Congratulations! It's a Seedling!

These last couple weeks have been a blur of seed starting and packing to move, I haven't had much time for anything else. But I haven't forgotten my promise to update you on the nursery. It's not much to look at, I suppose, just plywood "tables" resting on sawhorses in my garage, all topped off with grow lights- luckily the seeds don't care, and neither do I. It's there, under the florescent glow that the miracles begin!

A few of the seeds awaiting their moment in the Master Plan.

Out of the 80-some varieties we're planting this year, only a handful need to be started this early: peppers, tomatillos, a few early tomatoes, chard, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, onions, lettuce... The rest will go under the lights at about the time this first batch is transplanted out into their beds.

One of the nursery tables, freshly seeded.

I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the seeds began to germinate. Rather than the 4-5 days I was expecting, they practically leaped out of the soil. Here's a progression of Russian Red Kale:

Russian Red Kale: Day 1.

Day 3.

Day 4.

Day 6.

The tray of Romaine lettuce literally sprouted overnight:

Romaine lettuce: the day after being planted!!

Romaine: 3 days after planting!

We also have tomato sprouts! Look for tomatoes as early as June! :)

Moskvich: extra-early Russian heirloom tomatoes!

And I would be remiss if I didn't introduce you to some of the farm's first feathered friends. The Rhode Island Red chicks weren't feeling very photogenic (i.e., my poor camera didn't like the lighting), but the Pekin ducklings struck a pose for me. These little guys have a lot of personality! Once they're fully feathered, they'll be in the outdoor run along with the chickens, but for now they keep me company when I'm working with the seedlings.

Princess, Whyte, and Noodle after a romp in the water bowl.

There's plenty more work to be done before the season starts in June- look for an update after Easter weekend, when I'll be tilling the beds and planting peas and potatoes!

Intermission, or What We're Up To

It's been some time since my last update, but don't worry- we haven't disappeared! Quite the opposite, actually. Our family is in the process of moving to a lovely, large house much closer to the farm plot. It's a refreshing and exciting change, even though it's a challenge to coordinate packing with laying out bed plans!

Speaking of bed plans, some of the seeds have already arrived! The rest should be here within the week. I'll be posting pictures of the nursery operation later this week. This moving business is throwing the seed-starting timing off a little, but rest assured there are lots of early varieties on the roster- I'm looking forward to that first tomato as much as anyone!

Sadly, I do have to report that there may not be blue potatoes this year- every place I've looked is sold out or only offers 1lb increments. I'm still looking, but I may just have to take a rain check for next season.

*Golden heirloom beet seeds are also sold out for the season. I'll continue looking for another source.

Still lots of great vegs, melons, and herbs to look forward to! I'll be updating the "What to Expect" page with the specific varieties shortly.