carrot bed

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Yesterday morning I planted a bed full of carrots, parsnips and onions at my new community garden plot. I planted seeds for the carrot varieties Mokum, Oxheart and Coreless Amsterdam and the parsnip variety Cobham Improved Marrow. Also Stuttgart onion sets. I alternated carrots with onions, hoping the rabbits won’t smell the carrots with all the onion smell. We have two days of rain coming, so I think they’ll get off to a good start.Daucus carota
 
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keeping my tomato seedlings warm

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We’re having some cool, wet spring weather this week. I was worrying about my tender little tomato sprouts that have been out in my mini hoop house all last week. I looked up the minimum temperature for tomato seedlings. 50 degrees F. I also put a little temperature probe in the outdoor hoop house. Its 49.8 F out there this morning. So I brought the tomatoes seedlings inside. I don’t have much table space inside, especially with bright light. But I gave the tomatoes seedlings the good spot with the…
 
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April flowers

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My blog needs a bit of color now and then. It tends to be all dirt brown and a little green at this time of year. There are no vegetable flowers in my garden yet. Here are the “wild” flowers blooming around Fresh Pond (Cambridge MA) at this time of year. (Many were recently planted by the Town.) I know names of a few (58%) and wish I knew more. From top left, by row: yellow anemone (Anemone ranunculoides), ??, forsythia (Forsythia europaea), wild violet (Viola papilionacea), ??, Northern Highbush…
 
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seeds from Dave

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My neighbor brought over these seeds this morning. They’re leftovers of his favorite pumpkins and squashes from previous garden years. I love sharing seeds. I’ll try a few of each and see what I can grow. Thanks Dave! I’ll have tomato and pepper seedlings soon to trade.Cucurbita pepo (squash)Pumpkin — Cucurbitaceae spp.
 
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soil test results

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My soil test results took just under two weeks to come back. I sent them the University of Massachusetts Soil Lab. Here’s a previous post with more information. I sent in three samples: 1-a new bed adjacent to my house, 2-my established home raised beds, and 3-my new community plot. 1-new bed adjacent to my house:soil pH 6.4, buffer pH 6.6nitrogen 13 ppm (add), phosphorus 22 ppm (sufficient), potassium 281 ppm (sufficient)Micronutrient levels : all normalOrganic matter 16.6% (very high)Lead: elevated Recommendation: Adjust pH by adding 12 lbs lime per…
 
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community gardens

 
 
Skippy and I took a walk around the gardens today. Trees are leafing out. Violets and forsythia are blooming. Beautiful. Can you see my gate in the background? Soon it will age and blend in. Belmont Victory Garden
 
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planting potatoes

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My first crop is planted at my new community garden. Yippee!! (I know, it just looks like a pile of dirt.) I’ve been saving old potatoes to plant and they were growing before they hit the dirt. I have read warnings not to use supermarket potatoes for seed because of sprout inhibitors. It appears any of these have worn off of these spuds. I use the trench method to plant potatoes. I dug a little trench and spread out the potatoes. I then planted each, sprouts up, about 3-4 inches…
 
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mini hoop house

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This morning I quickly assembled a little hoop house to protect my freshly transplanted seedlings. I used PVC pipes and covered them with a few layers of row cover. The seedlings are all in their pots/trays underneath. I made this hoop house to give the plants a little protection from the bright sun. It dries out the little pots so quickly. The breeze dries them out too. The 3 layers of fabric should let in about 70% of the sunlight and will hold in moisture. It’ll also keep the trays…
 
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transplanting tomatoes and peppers

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This was my garden work for today. I spent a pleasant hour in the backyard this evening transplanting several trays of peppers and tomato seedlings. They have all grown up well, with the exception of the last two rows of tomatoes. They fried in the sun today since the plastic cover didn’t cover them properly. I lost all of my New Girl seedlings. Oh well…. I was transplanting the small tomatoes seedlings from the crowded seeded tray I started them in, into larger individual pots. The pots and trays of…
 
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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


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

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

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