The 2009 planting season is here! Lettuce, water cress, arugala and onion seeds were sprouted in the house and transferred to the green house. We are preparing to start tomato seeds.
First tomatoes
Slava
New Hampshire SurecropHot times in the garden
The last month has been warm and rainless. The first tomatoes are ripening. Slava was first, starting July 12. New Hampshire Surecrop was second. However, the Surecrop seeds were saved from last year, and I just learned that the variety is a hybrid. Oviously, theyhave not bred true since the original was a late variety with 5 inch fruits, whereas what I have now is early with 1.5 inch fruit – maybe reverted to wild mexican ancestor.
The dryness has suppressed weed germination, so the garden is nearly weed-free. Aggressive irrigation by flooding the paths between rows has promoted growth of the deeply rooted vegetables without germinating the weed seeds at the surface.
I have harvested about half of the potatoes. They are small because of the drought, but really healthy. The space vacated by harvested potatoes has been planted with root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, salsify, beets).
I have had a bumper crop of shelling peas, starting 2 weeks ago and continuing today.
The dryness has suppressed weed germination, so the garden is nearly weed-free. Aggressive irrigation by flooding the paths between rows has promoted growth of the deeply rooted vegetables without germinating the weed seeds at the surface.
I have harvested about half of the potatoes. They are small because of the drought, but really healthy. The space vacated by harvested potatoes has been planted with root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, salsify, beets).
I have had a bumper crop of shelling peas, starting 2 weeks ago and continuing today.
Spring at last
Weather is warming at last, and a few days with minimal rainfall has the garden soil dry enough to till. Now have 100 tomatoes in gallon cans under cloches in the garden. 16 tomato plants, 5 cucumber plants and one melon plant are planted, through black plastic, under a cloche. Three days ago (Sat.) finally planted all the potatoes. Usually, this time of year, they all would be badly sprounted. This year, with the extended cold weather, they are just starting to sprout, and in perfect shape for planting.
Coldest April Ever
April has been one of the coldest on record. The last week has had the coldest temperatures ever recorded for the date, with many inches of snow each of the last 3 days. The “average date of last frost” was yesterday, but we are having freezing temperatures every night. Needless to say the garden is behind schedule. Even in the greenhouse, the pepper seedlinga all croaked. These were reseeded on April 6.
Sowed peppers indoors
King of the North, Senorita, Tennessee Cheese, Cayenne, Yellow Banana
Sowed indoors
Eggplant – Dusky Hybrid, Casper
Pepper – Paprika, Marconi Rossi, Early Jalapeno, Bell (Staddon’s Select)
Warming weather, time to plant!
Sowed carrots and arugula, under plastic cloche. Sowed spinach.
Transplanted arugula, red cabbage and derby cabbage seedlins into garden.
Sowed peppers
Planted these varieties:
Cayenne
Jalapeno
Sowing tomatoes again
Made a second sowing of all my tomato varieties today. Some varieties of the first sowing have germinated.