I planted the last batch of corn today. I think it might be too late, but we’ll see.
Seeds are miraculous. They lie dormant…then under the right conditions (playing “You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago helps) they emerge from their growing medium.
The above pic is one of my trays of soil-blocked pumpkin seeds. I also have trays outside that are filled with beets, zinnias, basil, and carrots.
I wish more people grew gardens, but I’ll save those musings for another post…
Grant bought lavender seeds today with his own shekels. He found a variety called “True Lavender” and he’s starting the seedlings today!
He’s using a method called “stratification” where he puts the seeds onto a damp paper towel, then covers them with a gallon ziploc and puts them in the refrigerator for a month.
And can I also add that he’s growing lavender because he wants to sell it. I think he’ll do a great job as a lavender farmer!
Today I’m planting the first seeds of 2021.
I want to be a radish-lover. They are beautiful, crunchy and a give you fresh garden produce in early March. But the truth is, I haven’t quite developed a taste for them.
I learned this week that you can roast radishes with butter and salt. I never thought to roast them. So, today I’m planting radishes so that in 28 days I can see if I like roasted radishes. Also, it’s February and I’m tired of waiting for winter to be over. (Sorry, February!)
Winter isn’t bad. In fact, I’m learning about winter gardening. I planted garlic in September last year and it’s growing! It’s pretty incredible that we can plant things in the fall and they’ll survive and grow slowly during winter. Our kale and chard has been producing all winter. It’s slow, but we’re still able to harvest at least weekly!
The snow and ice we got over the weekend is gone. Now we’re expecting temps in the 40s over the next week. It’s feeling springy!
Heather brought home another rabbit today, so we have one buck and two does. This one might be pregnant.
We planted the rest of the garden today:
- Row 1: transplanted two tomato plants
- Row 2: seeded bush beans
- Row 3: transplanted 2 tomato plants
- Row 4: seeded corn, transplanted delicata squash, two watermelon plants, and pickling cucumbers
Grant transplanted a bunch of chives along the north wall of the carport.
I transplanted kale and chard, and I direct-seeded Oregon sugar pod peas, which were really productive last year. This time, I only seeded one row, leaving more room for planting beans later.
Heather transplanted rosemary, parsley (curly and flat), sweet oregano, and Italian basil (with cloches covering the oregano to promote growth and basil to protect from frost).
I noticed chives growing next to the well.
Isaac and Heather seeded the pasture with 25 pounds of all-animal pasture blend. It is supposed to rain off-and-on for the next week, so that should help with germination.
Today I planted outside! Josh is stuck inside doing taxes, so I feel kind of guilty. I know he’d rather be outside with me. If he has time today after taxes, I’ll go outside and help with his projects.
I got the radish seeds in the ground. I also planted the pea seedlings that I started indoors back on February 22, 2019.
For the radishes, I took a 2×2 square of ground, turned it over a few times, mixed in some wood chips, scattered the seeds, and lightly tilled them under.
The pea seedlings went into the
Our seedlings are doing well. Each day, for the past two weeks, I’ve put them out on the front porch for some southeast sunshine. Then I bring them in at night.
We’ve had an unusually cold February (third coldest on record), so we’re anxious for March to warm up the soil so we can plant our cool weather crops.
This weekend I planted seeds indoors that I plan to transplant in a month. They’re sitting on the window bench in our dining room. Spinach, Swiss chard, kale, peas, and marigolds. I used cardboard egg cartons, seedling soil mix, and some plastic containers. I purchased all the seed packets at the Dollar Tree for 4/$1.