Temperature over the last month has been below the seasonal average on 28 out of 31 days. We have had rain (or snow) every day for the last 2 months. We had an inch of snow yesterday morning – the first April snow accumulation I have seen in 22 years here. Today, finally, sunshine and 50 degree temperatures. Time to get the garden cleaned up and a few cabbabes, parsley and onions transplated.
The calendar says it’s time to plant carrots?
Looks like a good day to work in the green house. Pots seeded with 50 varieties of heirloom tomatos are presently beginning to sprount in my house. I have transferred the first few into the green house. Small pots seeded with 50 seeds each of broccoli, white cabbage, red cabbage and cauliflower several weeks ago grew to have their first true leaves over the last week. Yesterday I finished transplanting these seedlings into 4″ pots in the green house.
Spring is on the horizon
The 2009 planting season is here! Lettuce, water cress, arugala and onion seeds were sprouted in the house and transferred to the green house. We are preparing to start tomato seeds.
Hot times in the garden
The last month has been warm and rainless. The first tomatoes are ripening. Slava was first, starting July 12. New Hampshire Surecrop was second. However, the Surecrop seeds were saved from last year, and I just learned that the variety is a hybrid. Oviously, theyhave not bred true since the original was a late variety with 5 inch fruits, whereas what I have now is early with 1.5 inch fruit – maybe reverted to wild mexican ancestor.
The dryness has suppressed weed germination, so the garden is nearly weed-free. Aggressive irrigation by flooding the paths between rows has promoted growth of the deeply rooted vegetables without germinating the weed seeds at the surface.
I have harvested about half of the potatoes. They are small because of the drought, but really healthy. The space vacated by harvested potatoes has been planted with root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, salsify, beets).
I have had a bumper crop of shelling peas, starting 2 weeks ago and continuing today.
The dryness has suppressed weed germination, so the garden is nearly weed-free. Aggressive irrigation by flooding the paths between rows has promoted growth of the deeply rooted vegetables without germinating the weed seeds at the surface.
I have harvested about half of the potatoes. They are small because of the drought, but really healthy. The space vacated by harvested potatoes has been planted with root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, salsify, beets).
I have had a bumper crop of shelling peas, starting 2 weeks ago and continuing today.
Coldest April Ever
April has been one of the coldest on record. The last week has had the coldest temperatures ever recorded for the date, with many inches of snow each of the last 3 days. The “average date of last frost” was yesterday, but we are having freezing temperatures every night. Needless to say the garden is behind schedule. Even in the greenhouse, the pepper seedlinga all croaked. These were reseeded on April 6.
Sowed peppers indoors
King of the North, Senorita, Tennessee Cheese, Cayenne, Yellow Banana
Sowed indoors
Eggplant – Dusky Hybrid, Casper
Pepper – Paprika, Marconi Rossi, Early Jalapeno, Bell (Staddon’s Select)
Warming weather, time to plant!
Sowed carrots and arugula, under plastic cloche. Sowed spinach.
Transplanted arugula, red cabbage and derby cabbage seedlins into garden.
Sowed peppers
Planted these varieties:
Cayenne
Jalapeno
Sowing tomatoes again
Made a second sowing of all my tomato varieties today. Some varieties of the first sowing have germinated.