I finally unpacked the seed starting setup my husband has been buying me! He got me a light with a stand for my birthday last July, and a heat mat and thermostat for Christmas. He doesn't understand my gardening bug, but he's sure supportive...
I have started a few things... cabbages, kale, cauliflowers and romanesco, pink and utah celery, lettuces, fennel, kohrabi, and probably something else I can't remember. I don't have a lot of room, which is fine, because right now I've got six 2'x4' grow boxes to work out of for these things. I figure this gives me two weeks or so to get those grow boxes out of the trailer and placed where I want them. The cabbages will be the only thing ready to go out so quick, I think. They are 45 day mini cabbages, and are already germinating. I'm going to attempt to get the peas in the ground by the end of this week as well. And the garlic. I've never planted garlic before. I had meant to have some delivered and planted last fall, but that didn't happen. I picked up a box of garlic from home depot for planting, so I'll get that in and see how it goes. And be more on top of it next year.
I'm hoping that by the end of April, I'll have my big garden boxes built. I'm planning on at least four 4x8 boxes made with corrugated roofing metal. I'm trying to recreate the boxes
@horsepoor has. I think they're pretty good looking, and should hold up to the elements. I decided this morning that I also want some 2x8s for my front yard, and a couple of 4x4s for herbs and strawberries. I want to find a few places to put cattle panel arches for climbing beans/melons/cukes. I love the way those look.
Luckily, I can get compost from the municipal green waste yard for about $6/load. I'm on the lookout for free manure. I can usually source some in the spring for my garden. Current plan is to fill the bottom of the boxes with branch trimmings from my hedge and trees, and then top with a mixture of compost, manure, and coconut coir (if I can find it in bulk for a decent price). I'm also posting on my local yard sale sites, looking for rained on straw bales for mulch.
If I can have the boxes ready by April, that gives me a little bit to get the in ground garden ready for the long season stuff. That's where I'll plant the corns (3 kinds... if I can figure out how to keep them from cross pollinating), winter squashes, dry beans, etc.
And, as if I don't have enough going on... Burgess sent me a catalog. And now I'm contemplating grapes and berries. If I can figure out where to put them, I'll probably go for it...