Sprouts

Some updates on my seed starting endeavor:

Most of the seeds have sprouted and, per the instructions, I've removed the clear plastic lid and placed the tray near a sunny window sill.  After they've grown a bit more the best seedlings will be replanted in plastic cups and placed back on the windowsill.  This will give the roots more room to grow then in the small peat plugs.  Eventually the very best seedlings will make their way out to the garden for planting.

The latest garden shots.  Both rows of peas are planted out, with twine in place as a trellis.  On either side are two small bamboo teepees that  I'm going to use for the small french beans that don't cimb very high.  I'm still not sure where to grow the regular green beans.  I've thought about letting them ramble up the wire fence in front or on the side facing the neighbors.  

This bed was just enriched with topsoil and mushroom compost from the nursery mentioned in a previous post.  This is the spot where the first planting of tomatos will go (the ones now growing inside).

Planted second succession of peas today.

The last few days have brought the first good rains of the spring.  It feels like everything wants to start growing.  Forsythia is just starting to flower.

Found a great nursery the other day. It's called "Colonial Gardens" on rt. 724 ouside of Phoenixville, and it's got the best selection of any local place I've found.  Just got some mushroom soil when I was there and some hardwood stakes for the tomato plants.

Getting Started

On this past friday (the 20th) the first seeds of the spring went in the ground.  I have 2 varieties of sugar snap pea that I put in, with the plan being to start a second planting in a week or so to have  some succesion harvesting.  It was a few days after St. Patrick's day, the traditional planting day for the first peas of the year.  Although I noticed that it was almost a whole month earlier then I planted them last year.

Some pictures showing the wood chipper mulch layed down in the paths between beds.

  

Preparing the bed for a row of peas.

Peas planted with trellis strings in place.

Crocuses popped up 1-2 weeks go.  Just about the same time as last year.

I'm going to try some basic seed-starting this year.  I picked up a kit from Sears and I'm going to try just with the various tomato varieties that I have to get some seedlings going.  I've not had much success with this in the past, but I figure it'd be worth it to get even a few earlier harvests this way.

Here is the kit with the 5 tomato types:

The varieties that I bought this year are:

1- "new girl" an early all-around hybrid

2- "sungold" the best cherry tomato ever

3- "juliet" a smaller paste type tomato

4- "valencia" an large golden herloom variety

5- "san marzano" a classic italian paste tomato

The seeds in place.

The cover is on and, until the seeds sprout, it will sit in this corner of our kitchen counter.  At that point it will be moved to a sunny windowsill.

Wood Chipper Work

Today I worked on throwing all of my accumulated brush and branches throught the wood-chipper.  The woodchips that are left over will be used as path material between planting beds.  It looks good so far, although it takes a lot of chipping to get a little bit of woodchips.  I'll post some pictures once I'm done.  

I'm also hopng to run some of the leaves through to use as a mulch for the planting areas.

Ordered seeds today!