seedlings hardening off

 
 
I’m preparing these seedlings for transplanting soon. They’ve been coddled by staying inside under artificial lights. “Hardening off” will gradually get them used to wind, bright sunlight and temperatures variations. Our temperatures are really nice now – staying above 40*F at night – so the seedlings are staying out day and night for a few days.
 
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fig tree brought into sunlight

 
 
I remembered my small fig tree up in the attic today and brought it down into the sunlight. It had already broken dormancy and leaves were coming out. Still a bit chilly, so I’ll leave it on the porch a while before it goes out in the yard. I suppose it will need a bigger pot this year.
 
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not so common raven

 
 
I got some better photos of the enormous black bird the I saw last week near the Gardens. I think it must be a Common Raven. Not so common here near Boston! Its the first time I’ve ever seen one here. Bird books say it is never here. Probably just passing as it’s that time of year and I haven’t seen it since. From Cornell Bird Site: “Not just large but massive, with a thick neck, shaggy throat feathers, and a Bowie knife of a beak. In flight, ravens have…
 
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turning under snow to sow pea, carrot and beet seeds

 
 
Yesterday I decided I had enough of this snow! So I got out my shovel, turned under the snow and planted. There was about 4 inches of snow on my garden with nicely thawed soil underneath. I turned the snow under like it was a cover crop. Then I put in a wide row of snap peas, two rows of carrots and a row of beets. Now I feel that the gardening season has really begun – to heck with the snow!
 
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planting list 2013

 
 
January 28 (inside under lights) Onions, Ruby Ring Onions, Frontier (did not sprout) Onions, White Wing Onions, Walla Walla Onions, Pontiac Shallots, Prizma Leeks, Giant Musselburgh Celeriac, Brilliant March 11 (inside under lights) Broccoli, Diplomat Eggplant, Tiger Eggplant, Black King Eggplant, Kamo Lettuce, Prizehead Lettuce, Oaky Red Endive, Tres Fine Endive, Galia Kale, Winterbor Kale, Tuscan Radicchio, Red Precco #1 Radicchio, Palla Rossa March 24 (inside under lights) Pepper, Costa Rican Sweet Pepper, Canary Bell Sweet Pepper, Quadrato Rosso D’Asti (Sweet Red) Pepper, Sweet Chocoloate Pepper, Nardello Pepper, Amelia’s Cayenne…
 
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the first flowers of spring

 
 
Before it snowed last week, I walked around my yard and took pictures of the flowers blooming. These are under a foot on snow now. I hear we may have more snow on Monday.
 
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poor man’s fertilizer

 
 
I was talking with a real farmer (my brother in law, Scott) the other day, and he was looking on the bright side of all this spring snow we have. He says snow traps nitrogen and since the soil is thawed underneath, this nitrogen will seep in as the snow melts and will be available to the plants. Scott says this may be a myth, but its nice to think there’s some benefit.
 
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birds

 
 
I have been bringing my zoom lens on our walks and trying to photograph the birds I see. Some summer birds are gradually starting to arrive, like red wing black birds. I think all of the birds here are winter birds, robin, chickadee, tufted titmouse, starling. I wasn’t sure what the bird next to the titmouse it. It was near the titmouse, but not behaving like a titmouse as it was up at the top of the tree singing “sprrriinng”, “sprrriinng”. I suppose the photo looks like a titmouse, so…
 
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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

Flickr

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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