The weather is still a bit nippy, but the garden is in great health nonetheless! Seeds are sprouting inside and out in the cold, broccoli, strawberries, carrots, onions, cabbage, kale, cilantro, Swiss chard, cauliflower, and lettuce are budding and filling the space with lovely green.
Thanks to our organic approach, we haven’t watered once this Fall season. It’s been over 3 months since we weeded. We also haven’t had to use any pesticides or fertilizers. Our pest control management of choice is a barrier method. We spread wedding tulle over baby plants when we put them in. By this time of the season, most of that tulle is ripped and has been removed. We’ve kept a close eye on the weather and have covered our plants when they have been threatened by a freeze. We’ve been using 6 mil plastic sheeting to cover the plants, as well as old sheets. I definitely prefer the old sheets as the plastic does not allow rain to penetrate. I will be scouting the resale shops between now and next season to replace my plastic with sheets.
Spring Planning
I’ve been combing the seed catalogs planning my Spring planting. After taking stock of my current seeds, I decided to start with mostly fresh ones this year as my germination rate last year was not very high. It was a lot of fun reading colorful catalogs full of the promises of a bountiful harvest. Our tomatoes, eggplant, basil and peppers are seeded and coming up nicely. Let the count down to Spring begin!
Tiny tomato plants