I just watched The Botany of Desire on Netflix the other night.  It’s a PBS special based on Michael Pollan’s book by the same name.  The documentary is narrated by Frances McDormand and features Michael Pollan. The movie follows four plants and their evolution with respect to humans.  Apples, tulips, potatoes and cannabis will never be looked at the same way.  It’s amazing how these plants have adapted to become more desirable to us and in turn, proliferate in places the plant would never have grown. It’s pretty fascinating and I definitely walked away with a new respect for these four plants. As a result, I have been drawing up plans for the spring and summer gardens.  So, as a warning, this documentary will make you want to get your hands dirty.

I give it 4 daisies.

We just planted 150 tulip bulbs so I’m pretty excited about seeing all of that beauty next spring. I love growing potatoes, it’s easy and fun and so rewarding and earthy. I like to grow them in a cage, tossing a bag of forgotten organic potatoes into the bottom and piling on the dirt and leaves, waiting for the green leaves to shoot through.  Then, the flowers, potato plants have really pretty flowers.  Once the flowers fall off and the plants yellow and fall over the potatoes are ready to harvest. You simply pick up the cage and feel around for potatoes.  This year I will be using the cage method in the smaller kitchen garden and potato mounds in the big garden. We will be planting a couple of apple trees early spring to provide the lonely pear tree with a couple of friends.  Then we can say we have an orchard.