The transplants in the greenhouse are thriving for the most part, although it has been a bit of a challenge keeping the greenhouse cool enough for the broccoli, chard and lettuce during the unusual warm period we have been experiencing for the past couple of weeks. The temp rose to 84 F outside yesterday, which translated into almost 100 degrees at the back of the greenhouse where the transplants are located. We ended up moving all the transplants outside to a shady area during the hottest part of the afternoon to keep them from over-stressing. Meanwhile we also raised the priority on getting the main exhaust fan repaired.
Trays of Transplants in the Greenhouse
The broccoli, cauliflower and chard that I started from seed about three weeks ago are almost ready to plant outside already (or to sell, if you are interested in buying some – just use the contact form [1] to get in touch with me for now).
Close Up of Chard Transplant
Close Up of Broccoli Transplant
The lettuce transplants are taking a bit longer to mature than the broccoli and chard. Sometimes it seems to take lettuce forever to germinate, but once it gets going it grows fairly fast so I’m hoping to get these into the ground the first week in March. I also read that lettuce seed does not keep well, so perhaps some of my seed was past its prime. I have already bought more fresh seed for late spring planting in case this was part of the problem.
Trays of Lettuce Seedlings
Spent a lot of time rearranging the storage and propagation areas to make potting and plant propagation work more efficient. In the near future we will be building some shelving for supply storage and installing misters and grow lights to automate and enhance our growing operations. We will also be installing a utility sink, potting bench, and vegetable prep and packing area in the southwest portion of the greenhouse this summer.
Greenhouse Storage and Propagation Areas
We have been prepping our outside growing areas as well. The biggest growing field that we are working on is just to the west of the greenhouse (I call it One West). This field measures 85′ X 66′ and will be planted in long rows which are currently marked by the stakes you can see in the picture at the south end of the field. We tested the soil in this area and it tested perfect for pH and nutrients so we are hopeful for good results. We will be adding compost and other organics to the area to ensure success for our fall crops.
One West Farm Field
That’s all the news for now.
Spring is coming fast!