It's time! The first shelves and grow lights are set up. One shelving unit can hold 8 trays with each tray containing 50 soil blocks. Some soil blocks have one seedling, some have up to four per block, depending upon the type of seedling. We will have at least two shelving units set up at peak germination time, perhaps three. Once seedlings get a couple inches high they are moved out to the starter greenhouse to benefit from the perfect grow light---sunshine! Once one batch of seedlings is moved out, another batch is started under the grow lights.
The high tunnel greenhouse is waiting (high tunnel on the left, starter greenhouse on the right). ----->
Leftover seeds are inventoried. The new seed orders are nearly complete and ready for online confirmation.
The soil block ingredients and mixer are lined up in the garage.
And last, but certainly NOT least, the CSA share payments are rolling in day by day.
So here's the plan for the next several weeks:
- This week - order and pay for seeds
- This weekend - start making soil blocks, seeding them, and germinating indoor under lights (onions first!)
- Next week - set up watering system and direct seed inside the high tunnel greenhouse
- Early February - seed a few tomatoes and cabbages to be planted into high tunnel early as a trial
- Late February - attend MOSES Organic Conference in Lacrosse, WI and on return hopefully start harvesting baby greens out of high tunnel to sell
- Early March - move early seedlings out to starter greenhouse
- Mid-March - seed cabbages and parsley into soil blocks and obtain seed potatoes
In March things really start moving along quickly. The starter greenhouse (our permanent structure greenhouse on the right side in the above photo) should be very warm during the days and safe at night for seedlings that are covered. And it's time to seed pretty much everything else into soil blocks (tomatoes, peppers, herbs, celery, leeks, flowers) so they will be a nice size to transplant out into the outdoor gardens beginning mid May. Eggplant get seeded just slightly later for an early June planting outdoors.
This year we are adding another aspect to our seeding and germinating.....we will be germinating a limited number of starter plants to direct sell to customers for their own gardens. These will, of course, be certified organic starters and will be ready to go out into gardens in mid-May. Right now we are planning to start early tomatoes, slicer tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, hot peppers, bell peppers, eggplant, herbs, and cabbages to be sold as certified organic nursery stock. Of course this step requires one more license through the state, but we're hoping it will be worth it for us as well as our customers.
That's how my calendar is shaping up! It's been glorious having a couple "down" months to focus on outdoor off-season gardening tasks, household chores, holidays, family, and cooking, but now it's time to get the hamsters running in the wheel and step things up a little. Yay mid-winter!
Michelle & Rick
www.BearButteGardens.com
605.490.2919
Michelle@BearButteGardens.com
Rick@BearButteGardens.com
