My lettuce blend sprouted after four days!!! Miraculous. Here is hoping to a flurry of fresh sprouts from kohlrabi, beets, etc. in the coming days.
Also, all three herbs have survived in the garden thus far. Perhaps Spring really shall be bountiful, despite the below-average temperatures of late.
It is now Spring 2013. Three weeks ago, eager to further our garden plans & after choosing what we will grow this Spring/Summer (kohlrabi, beets, carrots, spring onions, lettuce, cucumber, one type of squash yet undecided, multiple herbs, tricolor beans, snap peas & once the farmers’ market has them available in April, tomato & pepper transplants & whatever other seeds I can find from sources I respect & trust. Not too keen on the Walmart-of-plants-like feeling I get from Gurneys but Kitchen Garden Seeds, Renee’s Garden, Burpee Organic & Good Natured are sources I think are ethical & focused in their approach to gardening rather than crazy-for-hybrids & GMOs.).
I’m particularly excited about the kohlrabi (I read it tastes like a cross between an apple & a turnip), as I’ve never grown it before. I’m hoping to come across some unique seeds/transplants over the next month & a half & then have late Summer, Fall & Winter crops of onion, kale, turnips, etc. I seeded some beets, kohlrabi & lettuce in coconut fiber on Monday. I did not seed our beans, however, because I learned that they don’t do well when transplanted & prefer direct-to-earth sowing so the delicate roots can establish well. The coconut fiber can be planted right into the garden but this year I’ve been careful to research everything we are growing. Mark’s parents gave us sage & rosemary, which is thriving at their house. They also have fig trees! I felt naive & ill-informed when I found out that the herbs can stand the Winter. I’ve always thought of herbs as Summer plants. Following this path of new knowledge, I purchased lavender & some pansies & violas & planted them. They survived a snow storm on Monday so any silly doubts I had about the existence of plants that survive frost have dissipated.
I’m going to store laminated notes for each plant outside close to the garden in case Mark & I forget how to care for some of them. Kohlrabi needs to be fertilized regularly & I read that lime prevents blossom end-rot for tomatoes & that a fine mesh covering that allows 85% light will prevent vegetable massacres from insects, deer & rabbits.
I don’t expect everything to be successful. I’ve decided to give myself a break from eggplant, though when I see transplants in Shepherdstown, I may cave & buy one for the edge of the garden. I’ve been able to egg on (har) tiny little pithy eggplant fruits in the past & the plants are certainly attractive but I can’t seem to make them thrive. Neither can Mark’s father, incidentally & he is a sure expert for many things. I love his garden every year. Chiles, herbs, tomatoes, zucchini, boundless basil & lettuce as well as attempts at grapes & other vegetation that strikes his fancy. I’m going to get at least five of each transplant we try to grow & hope that one or two flourish.
There is less than a month to the last projected date of frost in our region, so I cannot wait to start sowing outside. I have 14′ by 12′ of earth perked & ready plus a back porch for potted Jupiter beets, carrots, herbs & peppers that don’t go in the garden. I am also going to disperse endless numbers of seeds all over the property to encourage hummingbirds & bees to frequent our earth. I also need to get some marigolds, as they deter certain bugs & daffodils are apparently repugnant to deer.
So much planning & planting & so few warm weekend hours. Growing our own lush garden is my biggest goal this Spring & Summer. As the light in the evenings grow, so shall our soil spring forth richness & wonder. One hopes….!! Any tips are always, always, always appreciated!!!
Lush Seasons 