Like magic

One of the benefits of being a lazy, non-detail-oriented gardener is that sometimes my plants go to seed or are unwittingly buried in compost at the end of the season. That's how I got a little crop of carrots this spring; they were the ones that had been forgotten under the weeds last year and had wintered over.

Today I was cleaning up some beds and installing new weed-blocking fabric (a new experiment, this--the very concept of not having weeds everywhere) when I found something that looked familiar. It was mache! There were several clumps of it. The very plant that had failed me so disappointingly last year was volunteering this spring. And it was pretty large, too, since it had gotten started early before the hot weather came.

I also noticed a couple of dandelionish plants nearby that turned out to be arugula, big enough to harvest and eat. This isn't as big of a deal--I have an entire bed of thriving arugula nearby, which will be edible-sized within a week or so--but it's satisfying nonetheless. Gardeners of the world, plant arugula! It is the most enthusiastic seedling around. It'll outcompete any weed Mother Nature throws at it.

I noted with satisfaction that my beets--notoriously tricky in this climate--have sprouted and are doing pretty well. I can take full credit for this, since I had the presence of mind to plant them in February (they're another plant that likes cool weather).

The turnips are preparing for their yearly onslaught abundance. Nothing can stop a turnip.

There are a couple of cute little pea plants, but most will have to be reseeded because they got drowned by a storm just after planting and started to rot.

All in all, very successful so far.