Potato & peas

Still no rain, so now out to the garden to proceed with spring despite the lack of a winter this year.  The fruit trees are very confused, which is usually bad for crops. Fortunately our trees are only two years old and thus our goals are focused on root growth, architecture and truck girth so with enough water and nutrient they will do well in any case.

This week we will prune trees, transplant artichokes, prepare the hoop house for new salad greens and get going on a new hot bed for starting a variety of seedlings including our new root parsley to be set out in refurbished raised bed.  In addition snow peas will be grown in last year's tomato patch and rather than let the gophers have 'em I decided to put new potatoes in a protected raised bed.  Everyone is invited to come by for a visit or to lead a hand.


Of course there is lots of irrigation repair as happens every spring.  The automatics are online and just a few leaks to mend.  We had some freeze damage over the winter and will have to build insulated boxes for the irrigation control risers before next winter.  (We hope to be in the new house by then.)

The honor system

We place a new self-serve egg box at the road today and following are instruction:

Oasis Community Farm
Egg Box Instructions

We place new eggs in the box daily and collect money from drop box on the post (adjoining box)
Self-serve and self-monitored.  Put in $5/dz for eggs.
If you don't have exact change, feel free to leave a $20 and pick up eggs 2 or 3x.  First come first served,
but we'll try and keep the flow smooth. Accounting is up to you.

Please Do Keep in Touch and Keep on Clucking! 

Calendar

365 Day Garden

• January 15 prepare and clear water course and broadcast water cress
• Feb1-March1 prepare hoop house with compost and seed to greens for use in salads. Germination depends on daytime temp being above 60 degrees. Succession plant every 20 days spring through fall, letting the last crop mature and over winter.
• Feb 5 start
• Feb 10 start early leeks in hotbed and set out in temporary row covers when pencil sized
• Feb 15 start early cabbage & broccoli in hot bed and set out in row covers in 4-6 weeks
• Feb 20 plant out artichokes, protect from frost and straw mulch to control weeds
• Feb 25 plant peas & trellis.
• March 1 plant beets and Swiss chard under row cover to protect from bugs and encourage early start
• March 5 prepare raised bed with compost and plant potato for early crop mostly purple and red
• March 10 inter plant buckwheat in open areas to encourage pollinators and smother annual grasses
• March 15 set up hot bed for starting seedlings. Plant with herbs including parsley, celery, roman chamomile, stevia & thyme for planting outdoors in May (The chamomile is intended for a 12x40 lawn area and will naturalize and grow as perennial.
• March 20 start basil in hot bed and set out in hoop house. Replant successively every 30 days though mid fall leaving mature plants to stand into winter for kitchen use
• April 1 plant onion seed to hot bed for planting out to field as starts when pencil sized
• April 15, plant pumpkin & squash in hot bed to be transferred to hoop house to grow and hold for planting after frost (as late as may 1)
• April 20
• April 25 plant eggplant in hot bed 10 weeks prior to planting out to row covered beds depending on stable warm weather. (4-5 yr rotation.)
• May 1 plant peppers and tomatoes in hot bed to be transferred to field when ground temp hits 63 degrees and night time temp is above 55 degrees. Row covers may be needed as a buffer to temp
• May 5 plant kraut cabbage in hotbed and set out in 4 weeks to row cover for processing in Sept.
• June 1 plant second crop of potatoes if weather looks mild through July
• June 1 plant melons, in hot bed to be transferred field when temp hits 75 degrees
• July 1 Plant bush beans in field but protect from insects with row covers for first 45 days
• July 15 plant fall crop of leek, carrot, parsnip, rutabaga and celery in raised bed. Leeks and parsnips may need to be pushed by staring in hot bed because of slow germination. These crops will enter the winter young to mature slowly through late spring.
• Aug1 plant a super late crop of tomatoes to be set out in an uncovered hoop house that can be covered in November after flowering to extend the season for vine ripened fruits. (This is a test.)
• Aug 15 seed onions to winter over for early summer onions
• Sept 10 start winter cabbage & broccoli in hotbed and set out in row covers in 4 weeks for harvest Dec-Jan
• Sept 15- Oct 1 plant fall crop of potatoes if cool weather prevails at planting and ground temp is low enough
• October1 set out Jerusalem artichoke roots in a 8x24 bed on a fence row and allow to naturalize in the area
• Oct 15 plant garlic in well fertilized soil for harvest in late June
• Nov 1 inter plant green manure crop in orchard rows
• Nov 15 seed filter grass in erosion prone swales and drainages
• Dec 1-Jan 1 prune fruit trees and dormant spray for pest control
• Jan 1-Feb 1 plant replacement fruit tree, grape and other dormant root stock

Of course weather, time and energy may change many things.