In the Garden | Week of April 11th

The soil is so dry right now. If you feel like you are behind on some of your sowing tasks then take comfort. It appears that rain is due in this week and hopefully the soils will get a deep soak and be ready for sowing next weekend.

If you have starts to transplant out into the garden then make sure that you harden them off properly this week. Their cell structure needs gradual exposure to wind, sun, and cold night temperatures.

It is time to direct seed: onions, peas, fava beans, lettuce, chard, kale, carrots, radish, beet, turnip, kohlrabi and parsnips.These also represent the plant starts that you can feel safe transplanting into the garden.

It is also a fine time to divide rhubarb. Not only is rhubarb hardy, it is a beautiful plant in the garden, just give it room. And it is quite nutritious being high in potassium, calcium, folic acid, beta-carotene, magnesium, vitamin A and K. The leaves are toxic due to their extremely high oxalic acid content, but you can compost the leaves.

Potatoes: We are still taking orders for Seed Potato. We carry Montana grown, certified organic, virus free seed potato. Send a note to oharacommons@gmail.com and let us know what you would like to order. We have Yukon Gold, Dark Red Norland, Burbank Russet, Purple Viking, French Fingerling and Russian Banana.

You still have time to start your tomatoes indoors.

Here are some great bio-indicators of spring: The snipe are visible, the osprey and swallows have begun to arrive and a toad has been spotted.