This warmer weather has seen me go crazy in the gardens the last week. I've been preparing beds (by turning over clover and rye) for a few weeks now, but this week I began actually planting. Yeahhh!!!! It has been a relief to move plants out of the greenhouse because it is overflowing with seedlings ready to go. I've planted out kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and fennel. I've also seeded veg gin (a Chinese broccoli), radishes, and peas, which have all germinated nicely.
This week I also relocated the greenhouse at the farm. Many of you know that this particular greenhouse collapsed under the weight of the snow this Winter. My husband and I managed to fix it but the plastic was torn in various spots. Well, last week we had a big wind storm that blew the greenhouse apart! It was quite the thing to watch my greenhouse blowing in the wind like a big air balloon! I never did like the greenhouse where it was because in the Winter time it didn't get sun until the afternoon, so this seemed like as good a time as any to move it. As well as moving it Paul came up with some ideas to make it more sturdy. However, with this style of greenhouse (very economical) you can't expect too much. I'm dreaming of the day I can afford a larger, more permanent greenhouse. It is quite remarkable how much you can extend the season with an unheated greenhouse. Even despite the weeks of sub zero temperatures and the greenhouse collapsing on top of the crops, I am harvesting fabulous fall planted salad greens right now. Many crops can be grown over the Winter under plastic.
Today I am planning on seeding carrots and Swiss chard - and maybe even beets if I can get enough beds prepared - though realistically this will probably have to wait a day or two.
Work in the greenhouse continues as I am now starting the warmer weather crops such as tomatoes, squash, peppers etc. I start the plants in small pots and plug trays that I start in the germination area (a small heated section in my basement) until they germinate, then they are moved under the gro lights for a week or two until they grow their first real leaves. The hardier plants then go out to the greenhouse (at my home), which is unheated. The less hardy plants will stay under lights for a bit longer, until the nights heat up a little more.
My seedling potatoes arrived this week. They are certified organic Russian fingerlings and German sieglinde potatoes from a farm in Pemberton that I had a lot of success with last year; keeping my fingers crossed they grow as well again. I will be 'chitting' them (forcing them to start sprouting) over the next few weeks and then they will be planted.
I still have some CSA spaces available, so please spread the news. Only 7 weeks to go until the first delivery!
I hope you are all reveling in the warmer days as much as I am.
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I love seeing the seedlings looking so orderly in the greenhouse. This is the first year I have used plug trays (the flats with individual compartments) and so far I really like them, except I do have to water more often - they dry out practically daily.
Sunflower seeds! I threw a whole bunch in a flat to see how they would turn out for edible sunflower shoots.
This is the larger seed potatoes that have been cut up and left out on my deck to dry out a little before planting. The ones on the right hand side are the Russian fingerlings and the ones on the left are the German seiglindes. Both are delicious potatoes, can hardly wait to start harvesting!
A couple of pics of the farm starting to take shape. With the rye mostly turned over and rows of assorted veggies planted things are slowly starting to look promising for this season.
Grace Burns! Grace helps me on out a few days a week after school.
