Still a ways off

But I’m stoked for springtime and being able to put plants out.

Around the 15th of January, I put 89 beefsteak tomato seeds in a starter, and so far, it looks like I have a pretty good germination rate.

It’s still a bit early to tell for certain how many will actually sprout, but I like my odds so far. There will be plenty of tomatoes for us. My hope is that there will be enough plants to sell as well.

Tomorrow, I’ll put some pepper seeds in and see how they go. I got the soil in the starter soaking today and will either put them in first thing in the morning or during my lunch break.

I like to try new plants every year. You never know when you’ll find something that’s easy to grow or that you’ll really like.

Below are the new things I’m trying this year. I’d tried the bok choy last season, but I got it out a bit late, and summer temps came in fast, so it all bolted on me. I had two more plants come up from the seeds and have them in the greenhouse in hopes they will overwinter, but I’m not sure they will survive the subzero temps we had.

My hopes are to be able to put up enough food to last us for a year. Last year was the first time I seriously tried to, and it was dismal at best.

I did manage to grow a fair amount of food, but we had a monster hail storm, and it wiped most everything out.

This year, I will be adding bird netting. Not only will it help to protect things from hungry birds, but it’s also said to minimize hail damage.

The greenhouse has withstood everything that winter has thrown at it, including 70mph winds and snow. So I will be adding on to it as soon as the nights start to get just a bit warmer.

I was given 13 sheets of 4X8 sheets of polycarbonate, so I will be doubling the size of my little greenhouse and more than likely build another one at the other property, but time will tell.

It seems time goes so fast that I seldom have the luxury of time to see all of my plans through in one season. I, of course, keep plugging away, constantly working to make life at least a little bit better each year.

Thank you for stopping by!