PLANT SALE IS ON, STARTING MOTHER’S DAY, May 14th I’ll have the greenhouse set up for you to shop between the hours of 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. It will be self-service so please read the instructions carefully. You will find copies in the greenhouse and also here. In the meantime, here is a PDF order form or an Excel order form you can download as well as a plant description for peppers and tomatoes. And FYI, the tomatoes are a nice size. The peppers, veggies and herbs are small so you’ll need to baby sit before planting. NOTE: Email your order early and I’ll have it ready for you!

Thursday, May 4 Visual update. Tomatoes are thriving! Depending on variety, up to 8 inches tall! …Did you notice two solar panels missing? Home of the East Wind! They’re back and functioning.

Saturday, April 29 The sun has been out all week with temperatures into the 80s. The greenhouse has gone from warm-ish to broiling so the windows are open and a warm breeze flows across the starts. All the tomatoes are hardy and divided! Peppers remain tiny and germination is spotty. I planted celery, bunching onions and broccoli seeds a few days ago – should have been planted weeks ago but…oh well. I’ve added a few photos to give you an idea of the growth of the tomatoes. They are so beautiful and now in their larger containers they can stretch their leggy roots out and grow grow grow!
I’m not predicting when plants will be ready – as I said earlier, I am approaching it relaxed and low key this year. I assume, as always, they will be ready around Mother’s Day or a bit beyond.

Friday, April 14 Happy Friday everyone. The sun is out!!! That’s a very big deal anywhere, but if you don’t live around here, we stay cloudy and damp well into the Spring. The sun comes out and our hearts open and energy rises and it’s time to mow the lawn or any of a million other aspirations to be acted upon!
As for my little baby plants, they are poking their heads above ground. I got the grow lights up last week. Now it’s time to water, wait and replants if needed.
I’ve added a couple of pictures to show you the progress.

Sunday, March 26 A milestone today! All the seeds are planted in the greenhouse – 13 varieties of tomatoes, 10 varieties of peppers, plus chives, parsley and basil. If you are interested in which varieties, click on the photo in the gallery below – they’re listed in the 2023 Greenhouse Record. Heat mats are up and running. I found yet another broken pipe so I’m hand watering at this point but/and I’m feeling energized…now the (long?) wait for germination to begin.

Sunday, March 19 I’m still in my robe with coffee at hand. Just finished the Sunday Puzzle with Will Shortz. A week or so ago it was cold, windy and rainy (no surprise) and I reflected, as I usually do, “Maybe I won’t have a garden this year.” Then the weather changes. The wind slows; the sun shows itself; temperatures get into the high 40s and I find myself hauling 5 Way Potting Soil from Allwood Recycling and starting the 2023 growing season re-energized!
But there’s work to be done. Because I forgot to drain the water catchment pipes, they burst in our severe winter weather and our neighbor and hero, Keith Shishido, has been over twice now plumbing. Today I may be able to prime the pumps! The greenhouse always needs clearing out and so I do my annual table and heat mat set-up, seed inventory and garden planning — all underway.
I do feel sane and at peace in this space, with stillness from the wind outside and sunlight warming everything.
One update for readers, if you’ve made it this far – I am going to ramp back on the number of seeds I plant (I promise) and spend less energy prepping for a “Plant Sale”. That is to say, a) I will likely donate my extra plants to our Columbia Grange Plant Share, scheduled for May 6 – Details at http://www.columbiagrange267.org, and b) I’ll stay in touch with my readers/followers on what you want and informally invite you to drop by for pick-ups and small donations to cover my seed costs.
So Happy Sunshine and Spring on Its Way!