chilly night ahead for my hoop house
Our forecast says 30F tonight. Chilly for my little seedlings. I put the trays on the cement floor and covered them with a couple layers of row cover. I hope that’s OK for them.
the first seedlings in my hoop house
1 Comment
I moved several trays of seedlings to my hoop house on Monday. This morning they are looking really happy. Having plants in there has made the air nice and humid. I can feel it when I walk in. It’s wonderful. No need to have my heat mats on yet as the nights have been staying around 40F. This weekend will get close to freezing and I’ll get the power on and the mats going then. The plants I put on the hoop house are very cold hardy: lots of onions,…
sowing cabbage-family plants
I sowed a couple trays of Brassicaceae (cabbage-family plants) today. My list of what I planted is at this link. You can also access my planting schedule from the header under “Skippy’s Garden Info”.
my empty hoop-house is warming up
In the bright sun and near 60F weather this past weekend, my little hoop-house was heating up. It’s 80F in the picture taken mid-afternoon on Sunday. The vents open automatically at 80, so the temperature doesn’t go above that. I hope I can figure out how to use my hoop-house this year before the end of April, which is when I put seedlings in it last year. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how to get it to retain heat at night. The big open hoop-house is not like my low tunnel,…
red-winged blackbirds arrive
I was so happy to go down to my garden and hear the red-winged blackbirds had arrived. There were many of them all around the pond, singing away. I wish I could get a picture of them. A flock of Canada geese arrived yesterday and are adding their honking to all the noise. It’s warm 50F, but cloudy today. Rain is on the way. I like to keep track of when the blackbirds arrive. I’ve added 2020 to my list: 2009: April 9 2015: March 27 2016: March 5 2018:…
onion, herb, and lavender seedlings
I brought all my little seedlings out onto a table for a picture. They are now back under the lights on their shelves. I particularly like the tiny oregano seedlings. I think they are the smallest. They germinated very well and I will have to thin them soon. With seedlings this tiny and close together, I’ll just snip off the seedling at the soil level with some fine scissors.
my seed planting list for 2020
It’s always so exciting to start planting seeds! One month left to winter (which is a really mild on for us here in southern New England), and my little seedlings are popping up. I’ll continue to add to this post as I plant seeds this season. For some flowers and herbs, I’m listing botanical names. For a few plants, like lavenders and oregano’s, I’m growing several types to compare them and learn about them. Oregano names seem particularly complicated, so I hope I’ve listed them correctly. February 5 English…
Skippy’s planting calendar apps
I was asked about my planting calendar apps the other day. They are being completely re-coded and updated. I’m updating all dates, adding vegetables, and other new features. I’m moving some planting dates a week or so earlier or later, based on my recent experience and some training classes. While the apps are being updated, I have removed the old apps from sale. I am expecting to release the updated Vegetable Planting Calendar App in May. Skippy’s Calendar Apps tell you when to plant seeds and are customized to your…
my onions are sown!
I always look forward so much to the first day of planting seeds. For me, that’s TODAY, February 5!! Seeds in the onion family are my the first vegetable to go in. I planted nine 6-packs. I like to grow a lot of onions for myself and I also plant some to give some to my gardener friends. The onion family (Alliaceae) includes onions, leeks, bunching onions, shallots, and others. Varieties I planted this year are: ONIONS: Red Wethersfield, Yankee, Patterson, Bridger, and Cabernet. LEEKS: Bandit. BUNCHING ONIONS: Red Beard.…
my mom’s Florida garden
I visited my mother in Florida last week. She spends the winter in the sun and warmth (in the Naples area) and it only makes sense for me to share some of that with her. Years ago, we gave her a small Grow Box on wheels. She always fills this with herb plants she finds at the local Ace Hardware or the supermarket. And she likes to add a tomato plant or two. This year her box has parsley, cilantro, basil and a small patio tomato. She has a couple…
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
My garden this week
Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!
