Finally starting some seeds!

Well, it's been a long winter, and I am SO ready to start gardening.  I'm a little worried because the wet weather through the fall and winter has kept me from digging my new garden beds, so I really have nowhere to put all of these seeds I'm starting.  I'm hoping for some dry, warm weather soon so I can get the beds ready.

So far, I've bought some seed potatoes, which I plan on planting in either trashbags or trash cans, depending on the budget, and have also bought tons of seeds.  You know I can't pass up a good seed aisle.  It is amazing to me how much food you can buy for $20 if you are willing to grow it yourself!

I've started some broccoli, four kinds of tomatoes, and some scallions in peat pellets.  All of the tomatoes have sprouted even though it seems like it's freezing in the house.  I haven't had any luck with the scallions germinating yet, but it's only been about 6 days.  I've seen several places with onion sets for sale, so I may just try those this year. 

I can't wait to get things planted!  This is going to be my first full season of gardening, and I know I have a lot to learn.

Starting the Winter Gardening Experiment

I have been reading a lot of Eliot Coleman's books lately.  He is a guru when it comes to organic growing and growing in the wintertime.  He grows over 30 varieties of vegetables year-round in an unheated greenhouse in Zone 5, even harvesting carrots and lettuce in December.  His books are definitely worth a read if you are interested in organic gardening techniques or growing in the winter.  They will get you excited about gardening.  His most recently published book just came out a few months ago, The Winter Harvest Handbook.  I am using the book to experiment for the first time with winter gardening.

My first planting is carrots only.  I filled a Rubbermaid container with really good dirt I dug from the cow pasture and then sowed my seed.  Then I covered the top with a row cover to try to hold the moisture in.  Carrot seeds love being moist and relatively cool for the best germination.  I only left about 3 or 4 inches between the rows because in the winter, plants need to be more closely spaced to hold their heat.  I plan on growing them in the open container until the first frost.  Then I will cover them with a plastic hoop that I am constructing right now (plans and photos are coming up).  The back half of the tub is planted with Danvers and the front half is Scarlet Nantes.

Carrots take anywhere from 2-3 weeks to germinate, so it will look like just a tub of dirt for a while.  I guess it didn't look all that uninviting for someone, though.  I'm going to have to figure out what to do about this before the seedlings start coming up!