Planting Above Ground Leafy Annuals and Flowers

Here are those same plants that were moving their way out of the greenhouse yesterday. They never made it in the ground on Tuesday due to the distractions of other work that needed to be done (operating the farm stand and CSA for one) and because the planting beds are still being prepped. Hopefully today, they are ready to go!

This is a nice overview of the southwest portion of the farm here, this is the area closest to the farm stand when you pull into the parking area. Behind the boxes full of plants that are itching to find their new homes in the field are rows of basil, behind them a couple of rows of tomatoes, behind the tomatoes and hidden from view in this shot is a mix of flowers/herbs/specialty products, then an area that needs planting represented by the bare patch and beyond this dry beans of all sorts that will fill the bean pots for sales throughout the winter. There is much more beyond this and plenty to see if you have not yet made the trek about the field. If you are in a hurry, bring a bicycle, I saw a couple take a quick field tour on wheels yesterday and thought it was a brilliant idea.

Now looking towards the parking area, this view is from those bare rows behind the tomatoes I mentioned above. It is not so bare after Lee spent some time working on them yesterday afternoon. A couple of rows of flowers were added here yesterday. Lee is adjusting the drip tape that will provide water to the tiny seeds in the field to assist germination. A single tape will feed both of these furrows as it is moved between the two rows of flowers seeds when they are young. Once older and established the tape will be left in the center where it will reach the roots of all the plants.

Lettuce was planted again yesterday too. This is the diligence that keeps us in constant supply for salads as long as possible throughout the season. Lettuce only lasts for so long in the heat of summer, but is so nice to have as a bed for our fresh tomatoes...

In the Greenhouse-Thinning

Yesterday afternoon Lee and I found time to work in the greenhouse. It gets tougher this time in the season now that the CSA is in full weekly operation, the farm stand is open Tues-Sat, and the farm fields demand more time than all of us could ever devote all on their own.

There are small plants in the greenhouse that demand attention too. These are mostly those we seeded a couple of weeks back including celery, amaranth, and a slew of new brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, etc).

As Lee set to work sowing another round of celeriac seeds for the fall, I focused my efforts on thinning the current inventory of seedlings. Above is cabbage (I think, could be broccoli, I wasn't paying full attention after a while as I was in high speed thinning-mode in an effort to accomplish all we could in our single greenhouse afternoon). When seeding, you can drop one seed per cell assuming this one seed will grow and produce the plant you are attempting to have come transplant time down the road. Sometimes the seed packet contains a less than ideal germination test rate on the label as a warning that this might be a bad idea. At least two seeds per cell doubles your chances of having that germination success. This also uses up twice the seeds. In some cases, a small pile of a few seeds is better when it comes to things that are prone to poor or slow germination. This is the case with the celery and celeriac. Additionally, sometimes the seeds are so small that it is nearly impossible to drop in just one seed, like the amaranth. One must juggle the seed success rate, with personal ability and experience, with seed supplies, and then optimal greenhouse conditions and watering to follow through and make all this effort worthwhile. Lots to consider at once as usual and this is just in the seeding stage of farming!

So, my job yesterday was to thin all these plants down to singles to prepare for their new phase of growth and life prior to transplanting. Now that the seeds are up, we can see the success, in this case the cabbage seeds popped up ideally and we are thinning it down to one plant to eliminate the growth competition and have the single seedling ready for transplant when that time rolls around. I could have just sown one seed, but what if that seed never came up? Then I'd be here three weeks later with no plants. A little extra insurance is good when you are providing food for people who are relying on you to do so.

I snipped away the small stem of the brassica-type plants, lettuces and amaranths. I found the celery plants a little easier to simply weed down to one plant as the disturbance was minimal to the roots. This is moves along much quicker since I can drop the cumbersome scissors and work with two hands, doubling my efficiency. Technique with this task aims to optimize growing conditions for the plants you will save, that means the least amount of root disturbance while you eliminate the competition.

The tiny little celery plants above now have all the room their roots systems need to grow big and strong to prepare to go out into the wide-world that is the farm field.

Greenhouse Activities: Sowing Summer Squash and Rain-Watering

The earliest summer squash seeds are now situated for growing with soil, water and temperatures conducive to their life cycle. Plans and schemes are underway to have summer vegetables back on the menu as soon as possible this spring.


Since I had been to the greenhouse last week, the watering and sprinkler systems have been completed and enacted. Thank goodness all of this does not require extensive use of the watering can any longer. Utilizing rain water reserves, the sprinklers are keeping the seedlings moist as evenly and efficiently as possible in order to preserve one of our most precious resources (water!!). Hopefully an overview of the entire greenhouse construction will be made available for your reading pleasure before too long. It is all still in progress as we plant and work this spring.

In the Greenhouse-Seeding has begun

A brand new greenhouse has been under construction for the last few months now, upgrading the capabilities and efficiencies of the farm inevitably. With seeding time suddenly upon us, the greenhouse is still being built and equipped with it's heating and watering systems. All the same, seedling trays are moving in on any and all available space.

Your 2009 chiles, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuces, onions, herbs and more are on their way to infancy. Quantities are being calculated and recorded in order to serve all customer and market needs. Working with seeds is one of the greatest pleasures to a blossoming grower such as myself. I am lucky to learn and grow alongside Lee in the greenhouse this season. See below for some of the initial seedling sights of the new season.

Tomatoes are dancing to life in their new home that includes optimal light, soil, water and temperature needs in order to thrive.
These tiny onion sprouts are planted with the intention of serving your fall onion needs. Onion sprouts send up a single shoot, like a blade of grass. People in the plant world call these monocots.
Baby broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower supplies the greenhouse with it's first flush of green growth.
Seeding indoors is a labor of endurance and detail. I'd rather be doing this than sitting in a cubicle any day. In this image Lee carefully places a few seeds in each of these cells in order to ensure germination. Later, any excess seedlings will be thinned out and the strongest plant will be left to survive the length of the growing season.