My Spring Garden: Tales from a Plant Killer

Spring has sprung and (to my surprise) so has the container garden I planted a month ago.

Let’s be clear, I’ve killed every plant that has ever been gifted to me, including multiple cacti. One might wonder how someone goes about killing a plant that needs virtually no water or attention and my answer is simple: sheer neglect.

But since our Pick Fresh book is coming out 4/16, I decided to try my green thumb. I’ve often scoffed at gardeners, digging in the dirt for hours on end, all for the end result of a few measly bulbs. But, vegetable gardening I decided I could get on board with since the end result is something I can eat.

So I took some notes from gardening goddess Mary Beth Shaddix, and planted a spring container garden (because that’s what you do when your backyard is concrete) including beets, radishes, spinach, green beans, and snap peas. A month later, all seedlings have sprouted! So unless mother nature throws me a curve ball and freezes my plants, I should be on track for harvest in another month or so. I have big plans for my fruitful garden, including Lemony Snap Peas and Potato-Beet Gnocchi.

Pick Fresh is a beautiful book that pairs fresh garden bounty with seasonal recipes. One thing I am loving about the book is how the recipe are separated by vegetables, so you can easily plan meals based on what is growing in your garden. Each vegetable chapter also has an easy growing guide, and of course there is a lot of supplemental gardening information at the end of the book.

What's growing in your spring garden?