As expected, the cabbage seeds arrived last week just in time for planting. I checked the almanac, found Friday to be a great day to plant seeds so I started fifteen 48 count flats. Some will be for me and some for Southern Ground Farm where we'll start a demo/kitchen garden for the campers to enjoy. I kept a heat mat under the racks holding the seed flats and I'm happy to report the germination rates were excellent. Today I backfilled the sites where the seeds didn't germinate. I was surprised to find a lot of weeds also sprouting with the cabbage. Generally potting soils are sterilized to prevent weed seeds but there they were. I snipped the weed seedlings so that issue is done with.
Tomorrow, the plastic lumber posts for the water spigots will arrive so I'll be working that project. I was planning on 4x4 treated lumber but after digging the holes for the posts and seeing the standing water I opted to go with the recycled plastic 4x4 posts.
This week the first load of soil for the renovated beds arrived and was of suspect quality. I had nightmares of that first growing season when the soil turned into a brick in the hot summer sun. So I had a serious chat with our supplier and we've come up with a recipe for a good soil mix...2 parts compost, 1 part soil and 1 part sand. Now as long as he can get us a homogenized mix we'll be in business. Certainly it will help him and us if we can get a stretch of dry weather, it will make his mixing easier and our filling beds easier.
At the garden centers now you can find seed potatoes. I bought one package each of the 3 potato colors available for use by the fourth graders at Kedron. We won't be planting those anytime soon as it will be awhile before the soil will be warm enough to plant. I'll store the seeds potatoes in the fridge until it time to plant. Tomorrow the student growers will plant hyacinth bulbs for indoor forcing. That will give us lovely scented flowers in about 4 weeks. Tomorrow the students will also get their math lesson as we evaluate the soil test results and measure out the necessary inputs for the raised we have in the school courtyard.
Tomorrow, the plastic lumber posts for the water spigots will arrive so I'll be working that project. I was planning on 4x4 treated lumber but after digging the holes for the posts and seeing the standing water I opted to go with the recycled plastic 4x4 posts.
This week the first load of soil for the renovated beds arrived and was of suspect quality. I had nightmares of that first growing season when the soil turned into a brick in the hot summer sun. So I had a serious chat with our supplier and we've come up with a recipe for a good soil mix...2 parts compost, 1 part soil and 1 part sand. Now as long as he can get us a homogenized mix we'll be in business. Certainly it will help him and us if we can get a stretch of dry weather, it will make his mixing easier and our filling beds easier.
At the garden centers now you can find seed potatoes. I bought one package each of the 3 potato colors available for use by the fourth graders at Kedron. We won't be planting those anytime soon as it will be awhile before the soil will be warm enough to plant. I'll store the seeds potatoes in the fridge until it time to plant. Tomorrow the student growers will plant hyacinth bulbs for indoor forcing. That will give us lovely scented flowers in about 4 weeks. Tomorrow the students will also get their math lesson as we evaluate the soil test results and measure out the necessary inputs for the raised we have in the school courtyard.
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