Garden factiods, illustrated version

Did you know that you can pull year old chard plants from the ground for dinner (and to make room for artichokes), then change your mind and plunk them back into the dirt (closer to the kitchen no less) for another day? They wilt a bit but don’t seem to mind much.

Did you know that weeding around the base of garlic plants in still, humid air creates the most fantastic garlic aroma you could ever imagine? And did you know a Japanese Hori-Hori garden implement is quite useful to shave off those weeds just at the soil line so that they don’t disturb the garlic roots too much?

Did you know that basic wellingtons, aka “wellies” aka “zartic boots*” are indispensible when transplanting and watering in English boxwoods during a wet spring week?

Did you know water droplets on red Russian kale can make your mouth water sometimes?

Seriously:

*“Zartic boots” is the description some of my local peers pinned on the big waterproof wellingtons, as a now closed chicken processing plant’s miniature immigrant Guatemalan workers for years could be seen walking to and from work along the thoroughfares on the west side of town in yellow rain slicker pants and the knee high boots. (Not a pretty picture when you think about it is it?)