardy annuals that we sow directly into our gardens offer hope when most New Englanders only see mud and grey.
 
Perennials with deep roots in our New England soils usher in our earliest signs of spring. Violets, primrose, and hellebores frequently push up flowers through snow. English daisy and lungwort flowers greet the first warm days of April, and remain undaunted by the inevitable colder nights. Similarly, heath and heather available at finer garden centers bring cheerful color that endures throughout the coldest months of spring.
 
Native perennials like May-apple, Jack in the pulpit, Solomon seal, and our state flower, the Mayflower have heralded spring for countless generations seeking signs of the inevitable warmer days. They also offer some of the earliest flowers for our native pollinators.
 
Observant gardeners are often just as happy with leaves and fattening buds as they emerge. Perennials like daylily, peony, bleeding heart, and iris crest above the ground to provide welcome color in pale shades only found for a short time in spring.
 
A garden or landscape with lots of perennials tends to be more sustainable. Perennials don't require greenhouse cultivation or shipping, and since they set deep roots to overwinter, they are better able to access nutrients and water than vast beds of flowering annuals. They get us out in the garden early to divide and share from the abundance that perennials provide, and they also offer the first bouquets of flowers to ornament our homes
 
In the weeks ahead, Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) will begin to flower. To Native Americans of this region this indicates safe planting time for the crops they seeded directly into fields and gardens. For the rest of us, the beautiful white flowers can still serve as a reminder to sow all of our hardy root crops (parsnips, carrots, radish, turnip...) and cold weather vegetables (cruciferous veggies, most salad greens, peas...) directly into our gardens from seed.
 
So this spring, take a fresh look at your garden as it comes to life! Shop your garden club plant sale, farmers market, local garden center, or our Mass Hort Gardeners Fair on May 14 to find the rare and unusual harbingers of spring!  
  
Just Imagination and Nature... 

outdoors
Photo Credit: Craig Capello, Around About Town Studios
                           
The Gardens at Elm Bank and our magical children's garden opens May 1 for all to enjoy! So bring your favorite child, grandchild or friend and explore our beautiful open space.

John Lee of Allandale Farm runs summer programs on the farm to help connect children with nature. He is quoted on WBUR about the benefits of outdoor play: "Free outdoor play involves learning about natural relationships and learning to see--not just look. It teaches a child to question rather than to accept blindly. It also helps a child understand that there may be real and sometimes unfortunate consequences to even well-intended actions."  Read more...
 
THE GARDENS AT ELM BANK SUMMER SEASON
May 1- October 11
Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Daily Children's Activities...
or just explore Weezie's Garden for Children, the picnic grove, and the vegetable garden.
 
JOIN MASS HORT TODAY FOR SUMMER FUN! 

2016 Flower Show Top Award Winners
                       Floral Design Competition
                             





Too many beautiful entries to post them all. Thank you for participating in the competitions... and thank you for visiting the flower show!

Come. Learn. Grow: Mass Hort's Education Schedule 

 

2016 Course Catalog Let Mass Hort help you in your garden and yard! We have many classes and workshops this April to give you the information you need for a wonderful growing season.

Master Gardener, Gretel Anspach will give a lecture on seed starting on Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m. Anspach will discuss seed choice, start times and growing methods for annuals, perennials, edibles and even shrubs and trees! Register here.

If you want to get your hands dirty, come to our seed starting workshop, Saturday April 16 at 10 a.m. Gretel Anspach and Seed to Table educator, Hannah Traggis, will lead a workshop to help you start those seeds! Seeds and materials will be provided. Sign up here!

Bruce Wenning of the Ecological Landscape Alliance will give a lecture on Organic Lawn Care on Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m. Wenning will review a no-nonsense approach to having a chemical-free lawn. Find out more and register here.

If you're looking for ways to homescape that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional in your local ecosystem, come to Tom Sullivan's lecture, "Gardening for Bees". Sullivan is the founder of Pollinators Welcome! His lecture, that highlights native plants that create welcoming spaces for pollinators, will be held April 28 at 7 p.m. Learn more here.

On May 5 at 7 p.m. we will host paleo-ethnobotanist, Dr. Fred Wisemen, who will give his lecture, "Revitalization of Indigenous Agriculture in the Northeast". Learn how his work is restoring tribal food systems of the Northeast and discover crops, like Abenaki Rose corn, Algonquin squash and skunk beans, which you, also, can grow. Find out more!

Members should have received our Calendar & Coursesguide last month in the mail. If you would like additional copies, please contact Katie at [email protected]. Or find the online version here. 

frilly-purple-flowers.jpg

Summer Opportunities: Get Involved!
                                                          

Calling for Volunteers and Paid Staff! Gardeners! Teachers! Food Pantry Helpers! Event Staff!
The staff at Mass Hort are busy getting The Gardens at Elm Bank ready for our spring opening, May 1. Master Gardener volunteers are helping start seeds in the greenhouses and staffing the Mass Hort Help Line. The new Master Gardener class has arrived and we are looking forward to their assistance in the gardens. To keep our 36-acre property running we need many hands to help. Perhaps you could volunteer? Or apply for a seasonal paid position?
PAID POSITIONS:
Children's Garden Gardener and Hands-On Educator -
Are you a retired youth educator, Master Gardener, or budding horticulturist interested in sharing your love of horticulture and the natural world with the next generation?
We are seeking a youth educator to run daily programs and help tend our amazing children's garden three days per week. Check out the job description and join our wonderful team of gardeners at Mass Hort!
Event Personnel -
The Gardens at Elm Bank is a busy wedding and event venue. We are looking to fill event personnel positions for our upcoming 2016 wedding and event season. The Event personnel will play an integral role the execution of each event that takes place on the property. We primarily specialize in weddings, with a handful of other social events. Ideal candidates will have experience with both.
The role of the Event personnel is to oversee the management of events on site. This includes customer service, solving problems, tending to needs of the event: electricity, minor clean up, moving tables/chairs with caterers as needed. Be responsible for the safety and security of the site. We are looking for a personable professional to help assist with our customers.
VOLUNTEER HELP NEEDED:
The Seed to Table Garden: 
We are looking for a lead gardener who can help facilitate our Food Pantry harvest and its organization for the Natick Service Council on Thursdays. The Service Council provides pick up. This wonderful program gives fresh produce back to the community. Contact: John Forti, [email protected]
Volunteers in the Visitors' Center:
The Visitors' Center is located in Flora adjacent to the parking lot. Our season is May-Columbus Day Weekend.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Shifts: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 1 - 4 p.m.
The Center staff welcomes visitors to the Gardens at Elm Bank. We are looking for a responsible, friendly person to greet our guests, collect admissions, sell memberships, and help with information about the gardens and activities. Contact: Elaine Lawrence: [email protected]
Wednesday Volunteer Gardening Day:
Wednesday will be a drop-in volunteer day in the garden. Check out our web site or Facebook for details, or email John Forti at [email protected]
Thank you for your help! 
Catching Up with the Last Half Century
Maureen Horn, Librarian
Part 14
1987 - 1989 : Dreaming of the Future
 
Executive Director Richard Daley's challenge to members at the beginning of 1987 was to look at the success of the past as a reason for dreaming of the future. His dream was to increase the services that the Society provided to teachers, to public agencies and to community and neighborhood groups. As a sign of its commitment to encouraging a resurgence of plantings in places of dense population, that year, M. H. S.'s Certificates of Merit were all awarded to urban gardens. The membership was urged to view the New England Spring Flower Show as a vehicle for "capturing" the whole city. One justification for holding that view was attendance: Records were shattered by the 175,000 people who came to see "Gardens of the World" at the Bayside Expo Center. This global attention was not limited to celebrating just the unique styles of gardens overseas, but it was extended to concern for their preservation. After an October hurricane which wreaked massive destruction on the gardens of Britain, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society established a "Relief Fund for English Gardens" to be sent to the Royal Horticultural Society.
In March 1988, the Society's Community Service Department was one year old, and its staff was gratified by the number of requests it had received for technical assistance in efforts to transform Boston's landscape. For example, the Committee collaborated with the Metropolitan District Commission to plant bulbs at four memorial sites on the Esplanade. Later in the spring, the strategic planning body distinguished the Committee's mission in relation to that of the Education Committee: It was to be mobile, traveling to the community to offer assistance where it was needed.
As well as for giving, 1988 was a good year for receiving. The Society received recognition for its more hidden contributions when the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities honored its care for the 19th century garden books collection in the form of a $15,000 grant for conservation. With a plan for sharing, the library would begin the process of connecting to an international computer network. To make our treasures better known, the State Street Bank exhibited some of the Society's finest botanical prints in the concourse of its company headquarters. Our bookstore had already become a public presence during the summer in the form of a pushcart in Quincy Market.
In 1989, the New England Spring Flower Show aimed to echo the heartfelt sentiments of the region by naming the exhibition "Thank Goodness It's Spring". The message was evidently being heard because the membership surpassed 8,000 and donations reached the all-time high of $320,000. They were notably boosted by a $75,000 grant to the Community Services Department for a new program called "Plants, People and Community". Executive Director Daley was still mindful of the Society's past accomplishments since the time when it was founded, in the same year that Andrew Jackson became President of the U. S, when he saw the grant helping gardeners of the future, students in the eighth, ninth and tenth grades, to learn the practical aspects of horticulture.
As the year was ending, Horticultural Hall was attracting within its walls some of the finest botanical paintings to be seen in the city. An exhibit called, "The Art of the Flower ... the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Centuries", displayed works from eighteen purveyors, both galleries and artists. After the new year, eyes would be on the open road because the new Plantmobile would be launched.
Vote with Your Subscription before the End of April!
Help Mass Horticultural Society Climb the Leaderboard on the Globe Grant Program

Attention Globe Subscribers
The Boston Globe GRANT (Globe Readers And Non-profits Together) program is back, giving subscribers a super easy, no-cost way to support the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. With your continued support, help Mass Hort be one of New England's non-profits recognized this year! The Boston Globe grants advertising space to nonprofits, based on the number of votes the nonprofit receives. Help MASS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY jump to the top of the leaderboard! Thank you.  CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR MASS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
  
Oxford College Gardens
by Tim Richardson with Photographs by Andrew Lawson
Frances Lincoln Limited, London: 2015
Reviewed by Patrice Todisco
                             
While staying in London last June I took the train to Oxford to visit the Botanic Garden. It had been nearly thirty years since I was last there and I had fond memories (and somewhat fading slides) of the garden, the Broad Walk and Christ Church Meadow, a riverine environment that for me at the time embodied all that is special about the English landscape.
 
The Botanic Garden, founded in 1621, is the oldest in Britain and easily found. Not so the myriad assortment of gardens and landscapes hidden behind the perimeter walls of the 38 self-governing, financially independent colleges which comprise the University.      
 
In Oxford College Gardens landscape historian Tim Richardson shares the secrets of what lies behind those storied walls. It is here that the physical fabric of the University, informed by the synergy of its of landscape and architecture, has been shaped by time and the imprint of those who have lived and worked in each college.
 
While every college is distinct, informed by its own history and character, at the heart of each is the landscape: lawns, private 'fellows'gardens, groves, walks, meadows, lakes and deer parks. These are shared with the reader through Richardson's lively text and brought to life by Andrew Lawson's full-color photographs. Maps, historical images and contemporary plans of each college are also provided.
 
The breadth of garden styles portrayed within Oxford College Gardens is sweeping, ranging from the conventional quadrangles of University, Merton and Balliol Colleges to the modernist landscape of Saint Catherine's College, designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen as a "landscape with buildings set within."  Eschewing judgement as to their design or landscape history, Richardson presents colleges alphabetically, beginning with the aptly named All Souls and concluding with Worcester College.
 
Special attention is paid to the gardeners who over time have both designed and lovingly tended individual college landscapes including Balliol head gardener Christopher Munday who in 2013 propagated a vivid magenta dahlia specimen to celebrate the college's 750th anniversary. It can be seen today in the college's front quad herbaceous border.
 
George Harris, head gardener of Saint Hugh's, is quoted upon his retirement in 1972 after 45 years of service as responding to the sentiment that the garden would never be the same without him, "You can't expect it to be."  An appendix provides a list of head gardeners as of 2014.
 
At more than 300 pages in length Oxford College Gardens is a large book, just over 5 pounds in weight. Would that it were smaller and could serve as a guide to carry when visiting the spaces it depicts with such grace and erudition.
 
That said, there are many who will enjoy this compendium of all things Oxford, a place where "windows open onto other worldsincluding its gardens.

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Patrice Todisco writes about parks, gardens and the public realm at www.landscapenotes.com
         
A Twilight Garden Party
Celebrating 20 years at The Gardens at Elm Bank
                              
Twilight Graphic
Enjoy local wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres, and dance to the swing sounds of
Swingthusiasm!

900 Washington Street
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Thursday, June 2, 2016
6 - 8:30 p.m.

Please join us to celebrate this wonderful milestone and all those people who have helped Mass Hort establish its headquarters and gardens at Elm Bank.

To attend, please sign up here.

To learn about helping with sponsorships, please click here.

For additional information, please contact Elaine Lawrence, Director of Development, [email protected].

Honorary Chairs

John Furlong, co-chair
Willard P. Hunnewell, co-chair
Betsy Ridge Madsen, co-chair

Steering Committee

Lisa Abeles
Alicia Cleary, co-chair
John Cronin, co-chair
Tina Greenfield
Richard Hohmann
Annette Lee
Wayne Mezitt
  
April Hort Hints              
Betty Sanders,
www.BettyOnGardening.com

Beautiful Bulbs.  Those two early-April snowfalls notwithstanding, spring bulbs are up on or ahead of schedule this year; products of our much warmer-than-normal winter.  The bulbs in your garden bloom using the energy they built up the previous year so, to ensure a colorful 2017, use a rainy day this month to put down an organic fertilizer (unless the ground is squishy) to feed the bulb's roots for next 
Don_t braid your daffodil foliage after they bloom.  The greens are needed to put energy down into the bulb.
Don't braid your daffodil foliage after they bloom. The greens are needed to put energy down into the bulb.
year.  Never cut down or braid daffodil foliage.  Daffodil greens send down food to the bulb until mid-summer, when the foliage turns yellow and die naturally.  Do you hate the sight of the yellowing foliage?  Plant perennials around the bulbs.  Perennials come up later and hide the dying foliage naturally.  If you have bulbs (such as Chionodoxa) naturalized in your lawn, give them a month after blooming before mowing.  The grass will also appreciate the extra time to put energy into the roots after the winter.

Fertilizing Your Yard?  Before you run out to buy lawn
Phosphorus is the middle number in bags of fertilizer. Massachusetts law forbids the use of phosporous on lawns unless a soil test shows a need.
or garden fertilizer this year, (or your lawn service arrives) be certain you are aware of the regulations regarding applying phosphorous to any area of your yard.  Last summer the Massachusetts legislature followed other states in requiring that no phosphorous can be applied to an area unless there is a soil test proving the area is deficient in phosphorous. The test must be done by the UMass soil testing lab (soiltest.umass.edu) or one using UMass approved procedures.  Home test kits are not valid for this purpose.  Regular soil tests are an easy and inexpensive (compared with fertilizing) way to know what your lawn and garden really needs.

Soil in this area is seldom low in phosphorous so chances are you do not need it.  The reason for the law is that phosphorous runoff is a major cause of pollution of streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean.  Just because your property doesn't overlook water doesn't mean that it is not a problem.  Nutrient runoff leads to algae blooms, dead areas in the ocean, lakes and ponds, and an increase in ozone caused by the increase nitrogen oxides in the air.  Save money and leave the nitrogen fertilizer in the stores.  Here is an easy-to-understand fact sheet from Massachusetts' Department of Agricultural Resources.

In the Vegetable Garden.  Our area is getting an earlier start this year than in the recent past.  My garden is already showing some spinach seedlings, and the peas should be up any day.  Unless we get a real cold snap, you can put in the early salad greens and most oriental greens now.  If there's a cold night, cover your vegetables with floating row cover or an old sheet in the late afternoon - and remember to remove the cover as the day warms.  By mid-month you can add beet, radishes, turnips, kale and cabbage.

If you start your own tomatoes, cucumbers, basil or melons indoors, do so now.  Remember they need light, warmth, and good air circulation to flourish.  Many seedlings succumb to fungal diseases because of excessive watering or an environment that encourages fungal growth.
 
Around the yard.  Continue to stay off soggy soils but, as it firms up, remove any winter debris from garden beds and lawns.  Seed heads left up for the birds need to come down before the new growth begins.

If you already have plans for new plantings, head to the nurseries while the inventory is high.  Now is a great time to start putting in woody plants-trees and shrubs will have a chance to start establishing their roots before the heat of summer makes the work harder for your new plant's reduced root system.  As Earth Day comes this month, think native trees and shrubs.  Consider an Oxydendron, a beautiful tree with a graceful shape for your front lawn. It blooms in July-August and puts on magnificent colors in the fall.  Put in a Calycanthus (also called a sweetshrub) that 
Calycanthus - sweetshrub - is a native species that grows well in southern New England.
Calycanthus - sweetshrub - is a native species that grows well in southern New England.
offers some of the best fragrance from any shrub I know. Calycanthus will give pleasure all summer if you go with the less showy but nonstop-blooming native species.  Give your new shrubs a good start and loving care for several years and they will last a lifetime.

Swallowwort watch.  Until just a few years ago, black swallowwort was virtually unknown in Massachusetts.  It has now become an endemic, nasty invasive plant, usually inhabiting the border between streets or lawns and surrounding woods.  More than just an invasive nuisance, swallowwort endangers the Monarch butterfly.  Because swallowwort mimics milkweed, Monarch females lay their eggs on swallowwort leaves, which offer no nutritional value to caterpillars.  Thus, swallowwort may act as a "sink" for Monarchs; caterpillars from eggs laid on these invasive plants will not survive and are essentially wasted.

In April, you can still see the husks and skeletons of last year's plants.  Mentally or physically mark the area and, as soon as this year's vines emerge, rip out or dig out plants and their roots.  Make certain you bag and send the plants to your town's transfer station.  Composting swallowwort allows it to regenerate and re-root.  You can get more information about swallowwort from the Monarch Joint Venture here.
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You can see more of Betty's horticultural advice at www.BettyOnGardening.com.  Betty is also the 2015-2017 President of the 11,000+ member Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts 
Earth Day with the Hort                              

Mass Hort celebrates Earth Day in many ways, on many days. We hope you'll join us for some of the fun!

 

Celebrate Earth Day at the Gardens at Elm Bank on Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m. to noon. Help us get the gardens ready for spring! Bring your family, friends, and garden tools. Free event, sign up here.


 

For adults, we will host a workshop on April 16 on seed starting. Green up your life with Master Gardener, Gretel Anspach, and Seed to Table Educator, Hannah Traggis. Starting plants from seed gives you more options for plant choice, and this workshop will help you start what you need. Materials will be provided. We also encourage educators to attend; curriculum connections will be available. On April 21, we will host Bruce Wenning of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. He will present on organic lawn care.

 

The Plantmobile will be busy all week, celebrating Earth Day across the area. Come see us at the Fairy House Building Workshop in Franklin Park on Thursday, April 21. 

Flower Show Awards Reception

2016 Flower Show award winners in Floral Design, Amateur Horticulture, Photography and Ikebana and their guests gathered in the Hunnewell Carriage House on April 7, 2016 to celebrate 2016 Mass Hort at the Flower Show. 






  
How I Know It's Spring
Neal Sanders, Leaflet Contributor

Gardeners determine the first day of spring in many ways.  Some see a robin or hear a woodpecker and think to themselves, "Spring must be here".  Others mark it by spotting crocus, dandelions, or daffodils.  The evening serenade of marsh peepers from the nearest vernal pool has its own cheering section.
In April_ the husks and stems of last year_s black swallowwort are readily visible
In April, the husks and stems of last year's black swallowwort are readily visible
brook no argument with those milestones, but I have my own:  the first day of spring is when the fence goes up for our vegetable garden.  Last year, the Winter That Would Not End did not give way to spring until May 2.  This year, that date was March 26.  What a difference a year makes.
While the process has changed, for us, putting up that fence is a tradition that goes back decades. Once upon a time, the fence raising was preceded by rototilling the garden plot - a day-long process in and of itself.  For the past ten years, though, our vegetables have been grown in one plot of an acre-size garden and the town has thoughtfully provided the tilling service as part of our community garden fee.
Anyone who thinks a fence is just hastily-put-up stakes
The fence is up and the peas have been planted
The fence is up and the peas have been planted
and netting has never had the experience of coming out to see everything in their garden chewed to oblivion by burrowing varmints.  Our fence begins with wielding a sledge hammer to pound ten stakes 18 inches into the ground, and it followed by the digging of a trench at least six inches around the perimeter of the site.  In a 600-square-foot site, that one task consumes an hour or more. 
The bottom six inches of the fence is sunk to keep out varmints
The bottom six inches of the fence is sunk to keep out varmints
Only when the trench is done does the four-foot, half-inch mesh fence get affixed to the posts.  Rocks are added along the fence line to further deter would-be subterranean intruders.  The top of the fence is secured to the steel stakes and tightened where needed.  Four hours after the process began, the gate is installed.
Betty's seeds arrived months ago (she orders early every year to ensure getting everything she wants).  The seed packages, in turn, get arranged and re-arranged on the dining room table as the layout for the garden takes shape, and a few elements of the garden don't wait for the fence.  Leek seeds went into egg-carton incubators in mid-March, for example.
We also have the complication that we've created two sm
This is what swallowwort looks like in June
This is what swallowwort looks like in June
all raised beds at our new home.  The beds total just 64 square feet, but we're starting spinach and lettuce in them with the idea of making that our "kitchen" garden while leaving the community plot for corn, squash, and other space-hogging vegetables.
But as soon as the fence was up, Betty was planting a row of peas and otherwise working the soil inside our plot to make it ready for the onslaught of planting that will come as the month progresses.
Five hours after we started, we had a fence, a gate, and our first crop in place.  We celebrated by driving up to the North Shore for our first plate of fried clams and onion rings of the season at a clam shack.
Which, of course, raises the possibility that the beginning of spring may also have something to do with eating beach food...
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Neal Sanders is the author of ten mysteries.  His newest, 'How to Murder Your Contractor' has just been published and, together with his other titles, is available in stores and at Amazon.com.  



Massachusetts Horticultural Society | 900 Washington Street | Wellesley | MA | 02482