washing pots for seed starting

 
 
I have a collection of old pots that I reuse again and again for seed planting. It is important to wash and disinfect them well to avoid diseases that can kill seedlings. I washed a big stack of 128-cell seed trays the other day. This should be all of the pots I need for seedlings this year. It is important to wash and disinfect pots that are reused to raise seedlings. Molds, fungi, and pathogens can remain on the pots. Germinating seeds and small seedlings are highly susceptible to damping…
 
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asparagus – how far apart to space

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I’m excited to be expanding my asparagus bed this year. It’s such a delicious crop and one of those vegetables that’s way better picked and eaten fresh from a home vegetable garden than from a grocery store. I’m planning to dedicate one of my oversized raised beds to asparagus. The bed is 6 x 16-feet. I’ve read that between five and 20 plants are the right amount to grow per person, depending on how much you want to eat. We’re just a family of two now (my dogs LOVE asparagus…
 
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2021 plan for my mom’s vegetable garden

 
 
My mom’s vegetable garden is in her side yard along the tree line at the east side of an big open area. Several times in the past 40 or so years we have moved the garden further out into the yard and away from the trees. Of course, the trees just keep growing. Most of the vegetables do OK now, except the tomatoes. They really need more light. Plus the garden has a phosphate problem – there is way too much in the soil. Someone went overboard at some point…
 
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2021 plan for my community garden plot

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I’ve had this little community garden plot in Belmont MA for 12 or so years now. Forever, it seems. I got it back when I lived in an urban area with a small yard that had very little sunlight. I was so happy the day I was assigned to the plot – a new found joy. I ended up being the garden manager for six years. I tended the paths. And I knew everyone. Memories… Now the years have passed. I still have this beautiful plot. I have two espaliered…
 
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my home garden plan for 2021

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I have extra space in my vegetable garden this year! My tomatoes will be mostly in the front yard, bush beans behind the chicken coop, and sweet potatoes in a plot on our hillside. Plus, I’m going to do container gardening on my driveway and patios. And I’m planning to tuck vegetables in here and there in my front yard flower borders. It was fun to develop my 2021 plan with the extra space. What’s going in the extra space: Asparagus! I’m going to expand my asparagus to fill a…
 
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Happy New Year! it’s time for garden planning

 
 
The new year has started and I’m getting going on planning my garden for next year. The first thing I want to do is to make a diagram of what I’ll plant where. To do that I’ll reminisce about what did well last year and what I want to do differently this year. Then I’ll get out last year’s garden diagrams and start moving things around. That’s my project for today. Hopefully I’ll get my plans and some reminiscing posted soon. My previous garden plans are here.
 
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today’s harvest

 
 
I harvested bit of broccoli (Marathon) and cilantro today from under the covers of my winter low tunnel. The tunnel is about 4 feet high and protected with three layers of winter row cover and a top layer of green house plastic. It’s pretty cozy in there. I have never grown winter broccoli before. It’s like winter kale – really tender and sweet. It only needs one minute of cooking, a little butter and salt, and it’s amazing! The cilantro is really welcome in the middle of winter too. It’s…
 
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today is giving Tuesday

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I’ve been working hard this summer on Aurelia’s Garden, a non-profit company I started with a several friends. We’re growing vegetables for donation to local food pantries. We’ve grown and donated over 2,000 pounds of produce this year to Open Table of Maynard, which serves Middlesex county (in Massachusetts) officially, but actually serves anyone who needs food.  We are now in our fundraising month and we are asking for contributions so we can expand our cultivated space next year with a goal of quadrupling our donations. Please consider a donation.…
 
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it’s tomato season at last!!!

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I have buckets full of beautiful red tomatoes now! It’s amazing we get through the whole rest of the year without these glorious garden fresh tomatoes. My tomatoes ripened quite a bit later this year than previous years, but it looks like I’ll make up for that by having LOTS!! This year I have 17 different varieties. I was planning to only plant a couple varieties – just my favorites, but it was really hard to narrow it down, and the there are always new ones to try. So I…
 
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today’s harvest

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Oh my goodness! So much bounty from the garden. I used harvests from this past week today to make two pickle recipes as well as cucumber salad and sauteed zucchini for dinner tonight.
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy

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weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Feb 28
Beets, Celeriac, Rosemary, Parsley, Thyme



What I'm planting soon

March 6
Cabbage, Kale, Escarole

March 12
Broccoli, Basil, Eggplant, Peppers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the pantry garden I work at:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – POPCORN!

"It seems like the garden is fast asleep under its cover of snow. But hidden from view a secret world is busy preparing to grow."

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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