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.

Snow, Snow and More Snow

Will we ever see spring this year?

It may take until April to look like this again!

To start the day (after shoveling, of course), I prepped additional 4"x8" containers with drainage holes using a soldering iron.  It makes fast work of the project; a mask should be used as protection from the fumes.

The seeds I sowed today include:

Onions (Copra, Allium cepa): Planted one 4"x8" container using remainder of seed packet.  See entry on February 15, 2015 for full description.

Onions (Rossa di Milano, Allium cepa): Planted one 4"x8" container using remainder of seed packet. See entry on February 15, 2015 for full description.

Celery (Tall Utah 52/70 Improved, Apium graveolens var dulce): Botanical Interests, 2014.  Planted 3-6 seeds in ten 2" pots, pressing seeds into the soil and/or barely covering seed. Expected germination time, 10-30 days.  Characteristics: Tall, greener choice, can be harvested at any stage. low calorie, high fiber vegetable.  I may transplant some of the extra seedlings when there are three sets of leaves to produce extra plants.  In 2014 both leaves and chopped celery stalks were frozen as harvested.
See: https://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/view/0076/Celery-Tall-Utah-52-70-Improved-Seed

Sweet Potatoes:  I am now thinking there is a right and wrong end to a sweet potato for sprouting purposes.  I notices two sprouts growing in the submerged end in one of the sweet potatoes, the one without a robust rooting system.  I pinched off those shoots for now and will just observe future growth. I did decide, however, to start two "organic" sweet potatoes purchased last week.  I placed the pointed end of one of them into water and cut the second one in half and placed both cut surfaces into water.  We'll see what happens within a few weeks. 

Dreaming of Last Year's Garden

In the midst of single digit temperatures and mounting snowfall, it's therapeutic to dream about last year's garden.  It was my best garden ever, harvesting over 1,600 lbs.  All plants were grown from seed, mostly indoors under growlights, and then hardened off in a 12'x20' hoophouse. The real thrill was donating to a local food bank and sharing the bounty with friends and family.

Here are some pictures to help alleviate winter woes:

 

Pepper and tomato plants were ready for hardening off in the hoophouse.

The hoophouse filled up fast with flats of vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Aerial view of the traditional row garden on the east side of the property

Look at that golden goodness from the sun.  Love it!

The west side of the garden has fourteen raised beds.

Four varieties of kale were planted in a small patch in the front yard.

The flower bed is a mix of perennial and annual flowers all grown from seed. 

Window boxes -- a fun way to grow cut-and-come again lettuce.

An early morning harvest!  A good ratatouille recipe, anyone?  

Twenty-one different varieties of tomatoes  

Although small, it was the first time growing a melon.