Planted this week

Sprouting seeds inside my mini greenhouse

Saturday, March 3, 2018

It has been looking and feeling like spring this past week or two.  The grass is turning green and the daffodils are blooming.  A great time to start spring planting outdoors and indoors.

I started my outdoor garden in the last few weeks.  The seeds I put in the first greenhouse a couple of weeks ago is 1-2 inches tall.  I started seeds in the second greenhouse this week along with lettuce plants.

The seeds I planted that have sprouted:

Spinach (Bordeaux, Giant Winter, Oriental Giant)-ready to harvest in 30-45 days

Grow spinach-a super nutritious, easy green

Chard (Perpetual, Fordhook Giant, Verde Taglio, Neon Glow)-ready to harvest in 50-70 days

For year round steamed greens, grow chard!

Lettuce mix (red and green varieties)-ready to harvest in 29-60 days

Everything you need to know about growing lettuce

The seeds I planted this week:

Carrots (Rainbow, Gniff, Cosmic Purple)-ready to harvest in 60-110 days.  Can harvest sooner as baby carrots.  All you need to know about growing carrots

Onions (Australian Brown, Flat of Italy, Bronze d'Amposta)-ready to harvest in 70-150 days

Everything to know about growing onions

Greens (Belle Isle Cress, Corn Salad or Vit or Lamb's Lettuce or Mache, Black Magic Kale, Chervil)-ready to harvest in 50-70 days

Growing fabulous lettuce and greens  Grow one of the super greens this year-kale

Mini greenhouse covering 3 large pots

Lettuce plants from store I planted last week end:

Marvel of Four Seasons Butterhead Lettuce (I love the sweet taste of butterheads)-ready to harvest in 21 days

Red Romaine lettuce-ready to harvest in 35 days

Buttercrunch lettuce-ready to harvest in 42 days

I harvest leaves from the outside of the plant as soon as there are around 8 leaves on the plant.  I can harvest much sooner than waiting until the plant reaches full size and over a much longer time.

Planting the seeds and lettuce plants in the mini greenhouse will keep them much warmer and protect them from freezing temps we will continue to get until May.  They'll sprout and grow faster.  The lettuce plants have already grown almost an inch in a week!

Extend the season with protection for plants

Leafy greens like nitrogen.  Root crops like potassium.  You can get nitrogen from compost, alfalfa, soybean meal or fish emulsion.  Potassium can be gotten from green sand via its potash content.  Fish emulsion actually gives not only nitrogen, but also potassium and phosphorous.

After planting, I watered in the pots with fish emulsion.  Germination takes anywhere from 4-15 days.

I will plant outdoors this week end at least parsley and arugula.  Maybe more!