In the Garden in April and Visions of Potatoes Dance in My Head

Generally, April is the beginning of our gardening season outdoors here in central Wisconsin. Planting cole crops-- broccoli, cabbage-- and salad stuff-radishes, lettuce, and spinach-- and, of course, planting peas are all tasks in the April garden. Planting potatoes is often timed to the first dandelion bloom, or Palm Sunday, or Easter, whatever seems to be your indicator. Except that a scant few degrees on the thermometer is preventing our Spring from looking like Winter 2.0. It feels like the end of February, not the middle of April, here.

The remainder of my seed potato came by Speedy Delivery. Not necessary! Russian Fingerling, Yukon Gold, Kennebec, and Red Norland; the names conjure up images of hearty folk the world over planting potatoes and mounding up bushy foliage against long, dark winters.

Now, if I could actually get the ground prepared for them. Visions of boiled, new red potatoes with skins on and Wisconsin dairy butter dripping across the flaky white would not seem so much like distant Nepalese mountain peak and Tibetian nirvana.