Whitsend Market Garden

Hello Everyone:

Plenty of change in the past couple of weeks.  Most ofthe snow has dissappeared and I've been doing some mnor work touching up the fence and clearing the sumac and poplar seedlings that have grown up around the perimeter.  

And cleaning upthe fallen branches fromthe ice stormlast week.  Aside from a large limb fallen off the willow and a snapped white pine in our yard, not too much damage to report on from that.  

Cayley is all to pleased that the ground is warm enough to walk on and starting to explore her yard again.

The field is all but clear of snow except for the more shaded corners.  As of yesterday, the soil was thawed to about 6 inch depth, though still too wet to work.

Still too early to see how the garlic bulbs fared under ther blanket of straw.  

In the next couple of days, I'll be gingerley lifting the straw from the ground and giving the garlic beds a little warmth and sunshine for a few hours.  

This will also help dry off some excess moisture,asthe area the garlic s planted in this year is a bit wetter than other parts of the field.

All of the food related work is still confined to the nursery.

Here I am inspecting a seed tray of different pepper varieties.  A few late seedlings are ready to "promote".  

I start the seeds in trays to save space.  As the seeds germinate, the seedlings are promoted to cellpacks (for smaller seedlngs like lettuce or chard), or pots for larger plants (such as peppers or squash).

The onluy tools are a small seed lifting tool and a delicate touch, to prevent damage to the plant.

Not all seeds germinate - if I were to plant a seed in each one of these pots, some would inevitably remain empty, taking up space under the grow lights and over the propagation mats.

A tiny hole is dibbled in the soil, the plant is inserted and the soil tamped gently around the roots.

I use a stronger soil mix in the cell packs and pots as well.  The seed starting substrate is very light and water absorbant, to ensure the seed is in a uniformly moist environment.

The soil the seedlings are promoted into is fortified with a light compost to provide nutrient for the plant as it grows larger and starts to differentiate it's leaves.

The earliest round of peppers have already started to produce ther secondary leaves.  

I've been doing this procedure with the green and bulb onions, celery, and celeriac; as well as a few  parsley, amaranth flowers, lemon balm, and catnip.  Julia included some violas, nicotiana, cardoons and carnations for the bees.  These last flowering plants will augment the wildflowers, trees, and bulbs that will go into the making of this years honey.

Lots to look forward to!

Talk to you soon...