Memorial Day Gardening
I’m based out of Massachusetts, and Memorial Day weekend is the standard I was always given for last frost: after Memorial Day, it’s safe to plant.
I tend to ignore this standard with impunity.
By mid-April, I am scratching at the walls, itching for gardening gloves and a spade, ready to get started on my garden. I manage to push it off until early May most years, and I start with hardy plants. Parsley first, basil later. Lettuce first, tomatoes later. But I never actually make it through Memorial Day without planting something.
Memorial Day weekend still resonates for me as a Time To Garden, however. So this weekend, I’m going to grab my gloves and go on a Quest for Containers. My big project for this year is going to be a container-garden patio seating area, with two chairs, a little table, and a whole lot of plants, providing an area to sit and relax while the kids play outdoors.
I’m going to get some herbs and a few baskets for cherry tomatoes, and plant long windowboxes of lettuces. I have some giant urn-like containers in our toolshed, left over from the previous owners of the house, and I suspect I can use those for small squashes.
All I need is a lot of dirt, a little creativity, and a good trip to the nearby nursery, and I’ll be well underway!
I will update with photos and some words on how I’m doing as time goes by. Wish me luck!
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Ha! My husband beat the urge to get out and plant, by starting with seeds on our kitchen table. He transplanted everything to successively larger containers until he felt it was finally warm enough to put it all outside. I suppose having his entire garden in containers is useful (he can always bring them back in, if need be), but he’s been very successful with almost everything he’s planted.