My name is Jilian and I am the Garden to Table intern at Cabot Shores. My role is to manage our gardens and work with our chef to help infuse our menu with homegrown ingredients. Despite the seemingly never-ending winter, our gardens are now in full bloom. We began prepping the outdoor garden in mid May, snow and all. We began by turning the soil and weeding the garden of any remaining crops from the previous season. We covered our beds with cardboard and any available plastic lids to avoid early weed growth. In late April I started indoor seedlings, which included tomato, basil, leek, fennel and hot peppers. While I waited patiently for the seeds to start sprouting, I made sure to water and rotate the seedlings daily.
TIP: It’s important to turn the soil for proper air circulation so it can release any excess moisture.
I planted lettuce, leeks, kale, swiss chard, peas and winter greens in the last week of May. So far these vegetables are looking happy, healthy and loving the summer weather we are having. Soon we will be able to take our guests to the garden to pick their own salads and edible flowers, as well as learn how we preserve our crop into chutneys, sauces and other delicious homemade recipes.
Planted Peas
There are three gardens at Cabot Shores and many ornamental beds. Stay tuned for updates from the garden to the table!
Garden to Table intern,
Jilian Barnett