Sage – image courtesy of cherylsgardengoodies.wordpress.com

Hello and welcome (back) to Planet Forward‘s Sustainable Scribe and to another entry of my virtual organic gardening journal on this beautiful Friday in the amazing Greater Toronto area. Today, I am excited to write about the return of a few plants from last year and I’d like to start with my sage which actually came back as it was supposed to! I know that for some people this may not seem like a great achievement but I assure you, for me and my garden, it is a huge triumph. For some reason perennials and I just don’t mix as they never seem to come back for me. The sage I’m referring to is in these planters that I cover when the temperature starts to drop. As a result I usually have herbs growing into late November (depending on the arrival of the first snow) which is a feat here in Southern Ontario. I left the tarp over the planters and I was expecting to start the season having to clean up the dead herbs, weeds and turn the soil like I normally have to but this time I got quite the surprise. This time when I lifted the tarp it was like an art unveiling. I removed the tarp and was met with a thriving and fairly large sage plant. I think I gasped. This little plant managed to come up despite the bitter, harsh winter it had to endure. I was so thrilled that the plant came back as I love fresh sage and love using fresh herbs in my cooking. Given all my recent garden struggles, it was as if the sage was wisely reminding me everything was going to work out fine. Hmmmm…perhaps there is a reason why this wise plant is called sage.

Sage is not the only plant that has come back this year either as my chives also returned shortly after. Not simply the chives in the planters either but also the chives that have taken up residence between the cracks of my patio stones. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the chives really seem to thrive in the tiny gaps in the patio stones and I cannot bear to rip them out. Instead I just cut them back and allow them to keep growing. Although I must say that the best place for chives in my yard continues to be under my barbecue. In fact, I now refer to them as “barbecue chives” because there is a marked difference in the quality and appearance. The “barbecue chives” are substantially thicker, taller, stand completely straight and are healthier than the rest. The chives are so big that I have already cut them and used them in my cooking. In fact, I am already nearing a point where I will have to cut all the chives back, wash them and then dry them in my dehydrator. My first crop! Last year I dried enough chives to last me throughout the winter and I’m just getting rid of the last of them now.

Though the start of my garden was rough I have renewed energy and am excited to see what sustainable deliciousness this gardening season will bring. I look forward to the next few months of weeding, watering and worrying about my crop.

If you have any tips, tricks, stories or advice please pass them along to me. Thanks to all the Linkedin members for sharing your experiences and words of advice.

Happy organic gardening and this time I really mean it.