A Glimpse at the Garden

If you stop by the Garden at Blackberry Farm right now, you’re greeted with rows of green and eye-catching pops of colors from blooming flowers. We may be between Spring and Summer seasons, but the in-between is a season all its own.

The Garden team waited through the last of the lingering cold weather in East Tennessee and finally started moving tomato plants from the coziness of the hoop house out into the Garden. People are often apt to plant tomatoes too early, but the patience to wait out that last frost will pay off with a sweet Summer haul!

While shelling peas are finishing coming into their own, and pea flowers are abundant, the first alpine strawberries are popping up, giving a taste of the Summer fruit to come.

Celery and fennel have just been put into the ground, as well as the start of what will be hundreds of beautiful parsley plants. Chive blossoms are popping up, and apple mint and mountain mint are putting on a show, taking over their beds with bright leaves and delicious, fresh scents.

There’s a beautiful spot in the Garden bursting to life with bright red poppies, rich crimson clover, dainty buttercups and tasty pea flowers. This particular patch can look misleading before it blooms.

What looks like a spot being taken by weeds is simply the land’s lesson is being patient and admiring the wonders of the growing process. Poppies are sewn in November and wait through the Winter weather as part of their growing journey. It’s only now, as they break open in May, that you see the beauty that was waiting and developing all this time.

As you’re walking among the rainbow of blooms, pinch a bit of crimson clover off and chew it at the front of your mouth. Swallow, and you get the fresh taste of cucumbers! Grab one of those purple pea flowers and take a bite, and it tastes just like a fresh-grown pea.

The Garden is full of wonder and flavor – some expected, some surprising. The warm earth, the shining sun and the welcomed rains ahead will usher in a bountiful season of growth. And a busy season at that! Next up, peppers, squash and cucumbers join the rows as we head into a Summer of garden flavor!