Thursday!

This has been a long week and I'm tired. All I dream about is being able to spend more time in my playhouse and getting seeds started and getting garden beds prepared and all things gardening! I would also like to get  my chicken coop and tractor (both portable) started and grow even MORE of the food that we eat! There will be a day when I can leave my job behind and do what brings me joy and in the process maybe even bless the people around us!

BIG DREAMS...until then though...

Last weekend Mary came by with some of her seeds and I got out the trays and the soil blocker so she could get some of her stuff started. I don't know what all she has in the tray, but she was having all sorts of fun with the soil blocker.

Not bad for a first try! Once she got it down she was having all sorts of fun...I love sharing tools! She was thinking that she would also love to use the blocker just to line out her garden boxes - she loves symmetry and the blocker will get her there. I used to be more precise, but now I think I just want to get things planted and grow FOOD!

After she was done and I promised to spritz them when need we leftthe tray out in the hoop house. It would be fine, on a nicer day. However it was still coolish - even in the afternoon and I was getting my tray of seeds started. There were moments of warmth, but that didn't last.  So once I got my tray all ready to go I brought it in and placed it in the Living Room in front of the big window. At first I left her tray out in the hoop house, but then decided the next day to go ahead and bring her tray in as well. It took only four days for sprouts to happen! I think she started a bunch of leafy items and they tend to sprout easily.

Mary's tray -  photo taken on March 1

My tray on the other hand hasn't done anything yet, but I'm hoping that by the weekend there will be some sort of action happening - if not sooner!

My tray - photo taken Feb 25

I also decided to start my onion seeds - which according to the package should be started in a container 4-6 wide. So I sprinkled the entire package on the top and I think those are already doing something. The things that I think are sprouts aren't big enough to show up in a photo - so I'll be keeping an eye on them! This is also in the living room in front of the BIG window. Maybe tonight there will be something "impressive"

photo taken Feb 25

When I last looked, the veggies under the low tunnel in the garden box are not doing that great and I had it in my mind to pull them up. After looking at them, a couple of things are looking pretty good - the chard and romaine looks decent. So on Saturday afternoon we took a little time to weed the box. We'll see how things go this week. It would be really nice if all our effort would end up with something we can put on our table.

At first glance, the romaine lettuce looked REALLY good. Healthy with nice glossy leaves - same for the chard. They are both smallish, but I think that now that the weather is improving we'll actually get something from this box. The bunching onions are a little iffy, but I think they will be okay.

Look at the huge patch of yuck-o grass!

There was one little weird bunch of stuff that grew in one block - Swiss chard, Bunching Onion and Purple Broccoli - 

It really didn't do a whole lot, the broccoli looks to have grown, but other than that - nada. We'll just let it go and see what happens until it's time to clean this box out. I do love an experiment!

At long last, we finally harvested our first Pac Choi. I think it might have been a little on the large side, but it was so good. Made some bami goreng over the weekend and pulled up one whole PC to cook up with the store bought veg. These will definitely be somewhere in the garden this year and through the fall and winter (again).

Overall, I'm pleased with all that we have grown through the Fall and Winter. I am hoping that there will be more to harvest as the weather improves and things finally get a little late winter warmth. There has been more than enough rain and the rain is welcome to stop for a little while. If only I could the watering of my plants! 

So what's next? I'm planning to get out and see what flower seeds I have and get some of those started either this evening or tomorrow evening - during the weekend for sure. Last summer I bought a package of a 100 four inch pots. So I'll be putting those to good use once my flower seedlings are big enough to be transplanted. I better get on that! I may be competing with Fred Meyer's Fuschia Event if I don't get going on these seeds! If I can get away with not buying flowers for our planters I'll be happy!

Get out and get your hands dirty and come back and see what's happening :)