The greenhouse industry once propagated and sold plants in these tiny pots.
For this week’s curbside pick up, happening Friday between noon and 6, we have some very sweet offerings to bring life and cheer to your weekend. First up, are these adorable viola collections. They are planted in tiny antique terracotta pots, and will make a lovely statement on your table. The greenhouse industry is full of plastic, and this year we are kicking off a year long experiment with reducing plastic use. Plants were once propagated and sold in these tiny clay pots, and by offering them to you this week, we are including you in that mission. Keep your eye out for more efforts to reduce plastic, and please give us your feedback.
Our Living Greens are so good right now. I have been making a daily salad with clipped mustard greens (mizuna, Tokyo bekana, arugula, Cheap Frills) and dressing it with just a squeeze of lemon, hazelnut oil, and our herb salts. It is just so good! When you order a tray of mustards, we will give you two kinds of each, and you will have fun textures and colors to mix into your salads. These are mild, sweet mustards. Not sharp at all.
Our greens are a living tapestry of colors, textures and flavors.
IN THE GARDEN
It looks like after this weekend, the daytime temperatures will be in the 50’s, and night time temperatures will be at or just above freezing. If your garden is dry enough, towards the end of next week, you can direct seed the following into your soil:
How do you know the soil is dry enough to work?
Do this simple test: make a handful of soil into a little ball, drop it from knee height. If it shatters, you soil is dry enough But if it stays in a little ball or breaks into just 2 or 3 pieces, it is too wet. Walking, rototilling and digging in a wet garden creates compaction. This means that your soil will feel like concrete all summer, and plants won’t grow well, and certain weeds will thrive and be very hard to pull out. Think of your garden beds as fluffy pillows, and avoid doing anything that reduces the loft. For best results, please just wait until the soil is dry before working the soil, seeding and planting.
If your garden soil is too wet, or you live in a colder place, you can always scratch the garden itch by cleaning up the shed, sharpening tools, and cleaning out your containers. It is nice to get a fresh start, and have everything ready once the weather is warm enough.
MEDICINAL HERB WORKSHOP
Sophie Cassel, herbalist, Red Wagon team member, and owner of Patchwork Plants, will be teaching a Zoom class this Saturday at 10 am on growing herbs for health and wellness. I hope you join her for a fun, inspiring, and incredibly informative look at how plants can help us thrive. Sohpie’s knowledge and enthusiasm knows no bounds. You can sign up here.
UPCOMING
We will be open to the public on April 16th and we will continue to offer curbside pick up and online ordering. For the next two weeks, we will continue to offer curbside pick up on Fridays, and then, once we open, we will switch to next day pick up. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
For in - person shopping, we ask that everyone wear a mask and ask that you shop on weekdays if your schedule allows. We are hoping to avoid the weekend crowds, and will give away a free plant to customers who shop Monday through Thursday. Thanks so much for your consideration as we work hard to keep our staff and community safe.
For pick up tomorrow, please have your orders in by midnight tonight.
Thanks so much, and happy gardening, Julie