A Spring Harvest

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Even if you live in a cold region, the use of season extenders, such as cold frames, can help you grow vegetables throughout the winter.

Each clove will be planted in its own hole. Dig the holes about three inches deep, and at least six inches apart from each other. Inspired by the new Tolkien movie, I decided to read this collection of poems that Tolkien's best friend, Geoffrey Bache Smith, wrote and which Tolkien put together for him posthumously. While I was not smitten with every poem I did find a few that held great weight and power. Such as "Dark is the World our Fathers Left Us," in which the lines,This was a really lovely and easy read, holding my attention even though I’m not usually one for poetry books. There were a handful of poems here that really resonated with me, particularly those written by a Smith during his time at war, shortly before his death. One poem, in particular, that I found myself highlighting and rereading over and over, was titled Memories and goes like this: In the Growfully Gardens, we typically do two rounds of fall-planted carrots—one started late summer (mid-August here in zone 6b) for enjoying during the fall and early winter. And then a second batch in early fall (mid-September) specifically for overwintering for harvest in the spring. I found this author through the movie Tolkien, which tells the story of J. R. R. Tolkien's early life and the brotherhood he shared with three young men (one of which is the man who penned these poems). Yeah, I read this collection just to see what they were talking about in the movie, but I stayed cause I found something amazing. Something beautiful.

And I actually found this collection heartfelt and romantic and full of emotions that I wasn't quite prepared for. (Yeah, I know all poetry is full of emotion, but these poems felt different than the ones I read in class.) Because you are growing into the second year of a biennial plant’s lifecycle when overwintering, don’t be surprised if some of your plants bolt. This doesn’t mean they’re spent! You can still harvest and enjoy, or even let the plant finish up its lifecycle and save the seed. More hit by holiday camp virus". BBC News. 17 April 2003. Archived from the original on 11 April 2004 . Retrieved 24 May 2009. Geoffrey Bache Smith is the poet and this is the volume wherein I have appreciated each and every verse. At first I presumed I was merely biased and enthusiastic about the close connection to Tolkien (whose writing I love), but realized there have been countless poems (and poets) in my reading history for which I had an unconscious bias yet they failed to deliver according to my expectations, though they were highly praised by friends or were connected in some way as to make me more apt to be favorably swayed. Since it hasn't worked before, I think it's fair to assume: The garlic will be ready to harvest in the middle of summer. You’ll know it’s time when the outer leaves of the plant die off and turn brown. To harvest your garlic crop, carefully dig each bulb out of the ground.I see a lot of Tolkien in Smith's reverence for nature, his love of myths, and his obsession with time and history and aging (his reiterating of the word 'grey' in many of his poems stands out particularly in my mind). While a couple of the poems strike me as written by a slightly unexperienced hand, most are very pleasant to read and many have moments of exceeding beauty and profundity.

Biennial leafy crops such as chard and flat-leaved parsley, which are usually sown in spring for autumn harvests, can be sown later in late summer for harvests in spring These poems are beautiful, they contain very rich imagery, mainly nature imagery, which makes readers easily imagine and feel, yes sense, what the speaker is describing.Smith was one of Tolkien’s dearest friends in their youth, sharing their passions for the creative arts when they bonded at school. Sadly, Smith died during WWI, but if the movie is to be believed, it was due to Tolkien’s persistence and devotion to his friend, even after his death, that this collection of Smith’s poems ever reached a wider audience, for which I am grateful.