And Another Winter Storm Warning...

I feel like this is the same post I had up last week. Just when the snow was ALMOST gone, we're scheduled to get another round of winter storms. This one is supposed to bring up to 3/4" of ice before a range of snow. We've heard anywhere from 5"-8", 6"-12", and 1-2 feet, depending on who is covering the upcoming storm. It was nice enough today that I was able to get out and do a six mile run with some friends, and it's hard to believe that I'm not going to get to do that again for a while.

Pictures will come when the storm does!

Broccoli was planted in my new seed starting flat two days ago -Jan 28- a bit later than last year. I found my notes, and I started my broccoli on January 15th last year. I bought a different kind of seed starting kit this time, only because they didn't have my normal Jiffy one. I was VERY surprised when I added water to some of these "pods" outside of the flat... They blew up INSTANTLY! My Jiffy pods had a mesh covering that held them together, these did NOT! So... I somewhat wasted 12 new little pods. I'm going to save them to fill other holes as I start new plants, but I was pretty disappointed. Oh well, broccoli is started, tomato is potted up, and I've got another round of lettuce in place of the tomato, and the cilantro that never sprouted.

Harvest...uhh...Thursday?

So, we didn't have the salad massacre last night for my husband's birthday because he was kind enough to not do the harvesting himself for his salad as I arrived home late.

So, he got his salad tonight, and I got my first harvest of 2011, with a bit of the harvest of 2010 (yes, these are still green tomatoes from our garden on January 27th, I'm done eating them, but he'll still use them in salads)

Don't let the picture fool you, I covered the top of his iceberg/ almost white romaine with the harvested lettuce, but he is thoroughly enjoying it.

Before the massacre:

After the massacre:

The Harvest:

The salad:

Seedling Update

I'm not sure I can appropriately title this "seedling" update, because some of them are seedlings, and some are PLANTS now!

My lone Pineapple tomato seedling has two sets of true leaves now, and is VERY ready to be planted in a different container. I just have to make that happen. The roots look incredible. That is a fun part about an Aerogarden, I get to lift up the lid and actually SEE what's happening.

My lettuce, I've been told, will be a part of my husband's birthday salad tomorrow. That is the real reason for this post. I wanted to actually DOCUMENT the growth, before he mutilates my plants. I don't know why I get this way. I grow this stuff to be eaten, and then I fall in love. Don't you DARE hurt my babies! I could never be an animal farmer. As far as I'm concerned, steak comes from a steak tree, and that's the only way I eat it. We have a whole deer in the freezer right now (we receive one or two a year, as a present from my father in law). I want nothing to do with seeing pictures of the "kill" until it has completely been consumed. I love meat, but I have over-attachment issues.

It's Back.

Just when I thought all of the snow had finally melted away.... we got this.

We've gotten another inch or so since I took this picture.

Before my husband made the 20 year old who lives with us shovel our driveway... he played.

My husband has left to plow for the day, which is great because substitute teachers don't get paid for snow days. I'm off to crochet this snow day away, while enjoying the lovely Victorian Farm series posted by Thomas at A Growing Tradition here.

Seedling Saturday

I have a seedling Saturday this week. Not completely by design, but here goes.

I've got the stuff that I planted in the Aerogarden 16 days ago. I'm still loving how much growth I get to enjoy with this thing.

I've got true leaves on my basil plant. Pesto here I come!

My lettuce seedlings are sizing up nicely.

And here she is. The Pineapple tomato seed that I stuck in the Aerogarden 24 hours after the seed saving fiasco. I had NO intentions of having a tomato seedling on January 15, while snow is on the ground., but here she is. I'm going to have to figure out a way to keep her alive between now and MAY. At least all of my seed saving wasn't for naught.

I had several days without a sub job this week (snow day, and then a day without a phone call...) I've been spending my time working on some crochet projects for an etsy that I started last week. If anyone feels like checking it out, and giving me some pointers, I'd greatly appreciate it! I still need to get pictures of the hats on actual people, but for now this is what I'm working with.

Garden in January

Here's the typical shot I take of the garden. This one will be fun to look at later on. We've got fresh snow on top of the leaves on top of the garden.

Here's an updated picture of what my tomato seeds look like after they've dried. I did stick ONE seed into my Aerogarden so that they won't be a total loss (and that was after they dried for 24 hours) and I can definitely see the radicle sticking out now.

Here is an update on my lettuce and basil seedlings that have emerged on my Aerogarden! It's fun to see how fast these grow, I planted them 12 days ago.

HELP!

So I tried to save my own tomato seeds from my Pineapple tomatoes this year, and one that ripened inside. I went with the fermenting method, but I had a bit of an issue. The tomato that was ripening was starting to mold, but we were leaving for PA to visit family for Christmas, and I wasn't going to be home, so I decided to put them in the refrigerator in a tupperware in water until I got back. This past week I left them sit on the counter until they got "cloudy". I went to dry them, and noticed the seeds looked sort of funny. Have they GERMINATED!? If they have, I'm in trouble, because this is a MONTH AND A HALF too soon! I couldn't possibly part with 100 some tomato seeds from my own garden! The little green guy at the bottom is my little lettuce seedling that I started, but is over a half an inch tall, the picture is old... Any help would be appreciated! I don't want to end up drying these out only to KILL them!

Happy New Year Planning Time!

Happy New Year to all! The start of January gives me permission to actually start my planning. I have a basic layout drawn on some notebook paper. I'm still searching for a good way to do this on a computer. This is one of my favorite part of gardening. It's when I can imagine my garden perfectly neat, without weeds, without any pests, and everything will produce to its full potential. I am aiming for a "neater" garden, or at least a design that is easier to maintain and move around in for this year. The space I have to work with is small, so it has to be planted closely, but I'm going to try to space things out a bit this year. I am going to downsize my tomato plants from 30 to 20 this year. When I get a chance I'll upload a picture of what I'm thinking so far.

I have my first sign of green today, though I am not going to post a picture of it, because it's a pretty useless picture.

I planted my Aerogarden two days ago with some salad greens, basil, oregano, cilantro, and chives. I'm excited to already see some green! My grandma gave me the set up after she got sick of it a few months ago. It was a great gift, but when I went to set it up, I found that the pump was broken. So I asked Santa aka my mom for a new pump, nutrients, and refill sponges. It's up and running, and will certainly help me get through the part of winter that I dread.

Happy New Year and garden planning!