Starting the Season

Yesterday was such a beautiful day to officially start off the season. It was sunny and by mid-day it was just above 40 degrees! After so much freezing cold weather, it actually felt really warm. We cleaned out the "grow-room" (where we start all our seeds under lights) to prepare for the 35 flats we needed to plant.
We got most of our seeds in the mail a week or two ago (yay!) and organized them in groups: greens, roots, beans, nightshade family, brassica family, etc. A lot of Fedco seeds come in paper packets, so we store the packets in plastic bags to keep them from getting wet. Storing them in groups makes it a lot easier to find the seeds we need when its time to plant.


After we cleaned out the grow-room, we were ready to get started. We decided to work in the high-tunnel since it was 80 degrees inside - with the sun shining through it almost felt like summer. First, we mixed up a batch of potting soil. We make our own because, for the quantity we use, its much cheaper than bagged potting mixes. Plus, we know exactly what goes into it and exactly how much. The bulk of it is compost, peat moss, and perlite. We also add some amendments for balanced nutrients.
Once the potting soil is mixed, we get it wet. If you fill the flats with dry soil, seed them and then try to water them, the seeds will float to the top and the soil compacts and shrinks. It's not good.
We fill the flats with the moist soil and then carefully place seeds into each plug. For most things, we use plug trays that hold 72 plugs. This one was ready to be planted with red cabbage. We poke a shallow hole in each plug, put 2 - 3 seeds in the center, and cover them up.
Its important to put more than one seed per plug because not every seed is going to germinate. It saves a lot of time to double up rather than having to go back and re-seed the empty plugs.
Abby and Daniel stopped by to help out - this is Abby seeding some kohlrabi:
We ended up planting cabbage, kale, celery, onions, leeks, kohlrabi, parsley, mint, sage, lemon balm, rosemary, chives, and thyme. The veggies will go in the ground in March and the herbs will be sold at plant sales, the Go Local Fair, and the first few farmers markets. Now if spring could just hurry up and get here!

The First Seeds!

There are many bonuses to winter - sweaters, icicles, board games, fireplaces, soup; but it sure has been a long, slow winter. Cold, gray, and TOO much snow. I really like living in a place that has four distinct seasons and its always nice in the fall when the days start to become crisp and cold. By the beginning of February, though, winter can sometimes feel too long (especially when it is as cold as its been this year). But there is one day that lies somewhere in the middle of winter, in the part of winter where you are so tired of cold that you are ready to give up and move to Maui. This day is a turning point, and for us, it was yesterday. Yesterday we planted the first seeds of the season. It begins!

We will slowly plant more each week until the season really takes off. Yesterday was broccoli and some slow growing herbs and flowers. We also planted a few flats of salad greens to munch on until the ground warms up. As soon as the onions and leek seeds get here, they will go in too!
Not only can we look forward to the season picking up with more to do each week, but now there is something growing! There is something to check on and water, there is dirt under our fingernails, and there will soon be something green to visit other than the kale in our freezer. The end is in sight! We are enjoying the down time while it is here, but boy, we sure can't wait for green leaves, pretty flowers, and fresh veggies.