Well 2009 is here and that means in just a few short weeks I should be starting some seeds in the greenhouse. I’ve just been looking over my calendar and when I started things last year. I started several batches of seeds in early January but after doing some math on the cost, it doesn’t make sense this year. Most of those early crops are better off just purchased as transplants from the local feed store. I will be starting tomatoes and peppers towards the end of January, as I like a more diverse group than I can buy locally, but will by local transplants when the time comes also.

Almost all the seed catalogs I order from are in, so now I just need to spend some time doing some selecting. I also need to go trough last year seeds I’ve saved and see what I have. I use my notes from the previous seasons to pick out what I want to plant for the main crops. I like to pick up some new stuff to test and I always plant a few crazy things just for fun.

I’m looking forward to the new year and new crops.

I’ve been plowing up the gardens and getting things ready for some fall planting. I had planned on doing some things this past weekend but with the threat of Hurricane Gustav I didn’t. I didn’t want to see everything washed away like several of my spring plantings.

We did get a lot of rain and I think that things will probably be ok to start planting this coming weekend, guess we will wait and see.

Market Garden – View From House.JPG

Originally uploaded by nf0

Weekly quick pic.

Market Garden – From House.JPG

Originally uploaded by nf0

View of the garden, on the day I took the photo for a change.

CSA – Week 2.JPG

Originally uploaded by nf0

It’s more than it looks like. Potatoes, squash, zucchini, yellow beans, green beans, Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic and cucumbers.

Market Garden – From House.JPG.jpg

Originally uploaded by nf0

Photos from last Sunday, I had a lot of problems uploading this week so it late.

It’s going to be a hard year for gardening, and I’m not alone. Just about everybody I’ve talked to has had the same problems I’ve had. The closest farmers market just had it’s first day this past weekend. Looking at the books from last year, everything is weeks behind.

This past weekend I replanted green beans, again. Late cold weather, after warm weather took a toll. Then it was the flooding that we usually get in the early spring / late winter took its toll. So here is the bean story, so far. I planted as planed on the same days as last year, with nothing but good weather in the forecast. The down went the temps and down went the beans. So cleanup, rework and replant. Then comes the big rains and rotted or washed the beans out. This is also about the time the tractor broke. So cleanup, rework and replant all by hand, which takes a lot longer. Now we have seeds in the ground about 2 weeks later than the time we were harvesting last year. Not good. And we are already really dry and really hot. We need some rain or this planting won’t come up either. But I just keep trying, and trying.

Not everything has done badly though. On another piece of ground where the peas are growing things are looking great. They started blooming and hopefully will be a good crop. So people will get more peas and less beans, not a bad trade off in our part of the country. Peas tend to be a more valuable crop anyway.

I replanted some beans today. Things have really been challenging this year with lots of things. The beans have really been hard to get going. Today I tilled up the bean rows again and planted them again. Hopefully this time they will take. Then beans I replanted last week are looking good. They will be late, but better late than never.

CSA – Week 1

Originally uploaded by ~Camille

First delivery.