Preparing for Cole Crops

This weekend I was able to get a couple of my raised beds ready for early season plantings such as cole crops and peas. I have 2 beds that I put in post with wire for peas now and to support tomatoes later. One of my beds I prepared for beans and potatoes. I will plant my potatoes in the 'valleys' and my beans on the 'hills'. As the potatoes grow and I add dirt to 'hill' them, they will end up slightly higher than the beans but they will be more secure in between the hills of beans. (I'll post pictures of what I mean as they grow.) I have one bed planted with green cabbage and Chinese cabbage. My husband helped me to put down soaker hose. I then used fiberglass rods to make hoops over the bed so I could protect the bed with frost cloth. I'm not done prepping beds, but I think I'm off to a good start!

Garden Progress as of 3-6-2013

Riesentraube Tomato Plants

Pepperoncini Plants

Large Leaf Italian Basil

Eggplant

First Signs of Broccoli and Cauliflower

Fish Peppers

Pac Choi

Lots of Tomato Plants

Transplanting Seedlings according to John Jeavons

 I find that when I am preparing my plants for the garden, a lot of what I do comes from reading everything I can get my hands on, what I remember from working in a garden with various grown-ups when I was a child, and just hands-on experience. I find that sometimes when I share what I have learned I get puzzled looks or that 'yeah, right' look. So, when I find someone else saying the say thing that I believe to be true based on my experiences, it makes me happy.

Yesterday, I picked up the book How to Grow More Vegetables* (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains, and other crops) *than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine by John Jeavons. Barnes & Noble link to the book

The book is not filled with a lot of beautiful photos or quick how-to tricks, it's all about the basics of growing BIOINTENSIVE. Which, anyone who knows me or is familiar with my blog knows is basically how I garden.

So, this morning, as I was looking through the information on seeds, I was really happy to come across very useful information on transplanting seeds. A couple of years ago I began to start all of my plants from seed and I have found that my plants are healthier and I am much happier with the varieties that I can grow. I have also found that I am just happier with plants that I start from seed. As I was reading in this book, I found that transplanting is actually preferred over direct sowing due to improved root health. Based on what I have experienced, I totally agree.

There were a couple of simple drawings in the book that I would like to share with you in regards to transplanting seedlings. You should transplant your seedlings up to their first two true leaves. This is how I treat my seedlings and they are just healthier.

This book has a lot of valuable information for those of you who are really serious about utilizing your space in a self-sustaining manner. For those who work with companion planting, this book is awesome. I will be adding this book to my gift list for friends and family who garden!