Wrapping carrot seeds in toilet paper and other fun stuff.

Hi Everyone,

Things are really warming up and the garden is reflecting that with new growth throughout. Gardeners today were Cathy, Jamie, Susan, Nancy, Mary Elizabeth, Greg, Joan and myself. Two more rows of carrots were planted using the toilet paper method. We tried this to see if it works as far as keeping the seeding more uniform and being able to see where you plant. The strips of toilet paper are then placed in the row and covered with soil. We will give a report on this as they emerge.

Mary Elizabeth, Susan and Nancy planting carrots.

We got lots of weeding done, and the bok choy and radishes were thinned. Empty spots in the pea rows were filled in with more seeds. Jamie worked more on the irrigation system, which is a pretty big job.  One of the compost bins was all turned to one side to make room for leaves. Soil that had washed into the aisles was scooped up and added to the area with the leftover Pro Mix. Speaking of new growth, check out the row of raspberries. Last week when planted they were just sticks. I have a feeling we will be wrapping these with netting. I can't wait to see them fill up the fence.

Raspberry row.

Al Hayes sent some really neat herb seedlings via Greg....Florence fennel (bulbing type), bronze fennel, dill, lemon grass and sage. The sage was planted in the block holes. I think it best to wait until after the 15th to plant everything else, although the dill might be okay to plant now. Susan also planted chamomile seeds.

Lacinato kale in the vetch bed.

We noticed that the kale planted in the bed with a thick stand of vetch looked much better than kale planted in another bed. Most of the vetch was trimmed off and turned under, but a few sprouts remain on top. So this tells us that the vetch definitely has enriched our soil with nitrogen. We need to do more winter cover planting. The only problem is finding an empty bed when it's time to plant it.

Intensive planting with peas on the fence, radishes, and carrots on the outside.

The picture above shows a FULL bed with three crops. When the peas and radishes are finished there will be a warm weather crop to plant down the middle, still allowing the carrots to reach maturity. Behind this bed is romaine lettuce and cabbage. The PVC pipe is for the low tunnel winter garden demo at the class.

Nancy making a structure for the peas to climb.

We finally got around to getting branches for the pea patch. Susan had cautioned us that even though the seed package says they don't get tall and don't need anything to climb on...don't believe it. So we are ready if they want to climb.

Next week we should be able to harvest spinach, lettuce, onions and cilantro.

'Til later,

Dianne