Tue, Feb 20, 2007 · Filed under Indoors, Seed starting, Veggies, Winter
A little experiment in vegetative propagation—replicating rosemary from tiny, stressed cuttings. Most of the potted rosemary taken up from the herb garden last season got toasted after too many -20°C nights in the unheated greenhouse (a bit of a random how-cold-can-they-go experiment). These tiny cuttings came from one that was taken indoors earlier. They’re kinda frail and stretched from relatively low light (“etiolated” is the typically uncommon technical term). They’ve already been three days in the tray, let’s see how they do. (results)
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Sun, May 21, 2006 · Filed under Greenhouse, Indoors, Seed starting, Spring, Veggies
Most of the seedlings are in the greenhouse now. The next couple of nights forecast for rather unseasonable 32°F (0°C) lows means going for the emergency heating measures!
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Tue, May 16, 2006 · Filed under Fieldwork, Seed starting, Spring, Tools, Veggies
Tomato, eggplant and pepper seedlings heading out from the Milkhouse (seedling room) to the unheated hoophouse for some real sunlight and a taste of the harsher field conditions, before transplant time in a couple of weeks. The small riding mower does double duty, mowing the paths and ferrying around seedlings, tools, harvests.
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Mon, May 15, 2006 · Filed under Fieldwork, Spring, Tools
Here’s something easy that could come as a kit: a compost tea maker. One 55-gallon barrel, one strong, porous bag (this one’s a woven plastic grain sack) full of compost, some heavy twine, a strong stick, and water. Tie the sack to the stick, place the stick across the top of the barrel so that the sack is suspended, and add water. In a couple of days, a natural, healthy snack for selected seedlings. Apply by watering can.
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Thu, May 11, 2006 · Filed under Spring, Veggies
In the real world of this organic field, it’s not all close-up beauty shots of picture-perfect seedlings growing into pristine vegetables all in a row. Competition is the order of the day. Here, a couple of beet seedlings are surrounded by grass, dandelion, and round-leaf mallow (peeking out from behind the grass in the top right corner). It’s a motley assortment of weeds competing for water, food and even the sun (observe the grass shading out the baby beets). It can be a pitched battle out there when you don’t exactly want Nature to take its course!
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Sun, May 07, 2006 · Filed under Greenhouse, Seed starting, Spring, Veggies
Curly and flat-leaf parsley and some sage in the greenhouse.
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