Friday, February 20, 2009

Pushing the Envelope ... Gardening in February

I popped into our little greenhouse Wednesday for some odd reason and was pleasantly surprised to discover it was quite warm in there. About 17 degrees! Thursday it was overcast and I was working so I couldn't go play. Today I did!

I've raked back the gravel and pulled back the landscape fabric in preparation for the new raised beds. Last year's buckets relied too much on regular watering which I was poor at so I'm thinking that having beds that the plants can send roots down into the ground would be good. I'm planning to build beds edged with cement block along the front and back leaving a path down the middle. Unfortunately the ground is still too frozen to dig a little trench for the blocks to set in.

So this frustrated gardener hauled some potting soil into the house and filled a plug tray.

12 cells of Red Swiss Chard

18 cells of Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach

42 cells of Romaine Lettuce

Last year I planted out the raised bed in front of the house on March 12th with spinach, lettuce, and radish seeds as well as lettuce transplants. Of those the radishes and the transplants did the best. The plan is to do it again. Can't wait for homegrown lettuce!

Once those beds are built in the greenhouse the first plantings will be of the same with tomato transplants being the second planting planned.

1 comment:

lisa winter said...

isn't this your favorite time of year. it's mine, pulling out the seed trays, getting all my favorite plants started. i'm jealous you have a green house, haven't gotten one built yet, but i got the cold frame ready this weekend.