Transplantin' time!

Lemon Catnip

It has been an interesting week.

Last week concluded in a sweaty haze, while this week I stood huddled and shivering in the hoop house while the snow whipped around outside. Transplanting tomatoes. Ha, ha.

Funny. What can you do?

I really don't let the weather get me down too much. It's impact is huge on what I do; it can make or break a season.  And has.

But I'm not in control, and I relax with that knowledge. I just carry on.

This week is 7 in my spring CSA, for some week 8. I liked the baskets and hope those receiving them did too. There were some tasty buds-spigiarello, non heading cabbage florets, some zesty red and Indian mustards, arugula, salad greens and more milder varieties of mustards. And whoa. A hint of summer-basil! Tasty green garlic too, which I just love with my greens.

Of course this cold weather has slowed down the rate of growth of my radishes, spinach, turnips, beets, carrots, and other crops outside. Eating seasonally means eating with the weather. And the weather says slow down.

When not harvesting veggies, I'm working hard at getting the transplanting done with my intern Maris.
This week he felt a bit under the weather, but carried on bravely. (I sure hope it wasn't my cooking!)

We've done thousands of plants. He fills the pots with the soil less mix, while I pop the tiny peppers, eggplants and tomatoes in the pots, pressing them in gently and watering them with my kelp solution.

Last week the door to the hoop house was wide open, fan purring at full throttle, while this week it has been locked up tightly with my ag fabric covering the plants for protection. It's always a tremendous juggling act, this season we call spring. Warm up, cool down, apply shade, remove shade.

I keep telling Maris that this is not the way the "big guys" do it. We are the technology. We don't have it- we are it!

Milk Thistle

But the plants look very good.

I get excited when I see certain plants. Today I took a walk on the dark side- Hell Frucht, Bloody Butcher, Jersey Devil, Egyptian Tomb.  Love, love, love the names.

Tomorrow we are at it again, Friday too. But after that it is smaller bit of things- basils, more brassicas, ground cherries and huckleberries. Then on to other things. The season rolls along!