The Hoophouse is Open for Business!

What a feeling of excitement! The hoophouse is open for the season! The first thing I noticed was a thin film of moss growing on some of the beds.  We had above average temperatures for the first two weeks of April and the hoophouse was a good breeding ground. First I removed the black hose and rearranged the supplies so that I could begin working on the front right bed. All three beds are 2.5' x 11.5'.

Before I began lightly tilling the soil, I rescued one volunteer Buttercrunch lettuce seedling and placed it in a small pot for now. Two white pails, one for compostible items and the other for trash, were set up near the door as permanent fixtures.

I was happy to find some worms in this bed, just barely visible in the photo below.

I also began my outdoor sowing with three window boxes of cut and come again lettuce: Mesclun, Select Salad Blend and Bronze Mignonette.

I finally transplanted many seedlings into individual containers.  This chore has been hanging over my head for days because the seedlings have looked crowded and stressed in their containers.

Sweet Alyssum, Royal Carpet  58
Sweet Alyssum, Carpet of Snow  34
African Daisies  61
Basil  44
Blanket Flowers 34

Fruit Trees

I noticed today that all of the dwarf fruit trees have buds.

The varieties at the bottom of the hill from left to right include: Cortland Apple (Harvey's Farm, 2010, $45); French Prune Plum (Windy Lo, 2010, $54); Anjou Pear (Windy Lo, 2010, $45); Elberta Peach (Windy Lo, 2010, $54); and Italian Prune Plum (Harvey's Farm, 2010, $29).

The varieties near the house at the top of the hill include:  Reliance Peach (Harvey's Farm, 2011, $60); McIntosh Apple (Harvey's Farm, 2011, $60); and Macoun Apple (Harvey's Farm, 2011, $60).

Five fruit trees have died over the past three years.  In 2014, we lost the Apricot and the Stella Cherry trees. In the year prior, we lost the Macoun Apple tree and in 2012 we lost a Black Tartarian Cherry and Bartlett Pear.