Direct seeding
Direct seeding is going ahead at a careful pace. There’s a fair amount of broken up sod in the mix, and it would be nice for it to have more time to settle in and decompose, also for any bits … Read the rest
seed
Potatoes delivered
Seed potatoes arrived today, all the way from tiny PEI (Canada’s potato province!). It’s still difficult to find certified organic potato stock, especially in more-than-home-garden-less-than-big-farm quantities, so it’s back to Veseys for another 300 super-expensive pounds, from 1,000 miles (1,600 … Read the rest
Direct-seeding peas
The first direct-seeded crop went in today: Sugar Ann snap peas. As usual, the peas were inoculated with Rhizobium bacteria: dampen the seed with a little water, sprinkle with inoculant powder, and shake.
Rhizobium bacteria enter legume roots and form … Read the rest
Tomatoes galore
Tomato seedlings are suddenly everywhere! We planted out the whole of this year’s line-up in a couple of days, starting a week ago. The first tray (above) started popping in just 4 days! There are over 60 varieties, including around … Read the rest
Kale in survival mode
At first, it looks like some sort of horrible, fuzzy mold, about to devour your newly germinated seeds. But when you get really up close, it turns out to be superfine, hairlike extensions growing from the radicle. These kale sprouts … Read the rest
Seeding as we go…
It’s spring! The ground is clear, hasn’t snowed in a while, but it’s still cold, and the tiny farming action remains mainly indoors. We’re steadily filling up the racks (here, Lynn populates a plug sheet with Red Russian kale; under … Read the rest
More seedlings appear
The brassicas—cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and so much more—are satisfying at seeding time because they usually come up quick. This tray of Early Dividend broccoli is popping only three days after seeding. I don’t take notes about days to germination, … Read the rest