ASPARAGUS!

6 asparagus plants from my original planting (2 summers ago) came up again this year!  There was nothing to be seen yesterday, but a little bit of sunshine can go a long way. 

They were originally purchased from Gertens as plants (not crowns) and planted in 2010 as 2-year-old plants.  6 of the original 8 remain.  I had planted 6 more aparagus crowns last year, but they never really did much.  I was nervous about any of them coming back this year since the rabbits mowed them to the ground last year - and I thought they didn't eat Asparagus!  Although, they took out my hot pepper plants too so maybe they just had very advanced palettes.

Also, here is my first lettuce bed - isn't it coming along nicely?  The bright row in the back are the radishes and the spindly ones in the front are the spinach.  The red versions are a bit harder to see, but hopefully in a week or so they'll be nice and big for all to see.

Temperatures are projected to be ranging from 40-low 60s for the next 10 days, which should be perfect for these cool season crops.

Here come the seedlings!

So, today is February 1st, and here in MN I have water standing in my yard.  Now this is a sight normally reserved for March and April up here...It certainly makes us yearn for spring!  We have had the mildest winter in my memory.

On a related note, the USDA has released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map .  We are still in Zone 4b, but there are actually parts of southern Minnesota in Zone 5a!  I'm not sure this will get us growing anything tropical up here, but it may inspire a few of us to branch out, so to speak...

"Baby" Asparagus

For a seedling update, our Asparagus are coming!  So far, 8 of the 15 have sprouted and are doing well.  With a germination rate of 72%, we are still hoping to see a few more seedlings pop up.  The tomatoes are still doing well too, being carefully watched over under the grow light by little Ellie.

Tomatoes, Asparagus & Ellie!

We also have a greenhouse update - after some back-breaking work, the floor is in.  Next comes the insulation and the permanent subfloor.

February is here everyone, that means we are only a few months away from warmth and sunshine.  Enjoy your valentines!

New Directions!

We have directions!  Directions for all of the seeds can be found on here in document form (specific to our seeds) or on Johnny's Seeds Website here.  Our goal is to start this year following the directions to a "T"...and if we have any issues...try some new techniques next time around. 

We've also started a few seeds indoors at the farm just to get the party started.  We planted 15 Asparagus seeds on January 17, 2012 in seed starting mix in 2" pots.  They are sitting on a heat mat in the house and we are waiting for signs of life.  The asparagus, once established, will be placed in a cool setting to simulate winter, and will be planted outside in the spring.

We've also planted Tomatoes:

• Heirloom Tall Vine Moskvich
• Hybrid, Red Grape
• Heirloom Tall Vine Brandywine
• Heirloom Tall Vine Debarao

We planted one pot of each kind, with 2 seeds per 2" pot in seed starting mix, on January 18, 2012.  By January 20th, the seeds started to germinate.  By January 23rd, both seeds in each pot are 1-2 inches tall and have 2 leaves.  On January 23rd, they were moved off the heat mat into the East kitchen window.  As you can see...they are all doing well and pretty much even at this point.  The plan is to start another round of tomato seeds next months.  We're doing test plantings this year to see if we can get tomatoes growing in the greenhouse and perhaps ready for pollination in early summer!

Tomatoes 01.27.2012

Tomorrow is a big day - we are finishing the floor substructure in the greenhouse at the farm...which should put us one step closer to a working, unheated space.  More pictures to come...