Springtime in the Greenhouse: A Picture Book

May 4, 2009 at 8:29 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

By: Meg (Grateful greenhouse manager and Fall ’06)

Pictures work better than writing to share all the gloriousness  that is going on in and around the greenhouse this spring. We’re at the height of the seeding season- last week Miriam and I seeded over 1,000 cucumber plants (pickles here we come!) which have already germinated and soaking up the springtime sun.

This week the third round of tomatoes will be seeded. We’re trying some new heirloom varieties this year, including a paste tomato called orange banana, a red and orange stripped tigrella and pruden’s purple. If time allows the first round of tomato seedlings will be upgraded to more spacious living quarters, each being transplanted into their own pot for the remainder of their time in the greenhouse.

What goes better with tomatoes than basil? This year our basil varieties are branching out (oh, bad greenhouse joke) to include the normal green and purple varieties as well as lemon and thai basil. And some holy basil for the gan. Can’t forget the holy basil.

The Gan will soon be producing food for our bellies, hungry for the first taste of spring. The “hoop house” (we continue to call it that even though the hoop house structure has long since vanished) has a variety of salad greens, tatsoi, pac choi and little salad turnips growing in it. Year after year sorrel and yarrow grow beautifully in the corner of the bed, this year is no exception. I hear Miriam’s been making a mean nettle/sorrel pesto.

In the seed saving garden (otherwise known as the magen david garden) the garlic is coming up strong, as are the chives, which seem to have multiplied. We tried over wintering a few kale and beet plants but without the proper winter coats they mostly withered and died. However, one golden beet plant is holding on strong- we’ll save seeds from it this season.

And last but not least, the three raised beds are seeded and bursting with radishes (I like a variety called Easter Egg- but here I’ve been instructed to call them “springtime radishes” :),

the beginnings of carrots and a beautiful crop of spinach that is a week away from eating.

May we all experience the amazing growth of spring.