Let the Early Spring Planting commence.
So, as of this past weekend into today, Potatoes starts are in the ground. The garlic did not get planted last fall, so I planted some on Sunday (12 cloves) along with Walla Walla Sweet Onion starts (20 bulbs). If we get half of those to produce, I will be happy with that.
The garden beds are covered with plastic tarp (up to the garlic and onions) to help kill the weeds over the next month or so.
Yesterday, I planted 11 tomato seeds and 9 bell pepper seeds in the new greenhouse, in hopes they will be big enough to get into their respective planting pots in late April/early May. I planted Purple Cherokee and three colors of bell peppers left from plants we had last year. Fingers Crossed on those.
This year, in barrels filled with sandy loam, we cut up two Red Pontiac potatoes (in one barrel), one Very Blue (in one barrel) and one California White (in one barrel). So hopefully, we will end up with more than our usual amount from growing them in barrels. If we only get five to eight pounds total again this year, we are giving up and starting potatoes in the garden next year. According to everything I read, we should be getting close to 20 pounds worth of potatoes per barrel, and we just aren't, after several years of trying. Allegedly, for every two pounds of seed potatoes, a return of 50 pounds is possible! We planted two pounds of seed potatoes in the three barrels. A fifty-pound return would be a nice surprise!
Today, I also planted a few Peas (designed for Oregon weather) in two pots (next to the Potatoes).
The "winter over" plants, have all done well. Parsley (in green house), Strawberries, Oregano and Thyme (outside) all seem to be thriving.
Last Friday, I planted a variety of lettuces in pots. Then it snowed and froze and the wind howled across the back deck. Oy! Will wait until next Sunday to see if the seeds took. If nothing has popped up by that time, I will replant the lettuce. I'm not going to plant spinach this spring, to save space.
With the Covid-19 (2019 Novel Coronavirus) taking hold in the US (and while the regular flu is still widespread), we are "isolating" and "social distancing" to protect ourselves (and others). So my garden is likely to be a big source of my entertainment this spring.
Oh, on the chick news. The meat chicks we picked up last month, they are thriving, healthy and growing rapidly. We moved them from the pen into the meat coop with a small heat lamp. They adjusted quickly. They love that they have low-lying roosting bars that they can sit on (they don't fly up to the tall roosting bar in the coop that was designed for turkeys). Outdoor temps are getting into the 50s during the daytime pretty consistantly and the meaties can tolerate that temp (with some protection) at about six weeks of age. So we may be moving them out of the garage a week early and will keep a close eye on them until we are certain that they are hearty enough.
Layer chicks should be here in a day or two.
