I soaked them for 24 hours and planted them under a greenhouse umbrella (available from Charley's Greenhouse, www.charleysgreenhouse.com, (800) 322-4707) and am hoping for the best. My doubts are besieging me. I think I should have started them in the greenhouse and set out seedlings instead of direct seeding. We'll see.
Spring came so very early this year. I hope that you took advantage of the early warm temperatures, but if you did not, it certainly is not too late to plant. Actually for those of you who held off, you may be at an advantage. The soil certainly is dry enough to rototill or turn over with a shovel without causing huge, unforgiving clumps to form. The weeds are all right out there for you to see, so you can dispatch them forthwith and it is definitely warm enough.
The weather is clouding over which also makes for ideal planting conditions. Direct sun is just lethal for tender plant starts. Keep in mind that Memorial Day weekend has been the traditional planting date for years, so you are right on target.
Be sure to rotate you crops. Do not use the same bed for the same plants two years in a row. For instance: all the cole crops need to move to a different raised bed. Keeping a journal will help you remember what went where.
This is the perfect week to be hardening off your plants, whether you have started them yourself or purchased them from any of our excellent local nurseries and that includes Anchor Point. Let them get used to being outside gradually. A few hours the first day and then keep increasing until they are spending the night out by the time you want to plant.
I really and truly think that floating row cover is the greatest invention to hit the market. This ultralight material is just the ticket for fending off the fly that lays the egg that becomes the root maggot that can destroy every single one of your broccoli plants, or cabbage, radish, turnip, rutabaga, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. You get the idea.
Just lay the fabric over the tender, fragile seedling. Don't use any support, hold the edges down with rocks or wire "earth staples." This fabric will also warm the environment. Now, this can work as a detriment. These plants like cool temperatures. Once they are about 10 inches to a foot, go ahead and remove the fabric. The plant will be strong and healthy enough to fend off any attacks. If you leave the fabric on too long, the plant will not reach its full potential but could bolt, or go to seed.
Once you have the seedlings in the ground be sure to give them sufficient water. It looks like we are having yet another dry spring. I know that watering is a hassle but really and truly, the plants do benefit from water. This is where raised beds come in handy yet again. The water goes only on the plants and not in the path. Use a long wand with a gentle rose so the water doesn't crush the seedlings or wash seeds away.
With our different weather, it's also a good idea to water early in the day. Then you have a cold plant with cold water. If you wait until later in the day when the plant has warmed up, the cold water will negate the warmth that the plant has garnered. I hope you can pull this off along with absolutely everything else in the world that you need to do in the morning. With that in mind: water when you can.
Now we need to address the direct seed plants. These include carrot, spinach, lettuce, chard, radish, peas and beets (unless you live at the higher elevations then you really should start your beets, setting out seedlings).
Give some thought to just how much of anything you are going to eat. For lettuce and spinach I like to seed in two rows, each about a foot and a half long. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But I do that every 10 days. It is really amazing just how much food that will produce. Every 10 days I also start, in the greenhouse, four heads of buttercrunch lettuce. These will be planted out into the raised bed. We definitely have loads of lettuce all spring, summer and fall. Give this a try. Just mark your calendar every 10 days what you need to plant, then follow through.
Speaking of new things to plant in the garden, I made the giant leap of faith and planted two apple trees. Now, these are not just any apple tree. I don't have room for a regular or even a dwarf apple. These two are columnar apple trees. Yes. They are bred to grow into a 10-foot column, bearing fruit close to the trunk. There are no branches to speak of. These are Northpole and red. I hope they taste good and snap when bitten into. They arrived in excellent condition. I planted them into the strawberry beds. It seemed logical at the time. I'll let you know how this plays out.
Of the five crowns of asparagus one is really producing huge fat spears. The other four seem to take their time, although they do manage to produce. If you are considering planting a bed of asparagus, may I give you my whole hearted encouragement. They are ever so worth it.
As are the artichokes and garlic, which I am sure, you wouldn't dream of planting a garden without them.
The gardening season is upon us. Carpe diem.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick has been gardening with gusto in Homer for 26 years.
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