As Easter was a fruit day, I decided to sow the seeds of some of the longer season plants I hope to sell in a few months at the Magic Summer Minifarm heirloom bedding plant and native perennial sale June 1 & 2. I sowed 4 heirloom varieties each of eggplant and pepper, 7 tomatoes, 3 wild strawberries, and luffa gourds. I cleaned out the dead and dying lavender and rosemary I was attempting to overwinter in the kitchen after discovering mites on them and a few whiteflies on my fuchsia. I prefer to avoid excessive insect infestation if I can avoid it. The poor fuchsia is quarantined in the bathtub where I keep forgetting to leave the light on. As a control measure for whiteflies, I sprayed the undersides of the all the leaves with neem oil diluted in water. Next I will prune off any leaves that appear to be harboring juvenile whiteflies, throw them outside in the bitter cold(*), check for more bugs on the other plants, spray neem if necessary, and return the fuchsia to the big kitchen window. I am hoping to avoid the insect problems I had last year at this time. I need a larger growing space. I have been hearing from friends about their high tunnels and their warm, thawed soil, getting a little jealous. Finances permitting, I will probably put in a basic high tunnel this summer to accommodate the developing nursery business and expand the existing growing space.
left-right, top-bottom: Phaelenopsis orchid, Dracaena, Huachuma, Dracaena, fig, fig, coffee, Algerian ivy, lavender, pitcher plant, tomato trays, aloe
left-right, top-bottom: African violet, African violet, strawberry tray, 3 Cattleya orchids, vanilla orchid, thyme, Hawarthia, Huachuma, starfish flower (Stapelia sp.)
onions, artichoke, luffa gourd, peppers, eggplant, vanilla, future bee bath (shallow dish filled with stones and water--bees can drown easily because the surface tension of water is a challenge for them)
(*)Speaking of the bitter cold, I don't actually mind it as much as I mind the more than foot of snow still chilling in the backyard. I made my first trip to the compost pile in months (most of our compost has gone to worms or wildlife since the snow got deep) and it was pretty difficult. The Ojibwe name for March translates to "hard crust on the snow moon," and that hard crust is exactly what I was stomping through to reach the compost pile. The pile is apparently not warm enough to melt the snow on top of it. I haven't had great success with compost so far--still trying to figure out how to mix things in the right ratio to make it cook. One issue may be that I covered the compost pile with a black tarp, and now it is dry because the melting snow can't penetrate the tarp. The microorganisms that help create compost require water for their metabolic processes. Once the snow melts I could replace the tarp with black landscaping fabric to allow moisture in. I might turn the compost, depending on how it looks, and I'll add the biodynamic compost preparations to it either way. Some animal is living (or scavenging) in the compost pile. I saw a mouse- to rat-sized hole dug into the snow on top of the pile. I'm hoping whatever made it hasn't chewed through the tarp, but I'd be surprised if it hasn't. Oh well--this is a learning process and I am still figuring out many things. And at least I still have my awesome gardening job to help support and develop the minifarm while I figure those things out.
