May Day

May Day.

Back when I drove a goat cart at the Renaissance Faire, May Day was a big deal. There were lots of ribbons and flowers and singing. We even did the Map Pole dance. You know, when people interweave ribbons as they dance around a pole. It never turned out as pretty as you see in the movies, but it sure was fun.

​Of course, there’s the other sort of mayday. The one used to call for help. I recently learned that mayday comes to us from the French phrase venez m'aider ‘come and help me’. I suppose we all have reasons for both sorts these days. But, my little balcony garden hasn’t needed any help other than watering, despite a few days of sleet and even a little snow. The recent abundance of tree pollen in the air has caused a different type of mayday for my sinuses, but I know it's temporary.

Kate at the Renaissance Faire in 1977

There are plenty of strawberry flowers which is funny since I never managed to grow them successfully in California. Here, on my Seattle balcony, they’re growing like crazy. The local insects seem to be doing a decent job of pollinating. Even so, I touch each flower with a tiny paintbrush every couple of days, just in case. I’m hoping that my supplemental hand-pollinating will improve the quality of pollination since that results in better quality fruit.

Strawberry plants in bloom (Kate Russell)

My apple tree is taking its time getting settled. I’m a little worried about it, though there is one active bud. Trees are in it for the long haul, so I must be patient. The blackberry cutting I took a while back doesn’t seem to have taken root, so I’ll have to try again on that one. Luckily, there are plenty of blackberry canes in Seattle.

Grafted apple tree starting to bud (Kate Russell)

Despite being limited to just a balcony, I now have chives, cilantro, lettuce, parsley, and spinach outdoors, and my indoor stevia is thriving. It still amazes me how sweet those leaves are. Soon, it’ll be time to plant basil and tomatoes, though all of my plants will be heading indoors because we have another move on the horizon. It should be interesting.

What's growing in your May Day garden?