Back to bread; Year 2 of "planting when ground can be worked" and other outdoor updates

I had great hopes of getting some seeds straight into the ground as the weather forecast for the long weekend looked promising.  Unfortunately we were hit with a mild ice storm which coated most of the garden beds.  I'm a bit out of practice as I haven't made my own bread (baguettes in this case) for a while but Dave @ Our Happy Acres has inspired me to get back into it and it was a fun thing to do with the nasty weather outside.

But by Sunday afternoon (a nice warm day!) I was able to direct sow some cool season crops.  I'm still testing this overall theory of "planting when the soil can be worked" - mainly because it was workable a week or so ago then iced up again.  So I guess there needs to be some consistency in the weather before starting.

Anyway, in what I refer to as a small "greens' garden, I've direct sowed the following yesterday:

• spinach (reflect hybrid)
• arugula (astro)
• evergreen bunching onions
• bon  vivant lettuce
• easter egg radish
• generic - rocket salad (arugula) 

And my earlier starts in the greenhouse are showing some sprouts for the arugula and radish.  Not so much though for the sugar ann peas.

Outside, I have the garlic started last fall which is still covered with mulch until I'm sure the worst of the cold weather is over with.  And some egyptian walking onions similarly covered with mulch.

And here is the usual flooding in the yard which prevents work in these two areas for another 6-8 weeks (but plenty of time for planting summer crops).

This area usually has snow into May due to shading from trees.

And some little signs of spring ... daylilies just starting to pop up.

And daffodils well on their way ...

And Sugar Ray is going outside more often (thank goodness!) and here he is looking wistfully outdoors and watching the birds.

I 'm feeling pretty good that spring has arrived ... officially yes, but the word is out on the technical arrival of spring.  But I'm sure it's all going up from here!

Seedling Update

I started a batch (batch?) of seedlings on March 5, so this is almost three weeks later.  Many of the tomatoes and peppers (the majority of the seeds) were successful but not all.  Although I have always found hot peppers to be the easiest to grow, I think the seeds I am using are just a bit old (2012).   Otherwise, most of what I planted are well on their way.

And, YAY, I managed to get a 72% successful germination on those pricey Xanthi peppers (8 seedlings from the 11 seeds).

Xanthi seedlings

Another batch of 72 peat pellets have been started.  The peppers are a second seeding due to poor results from the first seeding.  The broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are a regular indoor start and will be planted out later in May or June.  New this year for me is starting the kale (2 types), chard and kohlrabi from seed as these would normally be direct sowed.  I also have plenty of the same seed that I will direct sow as these indoor starts are just an experiment (the outdoor sowing has always worked fine).  I am just looking to get an earlier harvest.

Six pellets each of the following were started today:

1. Jalapeno M Strain (the previous jalapenos haven't germinated well)
2. Cowhorn hot peppers (same as jalapeno)
3. Ancho peppers (same as jalapeno - what the heck, these weren't old seeds!) 
4. Tiara cabbage
5. Snow crown cauliflower
6. Gypsy broccoli
7. Jade brussels sprouts
8. Di ciccio broccoli
9. Nero di Toscano kale
10. Kohlrabi
11. Ruby red chard
12. Scarlet kale

And more from the March 5th start includes this Italian lettuce leaf blend ... Sugar Ray decided to get into it a bit so it's a bit mangled on the right side.  I also have a similar container full of shallots that are doing quite well (not very photogenic tonight).

And how about those sweet potato slips?  These were placed into jars of water on March 6 so here they are at day 18 ...

This one in particular is doing well ... looks like a pretty bonsai tree.

We've had a last (I hope) kick of winter this week with about 4 inches of snow over the past several days (today was more about freezing rain).  But the coming Easter weekend shows some promising warm weather and I look forward to getting some work done outside!

Parsley From Seed: Day 15

Just so you know, for anyone who is looking to grow parsley from seed, it takes a while.  My Italian Flat Leaf Parsley seeds were spread over some potting soil and have been left under fluorescent lights 16 hours a day and kept moist regularly. 

I'm happy to finally see some signs of life!  Today (day 15) is the first sign of a sprout.  This is pretty regular from my experience of about 4 years growing it this way.