Last Week February 2012

Well weather remains unsettled. Friday night and Saturday morning we received about 10 to 12 inches of snow at Snowshoe Inn. I had to dig the truck plow out of the snow and put back on truck to clear the roads in the neighborhood and mom's driveway. She got a couple of inches in town. Today Sunday it was clear at 5 am when I feed Pepper, It remains partly cloudy with more sun than clouds. It is in the 70's in the greenhouse today. I picked spinach for tonight's dinner from the greenhouse and will pick some chives tonight for the baked potatoes just before dinner. Also before dinner I will pick some more micro greens from the grow room. I am getting better at growing them. I have learned to sow half a flat each Sunday or Monday, that is about how many we use each week. With two flats going, four half flats, fresh seeded, one week old seedlings, two week old seedlings and harvesting 3 week old seedlings. It is a long time up here at Snowshoe inn before the last frost day passes. One of the hardest things to learn is to be patient and spring will come. Seedlings sown too early in the greenhouse and held too long before transplanting tend not to grow too well when transplanted. I think that was the problem with my cole crops last season.

Keep warm & dry

Bob

Winter Gardening 1st week February 2012

Well the first week of February and winter is still here at Snowshoe Inn. We have about 10 inches of snow pack at the moment. This is much less than "Normal" I have been spending my time with online and hard copy seed catelogs. The internet has really changed things over the past few years.

I did sow some winter crops in the cold greenhouse last fall, but the soil was too dry at the time and germination was poor. I have been grazing off the few spinach plants that germinated for the past month. I am finally getting Bobbe trained to ask me for "fresh spinach" each night for our dinner salad. I also have a few leeks in the cold greenhouse to harvest off an on. I have lots to learn about growing them but they do add to the winter meals.

I did not start the grow room in the basement until late in the season. This year I am harvesting Micro greens. These are red and green mustard seedlings that are harvested at 3 to 4 weeks at the four leaf stage of growth. They add a little spice to our dinner salads and to my sandwiches. I also have some more spinach, arugula, leaf lettuce growing. I should be able to start harvesting the leaf lettuce next week. The grow room is a hydroponic system with a ebb & flow system I have built. It works well if I keep on top of the water system and manage the fertilizers.

The out door garden will not start growing until may for the early crops and 2nd week of June for the warm weather crops. It seems as if I need to plant my summer crops at the same time as I plant my late fall and winter crops. I think over time I will be more of a winter gardener than a traditional summer gardener.

Everyone keep warm & dry

B