The 70-degree weather in St. Louis has inspired spring planting. Yesterday, we planted 4 pounds of Laxton Progress #9 green shell peas in 4 rows, each 100 feet long, which should be ready to harvest, if all goes well, on May 13 — just in time to have fresh English peas for Mother’s Day. This year is the first time we have tried to grow peas, and if the garden gods smile on us and the weather is cool for the next 55 days, I will add them to the Mother’s Day cooking class.

Today, we will plant, in 50-foot rows, Bloomsdale spinach, arugula, bibb and oak leaf lettuce, and mache, which hopefully will be ready to eat as microgreens in the next few weeks. (Harvested with tweezers!)

The 1000 cloves of Red German garlic, which was planted last October on Columbus Day, now has 6-inch high green shoots. It will be ready to harvest on the Fourth of July. Since last year’s garlic is now dried up, we are tempted to test this year’s garlic and eat it like a leek (before the bulb has separated into cloves).

At the herb garden (see the photo from last summer here), chives and sorrel have come up. In another month, we will plant the annual herbs such as basil.