Spring is in the air

Spring Is In The Air...

Springtime Yet?

I know, I know some of you that follow me are wondering if I would just hush till your Xft amount of snow would melt and you can even see your garden space!

Well, maybe this will give you ideas along the way? 

I have never paid attention to the weather so much til gardening occurred in my life! I started gardening a couple of years ago and I especially check the "low" temp of the day and week to make sure we are in the clear for any freezes for a few days. 

We have had amazing weather but not 100% frost free so since I had some problems starting up my lettuce seedlings (they became leggy so restarting them) I got a few lettuce starts from the local nursery to get that going since that is the main crop we eat ALOT of in our household!

Above from left to right planted: Onions, four rows of carrots, three different kinds of leafy lettuce, watermelon radishes and sugar snap peas.

As you can see in the picture above and some below the onions go up the bed half way. I did this on purpose. I read that onions help deter carrot flies and lettuce is good with carrots and onions, but as you start to creep where I planted the radishes I stopped with onions. There are some readings that talk about how onions are big feeders and will actually deplete your pea production. Also, onions like nitrogen rich fertilizer boost halfway through growing season, where with peas if you give them nitrogen it sounds like they will produce more foliage than peas. I say why test these theories and just stop half way up before I reach the pea section!

So then I planted a line of radishes which are a very neat radish because they are called a "Watermelon Radish"...see more about them HERE. Then of course radishes help peas so those were planted to go up the trellis. 

So yay to one bed being complete! Now three more in this garden to go and I will then be moving onto the greenhouse water system and my new garden space building more beds!

I had some onions growing from the fall in this metal bin in the garden so I added some of the lettuce starts to make a "salad bowl." It is so nice to start to see some green in the garden beds!

Another thing I tend to forget during gardening season for some reason are fruits! Some fruits take patience and don't produce alot the first year but since we aren't moving anywhere I am happy to be patient with my garden now!

At the local nursery they had some really cool varieties of fruits plants so had to snag a couple for these half barrel containers.

Planted are Blueberry Jelly Bean, Blueberry Peach Sorbet and Raspberry Shortcake...YUM! Around the perimeter of these I added Marigolds and Nasturtiums in hopes to bring some bees on over to the garden plus to give it some colorful flare and fun!

I am really liking companion planting because I feel the whole space of the garden beds are getting used up and nothing is going to be fighting for space. Can't wait to see things popping up!

Next I will be transplanting some herb starts into the greenhouse and test out a couple of lettuce starts plus starting more seedlings so stay tuned!

If you need seeds support Aisling Farms and shop HERE!

Happy Farming!