Today I started my tomatoes on the heat mat in the garage. I sowed a double row of carrots in the bed where the leeks were. The rest of the bed is overwintered spinach and chard, which will stay for now until the new planting is ready. I also sowed green onions and chervil in the herb bed against the house. And I planted several herbs that I bought at N and M Nursery.
And the first two asparagus shoots are up!
Today I planted a single row of potatoes in one of the beds. I planted one russet, just to try it, and the rest were yellow, I hope Yukon gold.
The peppers and aubergines that I started ten days ago are up and out in the greenhouse. The lettuce and spinach are up, but no chard yet.
During the week that our power was out, following an ice storm, I started more seeds. I planted celery, leeks, and onions.
Out in the garden I sowed lettuce, arugula, Ethiopian kale, spinach, two kinds of chard, and three kinds of peas.
The first lettuce and chard are in the greenhouse and doing well. The onions and leeks are now ready to put out there.
Today I started my chard. I sowed two six packs of Rainbow chard and one six pack of Bietola a Costa Fine, which I got from Adaptive Seeds. It's supposed to be a Tuscan type but with narrower ribs and very sweet flavor. The lettuce, arugula and kale are up and are out in the greenhouse.
Today I started the first seeds of this year's garden. I sowed a six pack each of four different varieties of lettuce, plus arugula and Ethiopian kale. They're in the garage on the workbench, under an inverted plastic tub, over the heat mat.
Several weeks ago I pulled the dry beans out and put them in the garage to finish drying. Yesterday and today we shelled and then sorted them. I got seven pounds total as follows:
Cranberry Beans: 1 lb. 15 oz.
Cannellini Beans: 15 oz.
Navy Beans: 2 lb. 12 oz.
Yin and Yang Beans: 2 lb. 5 oz.
They were a lot of work to process, especially considering that, except for the Yin and Yangs, I could buy them in bulk pretty cheap. Next year I'll only plant a row of several kinds of heirloom beans.
Last night we had our first hard freeze of the year. The coleus, sweet potato vines, basil, and dahlias all got zapped. Also the Honey Bush butternut squash that still had three squash on it. I'm going to keep them to see if they'll mature off the vine.
We've put all the patio furniture and winterized the fountain. The birdbath is still going, but soon we'll have to put it away and get out the de-icer.
