Hallelujah!!

Well, April is always full of surprises when it comes to weather in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Last night was no exception to this.  We had a series of thunderstorms that were quite active with heavy downpours.  I was concerned as the night progressed that my shade structure and the attendant cabbage plants under it were goners.  So, when I went out at 6 this morning with my dog, to my surprise, it looked undamaged much to my delight.  Upon further review of it when I arrived home from work this evening, it did not have any damage I could detect.  And better yet, the plants were doing just fine.
We're certainly not out of the woods weather wise but it appears that the structure can stand up to storms.  I planted 3 Broccoli plants under it tonight.  Which brings to mind how I go about planting seedlings into my beds.  When I do this, I start by making a mixture of equal parts peat moss, composted manure and my fresh compost.  I generally use vermiculite in place of peat moss as the peat bogs are being farmed at alarming rates so I want to do my part to help with that issue.  But, I just happen to have some peat left over from a grass planting I did last fall soo I cannot let it go to waste.
Once I have the mixture made up, I water down the seedlings (soak them actually) and let them drain while I cut in the holes to plant the vegetables.  I cut the holes a little bigger than the size of the root ball and then take a little of my mixture and lay it in the bottom of the hole.  Then I pull the plants out of their containers and tease the roots if they are circled around the medium they are in.  Even if they aren't, I still pull them a little to ensure they're ready to plant.  I then put the plant into the hole and fill any voids around the plants with the mixture.  I lightly press in around the plants with my fingers, water them down and put more of the mixture around them to make sure the root ball is covered.  You should make a slight bowl shape around the seeding to hold the water near the plant to allow it to soak into soil and reach the roots.  It sounds difficult, but you will get the hang of it in no time.
Well, hope you are getting into your gardening full swing at this point.  Happy gardening!        

Its been hectic!

Well, it's has been a while and I certainly apologize for that.  My job has been hectic, work in the garden has ramped up immensely and best of all, my son is getting ready to graduate from college very soon. So, to say life is rolling along would be an understatement.  But still, I do have to apologize for going off the grid for this timeframe.  I will endeavor to be more consistent in the future.

So, garden-wise there have been some successes and alas, failures.  Failure, in one respect or another, is part of the vegetable gardening world.  This failure is really not that big in the whole scheme of things although it is disappointing.  As I have related to you, my goal with my gardening is to stay "organic" in all things.  Last fall I researched various fertilizers to use in the starting of my plants. I switched to an "organic" fertilizer from my preferred one which wasn't certified organic.  After having used this one this year, I would say it was a big let down in regards to my pepper plants.  I am not sure why it didn't feed them enough nutrients, but their growth seems very weak.  My tomatoes seem to be a little behind but not so far behind as the peppers.  Now, if these were the plants I was depending on for my food source this year, then that would be a huge issue.  As it is, my remedy for the situation is to run down to my go to plant supplier and buy theirs.  Of course, this means I will have to substitute their variety for mine, but that is the price to pay this year.  A minor price no doubt.

I finally finished the reconstruction of my beds that I started last fall yesterday.  I will get pictures up shortly once I have plants in them so you can get a sense of what my garden looks like.  Yesterday was one of those days you only get 4-5 times in spring or summer - maybe.  Beautiful sunlight, mild temperatures and a very gentle breeze.  To say I was in my element is an understatement.  I did my sniff test just to jog my brain out of it's doldrums.  What a sweet aroma it has.  All the winter rye has broken down and the beds are now ready for the year.  The soil is a nice dark brown, still cool to touch and friable.  Just the way you want it now.  

I built a structure over the area where I am planting my cool crops this year.  I will need to shade the plants from the sun towards the end of their growing cycle.  I had some left over weed fabric that I tested and it worked pretty well,  Light got through it and at the same time, it shaded the area.  I tested the soil this morning with my hand test and the soil under it was noticeably cooler than the surrounding uncovered areas.  I planted 3 cabbages and will be adding cauliflower and broccoli in the next couple of days.  I'll let you know how this works out in future posts.

Well, that's all I have at this time.  There is so much ground to cover when it comes to vegetables that it is nearly impossible for me to know what you may be interested in at this time.  Let me know and I'll be sure to address it in one of my upcoming posts.  Till the next post, keep on gardening!