April — a month of alternating rain and sun and generally warming weather in the United States. This is also the month when many gardens are planned and planted.
The garden shops open with sturdy plants fresh from the greenhouse. Be careful — are all the frosty (or near freezing) nights at an end? Have you read the back of the seed packet? Should you plant in sun, partial sun, or shade? Will you need to water? Can the plant tolerate dry after established?
Gadgets and tools abound. How many do you need? Which ones?
Shall we begin with the basics? These tools, relatively new, are closely related to garden tools used for decades and generations. A shovel to turn the earth in regular or raised bed garden. A rake to do some smoothing. A hoe to keep the weeds from taking over from the desired plants. And a hand trowel for transplanting and other fine work.
In fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois, during the 1850’s, many of the households kept a garden. The bakery was no exception. Fresh vegetables made for fine eating. And cabbages turned into sauerkraut and potatoes stored in the root cellar kept hunger away during a long winter. Can you name a common garden item today they did not plant?
Check out the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, for an introduction to Louisa and her eventful first year in America. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE
