
“Sow someone where the driver passed
with the strength of the bulls: the seed shines
in a shower of gold descending
between the shadow of the white clouds and the heights.
Time will come that the sweet pinks
will sing among the green laurels and myrtles,
and in the furrows, on the bristling
stems, the fertile grain ripens.”– Giovanni Pascoli
The sowing time has arrived again. It’s a time that requires care, attention, water, sun and patient waiting! After so many years, the Borgo Basino fields continue to be enriched with the experimentation that comes from knowledge of the soil, from direct experience, after many seasons sowing many different types of plants.
In these days we planted many seeds: lettuce, tomato, pumpkin, melons, beets, chard, cabbage, onions, leek … We have been careful to plant the seeds according to the cycles of the moon which is still common practice even by conventional growers here. There are some seeds that like to be planted during the waxing moon (fruiting plants), others, who prefer the waning moon (plants whose leaves and tubers we gather.) We tried to respect this time, and thus give each seed the opportunity to grow and sprout with the energy it needed.
We observed the first seedlings being born in the seedbed and in recent days, despite the ups and downs of Spring temperatures, we have begun to transplant them into the ground, between the rows of the orchard, and into the vegetable beds. We wait patiently, continuing to care for them, waiting to see the fruits bloom that we will taste directly on our table.
May the seeds sprout with vigor and may the fruits be abundant. I hope to share your table sometime in the fall harvest time! Happy Spring!