Quick Update

This evening I wrapped up a bunch of planting. It appears we are in the clear now weather wise. Seems to have been a long time coming this year hasn't it? 

I started by putting in the peas I started at the end of March. They were planted it peat pots so I made sure to plant the pot below ground. They have a tendency to dry out quickly if any of the pot is above ground. This year I am using old chicken wire and bamboo canes for support, both FREE.

Then I planted a whole bed of broccoli, 16 plants in total. These are nursery grown and frankly they aren't the nicest starts. Next year I am growing my own.

The second last task was the greens. This bed contains Red & Green Buttercrunch lettuce (nursery grown) and Winter Density lettuce, Red Deer Tongue lettuce, Tatsoi and Bok Choy (grown by me).

The last thing on the list was starting a bunch of warm season crops in the cold frame. Including Yellow Crookneck squash, Lilly Crenshaw melon, Double Yield cucumber, Autumn Crown pumpkin and Baby Bear pumpkin. They were all started in peat pots and will be planted out near the end of May. I thought I would spare you a picture of dirt filled pots :) 

Seedling Update

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! We hit 23c(73f), I'm in shorts and it sure was nice to feel some humidity.  I didn't do much in the way of gardening today but I thought I would share some photos of my veggie seedlings and some spring flowers in the yard.

Chinese Celery

Tomatoes, started about a week ago

Peppers, started in February

Assortment of Greens, I will plant these out next week.

Snap Peas. I also started another 10 pots today.

Scilla

Pansy

Crocus

Himalayan Primula

Iris reticulata. I planted these as a mix and they all came up purple. I already have a bunch of the purple ones.....

Crocus

Fern Leaf Peony

Well that's all for today. Now I am off to grill some chicken for dinner, in partial darkness :)

2013 Sowing Schedule

This year I refreshed my sowing schedule. Previously I had just used the one I didn't in 2010. I made this one a bit more comprehensive with outdoor planting dates. It's also still a work in progress until I get all the fall planting dates inputted. Once my Four Season's Harvest book arrives I will update it with all the fall stuff.

Peas Planted!

It would appear that spring might finally be starting. We have been pretty much snow free for 3 weeks now but the temperature has been rather cold for March. The days ahead will be sunny and 4-8c (39-46f) so I planted up my peas. I started 20 peat pots, 3 seeds in each (old seed) and I will hopefully thin to 2 plants per pot. I am germinating them in the coldframe and they will be planted out in 2-4 weeks, pot and all. This year I am only growing snap peas with the particular variety being Sugar Sprint. I really prefer snaps as the harvest is at least twice as much compared to shelling peas.

First Harvest of 2013

Today I was able to get my fork in the ground and harvest some carrots. We were luckily missed by the last eastern snow storm so the veggie garden is now snow free. I planted these carrots late last summer and they overwintered well. They are super sweet and crunchy, looks like carrots are for dinner! The variety is Sugarsnax 54, Pelleted.

The bulbs are also starting to make an appearance. These particular Snowdrops I dug up from a ditch a few years ago. Last fall I planted quite a number of spring bulbs so I'm looking forward to seeing them bloom as well.