March CSA

TLC Gardens

                                                                                                            March 2010
Spring has arrived… or has it? We had a tease of sunshine and possibility earlier this month but this past week has sent us back to the reality that it’s still technically winter. I am sure we will see spring soon!
In anticipation of the weather forecasts, I spent last week preparing the raised beds by spreading compost and turning them. There are four raised beds and I used two of them for the cool weather and early crops because the soil is warmer than other parts of the garden. I tested them with my handy dandy soil thermometer and it measured in at 55 degrees, perfect planting conditions for lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard so I got those seeds in the ground. I also used the raised beds for the Walla Walla onions and the garlic because they look so orderly (for those of you familiar with my garden, order does not reign come August.) I also laid the first seeds for rutabagas and turnips and will plant additional rows in a few weeks.
This last weekend I started noticing that some of the little onion starts were displaced- pulled out and laying on their sides. I’ve had this problem in the past and know that the birds are notorious for plucking them out for nesting material, dropping them at random. (Birds 1, Tarri 0). Hmmm… I can play this game. I replaced the sad little starts and covered the bed with chicken wire. (Birds 1, Tarri 1). Then the last few mornings I have noticed that some of the onion starts have completely disappeared or are lying upside down, embedded in the soil with their roots exposed. There were even a few instances where there were up to three starts in one hole, flailing for their little lives. What was this new foe? (Earthworms 1, Tarri 0). Yes, those lovely worms that I have worked so hard to maintain are appreciating this new dining experience. After all, they’ve only been offered dried leaves and pine needles this winter. They are so grateful for the addition to the salad bar offerings. So tomorrow, rain or shine, I’m going to get the push mower out and see what few clippings I can get from the lawn and line the onion rows with ecolawn blades. I sure hope those soil dwellers prefer grass over onions and we can call it a tied game!
Today I started a number of tomato and pepper varieties in little peat greenhouses indoors. I put in nine varieties of tomatoes including Beefsteak, Romas, Cherokee heirloom, Early Girl, Brandywine, and others and also two types of cherries. I planted a mix of hot and sweet peppers and still need to get some orange, yellow and green bell pepper seeds to plant. This is also the first time I have tried to grow basil starts indoors. I am optimistic for their future!
The rest of the month my focus will be on weeding the little upstarts I see coming up. When the weather improves, I will plant the seed potatoes. I tried to pick out potatoes with as many “eyes” as possible so that I can get the most potential plants when I cut them up and plant. I got Red Pontiac potatoes for the early crop because they are delicious as tender new potatoes and I got Yukon Gold for the later season, storage crop.
Here’s a gentle reminder for those who still need to pay the $300 enrollment fee which is due by the end of this month. Thank you to those who already paid and fronted my current costs.
Until next month…
Love, Tarri