January 31, 2019

Good morning, it was nice to have that few weeks to get new seedlings established. Looking at what the Midwest and the Northeast are putting up with the last few mornings of subfreezing lows even a low or two down into the teens, we are having a cakewalk. Needless to say the garden has not been growing much. After all it is January.  With luck February will be true to form where the first 2 weeks are cold and then the spring warm will begin. The first toms along with peppers and eggplants are beginning to look nice for out planting.

My experiment of over summering parsnips worked very well. I was afraid that they would get huge. I think a pound and a half was the biggest one. They do develop nice tap roots of which a few have lost a portion. Has nothing to do with rocks. But last springs sowing went well with a very nice germination rate. Well above 80%. parsnips are a long crop to harvest, in some cases over 100 days. They do not germinate in soils much above 80 degrees, or at least I have not had much success at those temps. Parsnips thrive in cold weather and it makes them sweet. This year I will give them their own bed instead of piggy backing in with the okra. It will be interesting to see if it was the okra that controlled their growth. Time will tell.

A lot of the Cole crops (brassicas) like with the parsnips develop their best flavors during the cold part of the year. this is why I like to plant them late summer to early fall. I really missed these dates due to my sprained ankle last fall. I am surprised to see the kohlrabi maturing and it also looks like a few cabbages may also make. Underneath the Brussels sprouts cover I am seeing the first vestiges of sprouts. the plants are not very tall but we will see what they do. Because I plant in the fall, I have noticed a bit of a solstice effect on the brassicas. This triggers elongation as they prepare to bloom. In some cases it makes them woody  like kohlrabi, or the heads become very loose like in cabbage. Save for broccoli I like to have all the brassicas  harvested just as thing start to warm. with my late plantings this will be interesting.

The first sowing of peas are looking good and with luck the harvest will begin by the end of February.

The harvest this week was real low amounts, please place your orders and I will do my best. One real upside the hens are starting to have their combs getting bright red, so there is an uptick in egg production. Spring is around the corner and I am soooo ready.