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Planting in the Low Tunnel

March 2nd, 2016

This past Sunday we had a beautiful day, highs near fifty and sunny. Perfect for working in the garden, only the ground is still frozen. The soil in the low tunnel is thawed and workable, in fact the spinach in there is starting to grow new leaves. I have lettuce seedlings under the grow light that can be planted outside any day now, I’ve just been waiting for the weather to be above the single digits at night. I finally broke down and ordered a four pack of these probe thermometers, one will be put in the low tunnel so I can monitor the temperatures in there during the day and at night. I’ll use one under my grow lights too so I know the ambient temperature there as well.
planting in the low tunnel 1
planting in the low tunnel 2
I decided to take a few of each and plant in the low tunnel. We have a night that’s supposed to be 3 degrees, tomorrow evening – brrr. I decided it was worth planting a few seedlings out to see how they survive that kind of a night. That will give me a good idea of the weather inside the low tunnel. I’m thinking about giving them an additional layer of protection on that night, perhaps a milk jug or even another layer of frost blanket. I also seeded some arugula and cilantro in there.
planting in the low tunnel 3
I transplanted a few spinach seedlings as well, we’ll se how all this stuff does on that one frigid night. If it does well I’ll be filling the low tunnel with other lettuces and greens. We shouldn’t really have any more of those. Soon enough I’ll have enough garden chores to keep me busy on beautiful days, I can hardly wait!

What are you planting this week?

I Spy…

March 1st, 2016

On Sunday, I was checking the soil and spinach plants in the low tunnel and spotted a ‘Bowles Black’ violet blooming in there. What a wonderful sight it was!
black violet
I love having plants like Johnny’s jump ups and violets in my potager because they tell when I can do certain things. When I see them blooming I know that I can start planting and seeding spinach, arugula, cilantro, and other cold tolerant crops and they will germinate. The violets in the rest of the potager are nowhere to be seen, it will be a few weeks before they show their faces. Thanks to this beauty, I know it’s time to transplant some of the lettuce seedlings I have under grow lights into the low tunnel.

Do you have any plants that are signals for you?

A Nice Window

February 4th, 2016

It’s been a little warm here the past few days, our blanket of snow has melted and the ground can be worked. It’s the perfect time to broadcast a few seeds for cold tolerant varieties like arugula, cilantro, mustard, and a few other things. Winter will return, in fact we’re supposed to get snow tomorrow and next week it will once again be in the single digits. These seeds don’t care, they will wait and spring forth when they’re ready.
winter seeding 2
They won’t germinate as quickly as they do when the soil is warmer, but they’ll germinate when the conditions are right and I’ll have a much earlier crop that I would have if I had waited.
winter seeding 1
I’m also going to be seeding a flat of lettuce, which is something I do every year. I find that having a flat of greens ready to go into the ground in spring gives me a jump on the season and has me harvesting greens for my table at least a month if not 6 weeks before direct seeded crops. I love having things ready to plant as soon as the ground is ready. This winter has been fairly mild, which means my overwintered spinach is thriving and should start growing as soon as conditions improve in a month or so.

What are you doing in the garden this weekend?

Winter Activities for the Gardener

December 9th, 2015

I appreciate living in a climate where I have 3-4 months of winter in which gardening outdoors is pretty much impossible without a greenhouse. While I spend a lot of time reading about gardening during the winter months, I still want to get my hands in the soil and nurture plants. What is a gardener to do? Attempt to start interesting plants from seed.
Seeds
This year I have a few interesting things to try, most exciting is the Cedar of Lebanon seeds along with a large leafed magnolia. I also have seeds of various plums and sour cherries in the fridge getting their prescribed dose of cold weather before putting them up to see if I can nurture a few little trees for my orchard. I’ll keep you posted on my efforts, perhaps in 100 years there will be a Cedar of Lebanon to be enjoyed by those living here at the time.

What sorts of fun gardening things do you do in the winter?

Finally Here

November 25th, 2015

We woke up Monday morning to an inch and a half of snow. It was beautiful, though I had a few chores that were more difficult because of the snow. I’m already loving how nicely the boxwood looks in the winter, the structure it adds is just what I was hoping for.
first snow 1
With the snow came the cold weather, temperatures are starting to dip down into the teens at night. The duck pond needs a heater, as does the waterer in the chicken coop.
first snow 2
This time of year, the freezing of the ground makes me move on towards other winter chores, mostly cleaning out chicken/duck coops and getting them set up for the winter. I’m always thankful for the lovely nutrient rich mulch provided by this chore. Usually it’s used on a newer area in the garden. It makes a fantastic week free bed come spring. After these chores I’m finally finished up for the year with a few weeks to spare, now it’s time to plan next year!

What end of the year chores are you finishing up?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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