A bit of snowy intermission

I haven't posted here in a while, since I started my own blog on my tomato website. One great thing about having your own server, is you can play around with it as much as you like.

My husband used the new tiller to do a square in the lower garden. I planted Bermuda onion plants, the larger cabbage and cauliflower plants, and I transplanted some garlic plants that were crowded and gone wild in the lower garden from years past. I mulched the area with alfa hay, the store was out of straw.

We hauled 50 bags of steer manure, plus seed starting mix, the very best organic potting soil, and other stuff. We till it into the garden as we work.

Right now, we are visiting my daughter in MN. Yesterday there was a blizzard, and we had to drive from Luci's home back to my Mom's house and our hotel. We saw numerous accidents, as it was very slippery. So we are getting our dose of cold and snow for the year. It was hard to leave home, as it was 80 degrees, and our front yard flowers were in full bloom. I hate missing them. I would so much rather be home.

We get home next week, and the very next day Loren is coming over to work for us for 2 days. He is tackling the tilling of the lower garden, and things like that. I am going to work with him just part of the time, as I have other work waiting for me when we get home. Hopefully I'll have photos to post when I get home.

Spring Garden Progress

Since I last wrote, Loren has cut down the dead Buddleia tree that fell over amongst the apple trees. The tiller arrived, and we assembled it and it works great! We got the 85 strawberry plants planted in the terra cotta Mexican jars. 35 Tristar, and 50 Seascape. Stan helped me empty them out of the old, bad dirt, and we refilled them coco-fiber/coir potting soil that holds more moisture than regular potting soil. Then I tilled the upper garden with 4 bags of steer manure in it and planted potatoes. Pink Wink, Charlotte, and Butterfinger, plus one yellow/white I don't recall the name of from last year.

Indoors I started tomato and pepper seeds about 4 days ago. About 75% have sprouted of the tomatoes, no sign of the peppers yet. Tonight I am starting 6 packs of each one starting tonight, so they will grow under Scott's care while we are gone from the 9th of March to the 20th or so. 11 kinds of tomatoes, and 4 peppers. I am getting excited!

Henry Field's Seed and Nursery sent me a catalogue with a preferred customer sale. Selected seeds at 2 for 1 pricing. I couldn't resist and got peas, beans, broccoli, and other stuff. I don't know if I'll plant it all, but we do have plenty of room if we conquer the whole back yard by May.

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the cabbage plants. They have gotten really big! I have to go now, as I am wetting down the special seed starting mix in the flats.

Young Earliana cabbage plant 3 wks old. 

Wednesday is the Big Day

Well, Wednesday is looking to be an eventful day.

First of all, we are going up to Willits with a trailer, and are hauling home a ton of bagged cow manure, ground oystershell, rice hulls, organic potting soil with coco fiber, and some other stuff to rehab the dirt gardens.

Loren is driving over to work on his days off from the Inn. He is unloading the trailer, and carrying stuff to the garden spaces. He is also briging a chainsaw to cut down the dead tree.

The new Mantis Electric Tiller arrives Wednesday. And so does the 2 additional bean towers from Burpee.

Yippee! What a fun day it is going to be!

I am all ready for seed starting in earnest March 1st. I have the new heating mat, and the light and table as I told you earlier. I have the seeds.

I have been transplanting more raab and cabbage into larger grow cubes. I have 7 celery seedlings growing, tiny tiny little things they are. The seeds are like dust. The bok choi is up and growing its first true leaves. One of the 9 yr old broccoli seeds sprouted. We'll see if it is healthy or not. It is growing slowly, and has not popped up it's head yet.

March 1st we start the tomato seeds, and many others, like flowers. I am getting new planting trays and cells Wednesday. Will be properly prepared for the Big Day.

Young Earliana Cabbage from Burpee 

Cabbage and Broccoli Raab Seedlings 

What a difference!

Wow! The new plant light that Stan put up for my seedlings is a wonder! 240 watts, and it is cool enough to be very close to the seedlings to deliver bright light. Their cotlydons are really large after just a few days under the light. I added a heating pad on high or medium underneath the pan with the rock wool cubes in it a few days ago, since I added new cubes and celery seeds. I keep water in it, as it evaporates rapidly. Not only are the cotlydons growing, but the first true leaves are rapidly enlarging. The broccoli raab has a purple cast to them, the cabbage is plain green. In a couple of weeks I will start the seeds for the summer raab. It is a new variety bred to grow during the summer. I got it from Thompson & Morgan. Anyways, having a good light set up for seedlings is worth the effort, if you're serious about starting your own plants. It really makes a huge difference.

I got the box of potatoes from Ronniger's yesterday, and I got the box from Territorial. The Asian hand hoe is really cool, and it sure digs and turns the soil well! But it is hand-forged in China, and it is quite cruder in reality than what the catalogues show. But it is interesting.

I bought a package of magnet paper, and printed out all kinds of photos of produce and my garden plants from last summer. I sized them for the fidge, and now it is covered in veggies! You just cut them out with regular scissors.

I bought the book "Melons For The Passionate Grower" by Amy Goldman, from Amazon. It shipped today, so I am looking forward to getting it early next week. The photos in that book, plus her Squash book, are fantastic. Food Art. Victor Shrager did the photos at her NY farm from her crops. Hundreds of varieties.