![]() ![]() This blog isn't just for gardeners (although I hope it inspires some of you to try growing a plant or two). (I'm addicted to learning as much as I am to gardening.) To help me get there, I'm extending my learning through the University of Massachusetts, Stockbridge School of Agriculture's, Sustainable Food & Farming program. ![]() I hope one day to take all that I'm learning and apply it to a larger plot of land. I love learning from gardening communities (and lots of trial and error). That reality quickly turned into my filling every sunny inch of space of my postage-stamp size lawn and turning it into a garden oasis. I grow mostly vegetables and herbs with some exception for fruits (when the squirrels and rabbits don't get to them first). I got up the nerve to give it a try - starting small with a single wooden wine box that turned an idea into reality. For years, I wanted to try gardening, but didn't know where to start. I'm Catherine, a small-space urban gardener in New Jersey (Zone 7a) who started gardening out of upcycled wooden wine boxes. I’m hoping this coming week will be much more conducive to hardening off because these seedlings look ready to plant. I’ve been trying to harden off the plants for about 2 weeks now, but the temperatures either don’t get warm enough (it snowed lightly in New Jersey today… it’s May 9th), or it’s rainy and windy. This year has been a bit of a challenge because of our reluctant spring. While they’re growing indoors, they’re given careful treatment under consistent conditions, which is necessary but it makes them a bit “soft.” “Hardening off” is the process of gradually exposing the seedlings to outdoor conditions so that when they are planted, they’ll be prepared to face the elements. I scaled back a bit this year, but still have about 125 seedlings I’ve grown under grow lights, specifically, fennel, cucumbers, tomatoes, celeriac, and a few herbs.īefore planting seedlings outside in the garden, they need to be hardened off. Back in February, I planted seeds in seed trays under grow lights to create seedlings to plant in May. The other gardening activity I’ve been doing is indoors. In April, I planted peas, carrots, onions, and turnips in beds and containers, and planted lettuce in a cold frame (after I removed it from housing my herbs throughout winter). Here in the northeastern U.S., outdoor gardening is limited to cold-tolerant plants like peas and lettuce. Late spring is a transitional gardening period and an exercise in patience. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |