We are growing in 2020! One of the choke points from last year was in transplant production. I was working with grow lights and my back porch and a strict schedule that used every last inch of space. The schedule exploded as the rains continued on and on last spring. At one point my entire back porch was covered in plants, waiting on a break in rain to go get planted in actual dirt. It was madness, and some things handled it better than others. The tomatoes never really recovered, even my back porch was too wet and too cold and they sulked the rest of the year. The peppers were the same, although a couple that I put in flower pots inside the house, out of desperation (I really needed some seed from them) did really well.
So I’m super thrilled that Becky found us a greenhouse to rent for half a year. It’s a 20’x100’ unheated tunnel. #29 is it’s current designation, but that sounds a little BORG-like to me. Help us come up with a good name!
It’s already toasty warm in there on sunny days. And as we pass the Spring Equinox this week, we should see more and more sunny days!
Some of the trays in the new greenhouse, lots of the onions and houseplants too.
What are we growing in the greenhouse?!
Well, so far I have some houseplant propagation going, so stay tuned for locally grown houseplant babies. I have taken two car loads of houseplant babies to the greenhouse. Do I still have more on my windowsills at home? Yes, yes I do. #CrazyPlantLady
I have a bunch of herbs seeded. Everything from culinary staples like thyme and sage, to more medicinal herbs like boneset and lemon balm. We’ll clear more ground at the farm and expand the bed spaces to allow us to plant more of these lovely herbal friends. Some of them are perennial, which is part of their appeal. Perennial plants help us to regenerate the soil as we sustainably harvest medicinal products from them.
I have flowers planted! So many flowers! Lots of annuals, we will offer some for sale this spring so you can brighten your beds. Like the herbs, I have some perennial flowers going in. Some are selfishly just for on-farm enjoyment, me and the pollinators. But I hope some of them are happy enough they grow into a nice patch, so we can offer flower bouquets. If I end up with way too many transplants, I’ll offer some of the perennials for sale too.
Of course there are vegetables planted. Onions are up already, leeks aren’t far behind I hope. The first of the lettuce crops are started. I started the first wave of broccoli and cabbage seed yesterday. As we stop dipping below freezing at night, I’ll start the peppers and tomatoes.
It’s good clean fun. Come visit if you find yourself up near Ledges or Don Williams parks over this long Spring Break.
Lots of infrastructure upgrades going on! I’ll try to keep everyone in the loop. Where are you growing this year? Let us know in the comments!
Jennie