Spring Planting begins

The gardening season has begun. We are transplanting onion sets, leeks and planting potatoes.

The 10 day weather forecast is absent any hard freezing morning temps so I think it is time to begin planting cool weather crops like Kale, Collards, Beets and Turnips. They will germinate well in the warm afternoons and will tolerate light frosts that are still likely. These greens are replacing the cabbages we grew last year.

Peppers are planted in the seed starting enclosure. Last year grafted tomatoes and peppers all grew too tall in their flats as spring would just not arrive. We had several late frosts and the delay in planting caused these seedlings to be too tall and lanky. The tomatoes were affected the most and the grafted tomatoes failed to produce well. The non-grafted tomatoes, bought at a greenhouse, produced far better. If we get grafted tomatoes, maybe we will buy the seedlings.

We tried twice to start onion from seed. Both efforts have failed. We tried a small bed in the garden in October. Two varieties were planted. They both sprouted very well, but not one plant lived through the winter. Did we mulch them too heavily, or?? After the demise of the first onions we then planted seeds in the seed starting enclosure. We planted in 6 inch pots. Again we got pretty good germination but two pots died completely and the other four produced some very small plants after 8 weeks in the heated enclosure. Adrian planted these very small plants into raised beds but I fear they will not live. They look like little pieces of straw stuck in the ground. I cannot imagine the power of seeds, so I’ll wait and see if these can become the nice fat red onions we want.