V-Day- Time to Think about Vegetables

V-Day- Time to Think about Vegetables

  

     Let’s talk planting season now. It is time to get started. I always get started in January with all the vegetables that need to a head start before them go into the ground such as tomatoes, eggplant, all the melon plants and vines plants like cukes and squashes. I also start my cabbage, pumpkins and peppers. Most of these vegetables need 6-8 weeks inside to be ready to go into the ground. Some of the other vegetables that I haven’t really tried to grow such as celery, and many herbs can be started early too.

       Once it is time to set them out to grow first set them in a protected area so they can harden off so they are not so spindly, just to give them some strength from wind. This year I hope to be able to spend more time getting things ready and have a bigger garden than last year.

      I have already gone out and pulled up all the old dead plants. I will be getting ready to add some more compost to stir in for nutrients I like to stir in some rabbit poo into it to add some fertilizer. I think it is the best way to enrich the soil and it is far less acid than hog  manure that needs to cool off period before you stir it.

     I order all my seeds from places that guarantee non GMO and I love the heirloom ones too. I have also saved my seeds from many of my foods for the next years plants each year. I freeze many of them as they need a freeze time and I can keep them longer too. We are going to have to get out and till up some more space this year and we need to do it sooner than later. I want to can a bunch this year and maybe even send some to farmers market if we do well. I want to get a fence around the garden this year too just in case we have pigs escape. They hit the garden first thing every time and that is what happened last year and I was glad it was still early enough to replant some things. 

      What will you plant in your garden this year? Anything new or fun? I am going to try and get some luffa planted earlier this year, and of course I have to plant my elderberry and Pawpaw trees. Who knows what else I will come up with?

      I will be going out soon to start cutting out all the oak trees and things not belonging in my blueberry bushes and cutting the bushes down again for a more manageable size to pick from. There is always something to get done around here on the farm so I can definitely stay busy. I am looking forward to this garden and warmer weather that is for sure.