Since I'm going to submit this to Harvest Monday over at
Happy Acres, I should probably start this post with my harvest for the week.
There. That's it. Brassica thinnings, which will find their way onto a roasted beet and feta salad this week. These were harvested while maintaining my seed starting operation in the basement. Photos are from a check-in on Thursday night.
One day after taking this photo, I added four trays of freshly-seeded tomato seeds. Good thing it's time for some of these trays to get hardened off! Here's where things are at presently.
Onions are the first thing I started. They're doing great. Tonight they will spend their first night outside, and I expect to have them planted by the weekend.
Sage - I've been feeling too lazy to pot it up. Should probably do that soon, though.
Thyme also needs to be potted up.
Parsley is doing well, and is getting ready to live on the porch full-time. It got its first dose of fish emulsion yesterday.
Peppers are chugging along. The sweet banana and early jalapenos are at the stage in the picture, while many others are still pushing up through the soil. These were started on March 31.
Eggplants are at varying stages, but this one looks great.
The brassicas (kale and broccoli) are just starting to get their first true leaves.
I spent a few hours outside today, continuing to work on the new garden bed on the fence. I finished part of it last fall and planted garlic. The rest is destined for an asparagus patch and this year, onions. I spent weeks digging out weed trees and holly bushes. Today I pulled the tiller out of storage and tilled the bed 7" deep. I also took a hoe around the edge of the bed where it meets the lawn (it's edged in brick), and removed all the grass and weeds the tiller couldn't get to. All that is left is to rake out the bits of roots (there are a lot!), mix in some compost, and plant the bed. I plan to do all of that by the weekend.
The next 6 weeks will determine if I can realize my 2017 plan for the garden. I have a sod stripper reserved for April 28 to make way for the raised beds by the pond, and a landscape crew is coming over before the end of the month to do a major spring cleanup. As part of it, they're going to clear the rest of the perennial garden that I want to turn into veggies. Yay!
It sounds like you are off to a good start on your new garden! I'm on my third garden spot too. I was planting asparagus here before we even finished unpacking all the boxes. Your starts are looking good too. I think you have more parsley than I started, which was a lot!
ReplyDeleteI feel very behind on the asparagus because we've lived here 16 months, but we spent the first year just getting to know the property so I didn't want to commit to a location yet. Yes, I have a lot of parsley. I grow seedlings for friends and I know that will be a popular one, since everyone uses it!
DeleteYou have plenty underway and I am always amazed at how quickly it all grows! Would love to see some outside pics too, if you have time please? Kathy
DeleteIt looks and sounds like you are getting a great start on the new garden year. I hope you post some about the garden, I would love to see how your garden progresses through the year.
ReplyDeleteHopefully I can keep up with the blog this year! I hope to have the first set of before/after pictures this weekend.
DeleteLiz-
ReplyDeleteA new garden - how exciting! And it sounds bigger than ever. We gardeners always need more and more room to fulfill our dreams. I love your seed starting area. I just bought a two tray unit this Spring and started tomato seeds for the first time. It is so much fun. Please do post lots of before and after photos of our new garden space so we can all watch and cheer you on!
I love my seed starting area too :) Immediately behind it is my canning storage area, and to the left is the potting bench. It's my own little gardening and preservation nook. And I have a sink right around the corner!
DeleteWhat a great start to your garden season! You seem to have a lot of time end energy invested in this. Moreso than what it seems I have this year.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great stress reliever (and exercise) for me. We don't have kids, so I can spend a significant amount of time on it when I'm not working. I've got a lot of travel planned this summer, though, so that should be interesting.
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