At the moment we are having one of those March storms that makes me think winter will never ever end. Perhaps the weather is inducing the gloom and doom in me more than state and national affairs. But at least the weather is an act of nature. March is supposed to be like this. Unpredictable, nasty, in like a lion/out like a lamb.
There seems to be nothing we can do (beyond exercising our right to vote) to change the big picture. In a convoluted way, this brings me to gardening. There really is nothing like planning and then planting a garden to keep us in touch with what really matters in our immediate lives.
As I was pondering substance abuse, war, famine and open-pit mines, I looked around our little haven and decided that my eye needed to see some spring green. There is no better way to achieve that than to plant a handful of winter wheat berries on the surface of some moist potting soil, cover with clear plastic wrap until it germinates (just a few days) and then set in a window that is letting in more and more sun as each day passes. You will be dazzled by that fresh spring green and it will last for a few weeks if you keep it reasonably watered. If you do Easter baskets, keep fresh grass in mind. When it is spent you can just throw it on the compost pile. If you cannot get your hands on wheat berries just plant regular grass seed. I am convinced the sight of fresh grass in March will do a tender heart some good.
This is the time of year when those of you who have a greenhouse and start your own seeds need to be setting up your light systems and getting the job done. Depending on what you are heating the greenhouse with (read: what are you willing to pay?) you will want to start the heat system by the end of the month. Therefore you will need plants to put into it. Tomatoes jump to mind. As do sweet red bell peppers, lettuce and basil. I like to set out little starts in the bins and get a jump start on the whole business. I now have three kinds of tomatoes, peppers and artichokes under the lights.
You can set up a light system with a simple shop light fixture. I have been using florescent bulbs designed just for plants (gro-lights) but you can use one cool and one warm bulb and get the same results.
If you are determined to start your own seedlings you really do need lights. Without them you will undoubtedly end up disappointed. The seedlings will be leggy and weak. When you finally get to set them out they will keel over or else just hang out and be miserable before they decide to get on with it and produce anything worthwhile and by then you would have been farther along if you had just put the seed in the ground in the first place and just skipped the whole start-them-in-the-house step.
You can find really excellent seedlings at any of our local nurseries. They will be stocky little plants that are, more or less, suited to be grown here in the Far North and will reward you with a harvest beyond your dreams.
But, then there are the gluttons for punishment, of which I am one. The whole seed starting process is an extension of the gardening season. The longer I can keep the whole program in motion the happier I am.
For now I am just addressing plants that need to go into the greenhouse. May 31 is the traditional day to plant your outside garden. With our climate warming you are good to go anywhere from the middle of May on, although this depends on your elevation: the higher your location, the longer you will need for the soil to warm.
I recently met a woman who referred to greenhouse gardening as “false gardening.” Well. You can just imagine how graciously I accepted that tidbit. Greenhouse gardening is essential to my wellbeing. I need to have that greenhouse up and running. To have it producing brandywine tomatoes, basil by the basket full, melons, peppers, cucumbers, none of this would happen if it were not for my beloved greenhouse. “False gardening ... .”
Greenhouses are not for the faint of heart. Do your research and find the one that will suit your needs. Do not build or buy one that is huge. It may seem like a good idea at the time, but really, it is a lot of work. I cannot stress that enough. Mine is 8 feet by 15 feet and 8-by-10 would have been just fine. Really think about how many tomatoes, melons, peppers, etc. that you need, that you can preserve in whatever fashion, that you can give away.
Our gardens are our immediate domains.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick has been gardening with gusto in Homer for 27 years.
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