April 4, 2010

Replete from a Mediterranean themed vegan Easter dinner it's time to chat a bit about the season. 

The farming season is in full swing and there is lots to report.

First, onion seedlings.  I tried an experiment - half of the seeds went into a 50/50 peat and perlite mix.  The other half went into a 40/4-/20 peat/perlite/soil mix.  Hands down the winner was the mix with the soil.  The onions in that flat are doing well - fattening up and will be ready for transplant as soon as the ground is.  The others - well - they didn't make it.

You often hear of the need to start seedlings in a sterile potting mix.  I've tried that for years with less than outstanding results.  What I found with the soil mix is that not only were the plants in that mix more vigourous but more of them germinated. 

Based on that little experiment I have been starting all of my seeds in the 40/40/20 mix.  The lettuces loved it (by the way - Red Sails is an incredibly vigourous not to mention tasty leaf lettuce - it has out stripped everything else I planted). I transplanted the Crisp Mint, Forellenschluss, and Red Sails lettuces into the house garden today.  I'll need to prepare a few more beds before I plant the rest.  I like to keep the lettuces at home - I love going out in the evening and cutting a salad!

The coles - well - a number of them are doing OK but for the second year my Red Express barely germinated - time to switch suppliers I think.

The artichokes got planted but out of 20 or so seeds that I put in only 3 have germinated - I am not expecting great things there. 

Fifteen varieties of tomatoes got planted today - in ascending order of maturity dates.  The remaining fifteen varieties will get planted later this week.  The eggplants and peppers also got seeded this weekend.  All are under lights and on heat mats at 80 degrees.

The coles, lettuces that haven't been transplanted yet, and onions are all living outdoors full time now and loving the abundant sunshine and unseasonably warm weather of the past few weeks.

On the fruit front, all the fruit trees made it through the winter and are leafing out - as are all the raspberry plants.  A bunny chewed down on of the surviving blueberry plants (the lawnmower got one of the others) but the other two look about ready to leaf.  The starw mulch has been removed from the strawberry plants and they are looking vigourous.  I have found two of the three rhubarb plants and one is even leafing out.  I expect the third rhubarb to show up eventually.  Also growing great guns is my sorrel - after years of trying to direct seed I finally started it in trays last year and now have 4 patches growing up - it'll be time for sorrel soup soon!

At the farm, the garlic is up and the soil is working on drying out.  It was close last week but this weeks rain will slow down the process a bit.  I am still hoping to get up there next weekend to plant the spinach and peas - wish me luck!