Today, we finally started transplanting again and gearing up for this year's season. Throughout the month of January (starting on January 9), we began to plant flats of lettuce which slowly grew in the greenhouse. After about 2-3 weeks of germination, we transplanted these flats of lettuce to the actual garden beds, which are currently covered with plastic held up by an A-frame made of PVC piping. These plastic covers actually keep the beds warm and keep in some moisture. Today, while outside temperatures were about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, inside temperatures reached between 50 and 60 degrees. This will allow the lettuce to grow over the next few weeks and be ready for harvest in early/mid march. We plan to continue to plant lettuce flats so that we will have a continual flow of lettuce throughout the season. As for tomatoes, we look forward to planting those from seed in the greenhouse in the next week or so!
With the year coming to an end, we had one of our final harvests the other day - lettuce! Although most of the produce is coming out of the ground, we do have some new friends sprouting already. The garlic has already begun to show signs of growth, with small heads peaking up above the ground. Starting the garlic at this point, so that it will be ready for a harvest around July of 2012, allows us to set up next year early on. This year alone we harvested almost 800 pounds of produce! Next year, we hope to increase this number to at least 1,000 pounds. With careful planning, crop rotation, and knowledge of what has worked during previous years, we may very well reach this goal.
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AuthorsCathryn Duemmler Archives
July 2012
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