I haven’t kept updates/journal on the garden as I wanted to. Nobody has asked me too but its good to do for personal reasons. Thinking things through and writing a little on this blog helps me keep my thoughts from consuming me. Here is a couple things I probably should have blogged about thus far but I haven’t.
No Overalls Here – I’ve been asked multiple times why I start my seeds indoors. We are trying, “trying” is key here, to make our garden more than a hobbie. I mean we actually want to feed ourselves from it. This is a bit grand and idealistic… its a slow process(raising three kids at the same time)… and it involves doing more than growing tomatoes and putting them on BLT’s(although that is a favorite). It involves fundamentally changing the way we eat and live. So the earlier we get to harvest the better.
Continual Harvest – One of the biggest cultural misunderstandings about vegetable gardening is that your gardening should start May 1st. It happens every year. People sit inside all winter watching DVDs, playing XBOX, and then it hits them, “I don’t feel alive” and they get Spring fever. They go out on the first day its 72/sunny and buy a bunch of plants that ultimately die by the end of June. Yeah we’ve all done it.
Point being even if you only grow vegetables in the Spring a garden can start as early as January 10 weeks (kale) from the date you feel comfortable placing your cold weather crops in a cold frame or hoop house. This means you get to be eating greens and the like before most people have realized they need some Vitamin D or before its even warm enough to be outside.
Its a pretty common story. You’ve packed on another layer while hibernating all winter and its time to eat some lighter vitamin and nutrient rich foods. This doesn’t have to wait until May! Thats why we start seed indoors.
Just a dude with a blog that probably shouldn't have one.
