Out of the Greenhouse and Into the Ground

I spent this visit re-potting seedlings and bringing them outside, now that the weather has warmed up.  It still hasn't rained in weeks, except for a minute of rain and a minute of snow, which wasn't even enough to settle the dust.  The wind has made the dust even worse, and it whipped around so fast I nearly blew backwards more than once.  I asked John how he was dealing with the drought, "spraying, praying, or both?"  He laughed, and said both.  The well used to hold about 9 hours of water, but lately, he runs it dry in about 6 hours of watering.  Keeping the plants watered isn't just about nourishing their growth:  the bugs that eat them love hot, dry weather.  The flea beetles have been having a field day lately.  As a result, many of the spring greens are a loss as far as restaurant sales because they're not pretty enough, despite the taste being unharmed.  This is an on-going problem for growers, and it results in a tremendous amount of food being wasted at farms and markets across the country.

The bed of pansies is blooming quite happily.  John had to pick a bunch of them quickly, before the wind blew them all off.  Destined for Bistro Bethem, they began life at the nearby Lowe's.  Since they're usually sprayed with chemicals at places like that, the initial blossoms were picked and discarded.  The new blooms, which have never been treated with chemicals, they will be served as edible garnishes.  If you have these in your own garden, without chemicals, don't be afraid to eat them.

I adore peas.  Love them.  And sugar snap peas are the best.  I don't have a sweet tooth, but I'll eat these things like candy (same with the baby carrots from last time).  They're not quite ready yet, but the plants are winding their tentacles around the fence as they climb toward the sun, with each blossom promising the sweet, crunchy treat that is to come.

Speaking of sweet promises, the strawberries are bearing fruit, and John assures me they will be ready to eat in the next week or two.  We grew strawberries when I was a kid, but I never cared for them.  I've liked them a little more over the years, so I'm quite eager to experience them again.

I did spend some time in the greenhouse, getting basil plants ready for market.  With a mindful eye toward making it pretty for the consumer, I carefully labelled them all with my very best handwriting.

Sophie was feeling particularly lazy this week.  Despite being a farm cat, she's not much of a hunter.  But she enjoyed a well-deserved rest after her victorious hunt of a very large black snake.

Gaga for Greens

Most of my time thus far has been spent in the greenhouse.  It's been incredibly dry, with no rain for weeks, and the nights still get a bit chilly for many of the infant plants.  The greenhouse is quite large, nearly 2,000 square feet.

Inside, it's lined with row upon row of wooden shelves, sized to fit the thousands of plant pots in their trays.

The seedlings begin in tiny little pots, then get transplanted to 3" ones.  From there, they will either go in the ground or head straight to the farmers' market.

John grows more kinds of mint that you can shake a stick at.  My favourite so far is the chocolate mint.  It reminds me of the old-fashioned mint chocolate chip ice cream of my childhood, a far cry from the artificially-flavoured varieties so prevalent today.  There's also orange mint, lemon mint, peppermint, spearmint, and a fantastic sweet citrus mint with an earthy flavour and an incredibly long finish.  Home gardeners, beware:  unless you want mint to take over your garden, you should keep it in pots.  It's very hardy and quite invasive.

The bed of various lettuces is coming along quite nicely.  They're just a few inches tall right now, but they need to be thinned out.  The bits that are pulled out this early will be sold off as baby greens, sometimes combined into a braising mix.

The rest of the potatoes have been planted, nestled securely under their bed of straw.  A series of tires, held together with bailing wire, keeps it in place.  All told, the 350 pounds of potatoes went into an area covering about 1/10 of an acre.  A few of them are starting to poke up through the straw, but they're waiting for the rain.  Another crop that's waiting for better weather is the zucchini.  The seedlings have already gone into the ground, but at this point in the season, that's a bit of a gamble as the weather may be too cold at night.  In fact, it's been quite chilly and incredibly windy out there.  Even Sophie isn't interested in being outside.  She's been spending most of her time in the greenhouse, where it's always warm, and always the perfect temperature for a lazy nap.

The wild poppies don't seem to mind the chill.  Not destined for market or restaurants, they've cropped up throughout the garden and surrounding fields.  They might not be a cash crop, but sometimes, simple beauty is its own reward.

Another beautiful flower, a personal favourite, is the bearded iris.  John has two beds of them, which will later be separated and sold.  At the moment, only the purple ones are blooming, but they're fantastic.

This week's best nibble was baby carrots.  Ben and I brushed the dirt off and ate them like candy.  They're true baby carrots, not the kind you see in the grocery store, which are just regular carrots pre-peeled and cut into smaller pieces.  These were sweet, crisp, and indescribably delicious.

And, of course, no visit is complete without some time with the cattle.  #907 was feeling very sociable, and happily delivered slobbery kisses while I giggled.