Beautiful day today in the mid 50's. Sleet and freezing rain predicted for tomorrow.
The saying goes, "Peas in on Patriots Day." That's what MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) says. Planted peas and spinach today so I'm a day late. But figuring we had a garden covered in snow just a week ago I figure we're doing OK. Last year and the year before the peas were popping up through the soil right about now. So it feels late even though it's really not. I'll wait another week or so and get a second planting in. This weekend I'm going to plant a first planting of radishes, carrots, beets, chard, and lettuce as well as some more spinach and who knows what else.
Tomatoes, basil, peppers, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, dill, cilantro, cabbage, brussel sprouts seedlings are all doing well indoors. The only thing that didn't come up was the swiss chard. The spinach, broccoli, and lettuce in the cold frame are not looking great but they're still alive. The broccoli and cabbage look better than the spinach and lettuce.
Going to FEDCO to finally pick up my seed order. Note to self; pay the shipping next year. I'm also going to get some hoop wires and floating row cover material so I can put the plants that flea beetles love under it. In particular the radishes, pack choy, and the new "dinosaur" kale (Lacinato Kale - Brassica oleracea) seed I bought. I hear that flea beetles love that stuff. Who knows I may just put all the greens under the hoop. I also learned that greens grown under a hoop or in a hoop house are very tender and delicious if cut and eaten young. I did not know that! We had a taste testing at my school the other day. Barrels Community Market sponsored a greens taste testing. They brought in that dino kale, beet greens, and swiss chard. Each kid got a nice leaf or two of each and then voted on their favorite. Can you believe a bunch of 10 and 11 year olds were eagerly eating greens with nothing on them!? I was very pleasantly surprised. Beet greens won hands down in 4th grade and the dino kale won the taste test in the 5th grade. I must say they were the best beet greens I ever ate. And I loved the dino kale. They were the most tender greens I've ever eaten. All grown locally, organically, and in a hoop house. Hoop convert!
One more thing...garlic. As always I planted garlic in the fall. Covered the bed with a good layer of straw. Now I see some garlic spikes coming up through the mulch and I can't remember if I'm suppose to remove the mulch or keep it there. I read through my organic gardening book and no guidelines there. I also have some old articles from MOFGA newsletter and nothing about mulch there either. Then I checked online and found that leaving the mulch is recommended unless the mulch is getting in the way of the garlic spears from poking through. If that happens move the mulch away from each garlic plant a little so they can shoot up. But mulch will help keep weeds down (good thing since garlic hates weeds) and moisture in. So I'll double check my garlic and be sure they are all coming up. I will leave the mulch in place.
Happy "real" spring! Be sure to plant a new variety of greens and enjoy!
Mary
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