I had been meaning to do an update to Growth and

I wanted to wait until the overnight temperatures were reliably above freezing and the soil temp was at least 50 degrees F (10 C). The first thing planted at that temperature were the peas and carrots. The carrots are still not up yet (lazy bastards!) but the peas are peaking through! So exciting!

Over in the greenhouse there is more growing on as you would expect. I have two types of lettuce planted, and some basil.

And on the other side, I have 8 San Marzano tomato plants and five “sweetie” tomato plants (a grape-sized salad tomato). Both types of tomatoes are “indeterminate” meaning that once they start producing they will (hopefully!) keep producing for a few months. The orange string was from the hay bales and I will be using it to support the tomato plants as they grow (tied to the greenhouse roof). I also have some thyme, rosemary, and sage here, all of which will get transplanted to a garden bed later in the spring.

I have planted some strawberry plants and some leeks and red onions that I grew from seed. No pics of the leeks/onions—I am not sure they are going to make it. But the strawberries are doing fine:

Note I have left the 4th raised bed “fallow” as a receptacle for compost for the time being. The pitchfork in the photo was left by the previous owners (along with various other tools I have found abandoned in the woods). A new handle and it will be good as new!

A “surprise” find in the backyard was some rhubarb plants in a very overgrown garden bed. The rhubarb grows so quickly… in two weeks it went from just peaking above the ground to this!

There is more than this one planting as well. I LOVE rhubarb so this find made me very happy indeed! I made a really good rhubarb coffee cake with it, so the rhubarb has the distinction of being the first contribution to the dinner table.

(A great recipe by the way…. I always have the sourdough starter bubbling away and this cake will be made many times I’m sure!).

Still to be planted are potatoes and watermelons (need the soil temp to be warmer still for them), and I have a couple of thornless blackberry bushes to get into the ground in the next day or so.

Thoughts so far

All of the garden is “experimental” and I am learning so much as I go here. I am hoping to build on the successes and expand (another, larger greenhouse, and rehabilitating the two other gardens into proper raised beds are on the horizon).

Goals for where I want to be:

• “saving seed”—this requires some dedicated growing space for just that purpose

• growing enough of some items that I can share/trade them

• adding chickens because, eggs, and also as a source of fertilizer

Thoughts? Comments? Always welcome!