Cabbage are in the Ground

Welcome back to Midwestern Yardeners! You might have noticed my absence this last week; I was out of town, leaving my garden to fend for itself. But don’t worry, I came home to a basement of seedlings that doubled in size and a hefty amount of chores I needed to catch up on.

The cabbage seedlings were looking extra beefy and I decided it was time for them to find new living quarters. I determined that the weather was steady enough that I could plant them in the garden. Cabbage is a cole crop that can handle a good amount of cold weather. I prepared the soil with some compost, planted our seedlings, gave them a helping of extended-release fertilizer, and then covered the area with a good amount of mulch.

While digging to plant our cabbage seedlings, I unearthed over 20 feet of brick pavers buried about 4 inches beneath the soil. The bricks hinted at the garden's former life, perhaps as a boundary or pathway or edging from another garden planted many moons ago. The thought of previous gardeners laying these bricks connected me to the history of our home. I am excited that I now get to use these to edge my garden.

The weekend’s planting adventure continued with peas, radish, and lettuce seeds. After soaking my pea seeds overnight I determined where they would be planted and sowed the seeds about 1/2 in deep. The other veggies were a little more chaotic. I determined where I wanted these to grow and sprinkled the garden bed with their seeds before placing a light layer of soil overtop. I will likely need to come back through later to thin the radishes and lettuce.

I feel a deep sense of accomplishment after this weekend. As the seedlings take root and the pavers find new purpose, I am reminded of the constant evolution of this space.