The First

We've got hops!  This is the second season we've been growing these rhizomes and the first year we've seen any sign of flowers.  The Willamette hops were the first to flower.

They seem to be enjoying life in the greenhouse.  We were considering moving them once we build a nice arbor, but I'm not so sure now.  I'd hate to mess up a good thing.  We'll probably just plant new rhizomes instead of digging these up.

Greenhouse Haiku

When it is snowing

I can always count on you

To be warm inside

I wasn't going to write today.  I had it in my mind that if I dodn't upload it, then it never happened.  I had awakened to the first (and I hope the only) spring snow.  But I changed my mind after a trip with Miles up to the greenhouse.  That place is always full of inspiration, and it just makes me feel good.  Here are some of the highlights:

My big, strong heirloom tomatoes

The artichokes have come out of their cold treatment and are happy to be back in the greenhouse.

I love this Ruby Moon hyacinth bean.

The eggplants are alive and well.

Hops

This nasturtium popped up over the weekend.

The parsley will be ready to set out soon.

I'm a firm believer that you can never grow too much basil.  I've got about fifty seedlings going.

Baby thyme

The poppies are doing a lot better than I had expected.

Get a load of these blueberries!

 

So while things are all hunky-dory in the greenhouse, let's take a look outside.

As I write this, the snow has stopped falling and it's already beginning to melt.  Yes!  It isn't too awfully cold out, and I'm not really worried about the greens and root vegetables in the kitchen garden.  Things are often more resilient than we think.  If they to subcome to the harsh weather, I'll just have to sow some more.  I love sowing seeds, I'll shed no tears.  The asparagus and blueberries are going to be alright.  This snow is just a minor annoyance.

Back inside, the girls are doing well.  It's so hard to get a good picture of them.  They're always fluttering about when I enter their room, and the red heat lamp doesn't help.  In addition to "Judith," "Iris," and "Eunice," we now have a "Big Beulah," and "Large Marge."  Big Beulah and Large Marge are the big bosses.  They're also loudmouths.  I admire their spunk and attitude.

Greenhouse Update (Oh, Joy!)

I have very exciting news!  The blueberry whips that I stuck in peat moss last week are alive and kicking! The leaf buds on almost every single little stick are swelling nicely after just six days, but they have a very long way to go.  Even after they leaf-out, the roots won't start to develop for another several weeks or a few months.  But I am very optimistic.  They seem to like it in the greenhouse, and the peat moss/sand mixture holds moisture well without getting too soggy.  I'll be pleased if we get just 50 successful plants out of the of 260 we started.

The hops are growing quickly.  The Nugget hops are huge compared to the others.  At this stage of growth, I can see differences between all the varieties that are not apparent during later parts of the season.  Right now, the Nuggets are the most beautiful shade of  purpley-beet red.

Nugget Hops

Willamette Hops

Cascade Hops

Lettuce:

Happy and smiling.  Just a few more weeks until the salad days begin.

Tomatoes:

Still small, but thriving.

Artichokes:

Low germination rate?  Whatchu talkin'bout?

Miles Giles guards the orange tree against peasant intruders.

Can you beat that view?

There are a ton of other things going on in the greenhouse.  See the side bar for a complete list.

Happy growing!

Three of My Favorite Things

As I was poking around in the greenhouse this morning looking for signs of new life, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hops is coming up.  We put in three varieties last year, and all of them did very well in the greenhouse.  Hopefully, they'll start producing this year.  It would be so awesome to use our own hops in an IPA.  I couldn't get a good photo of the little guys this morning, but I've included a pic of two varieties as they were last year.

Willamette and Nugget Hops

We ordered most our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange this year.  Previously, we had gone with Johnny's Seeds and Seeds of Change, but we really liked SSE's varieties and prices.  I think we made the right choice.  So far, all of the seeds I've used look extremely healthy.  Actually, I've never seen such robust-looking seed before.  They're very clean and have an all-around fresh look.  We ordered our garlic from SSE last fall, and it's doing really well.  We chose Georgian Fire and Elephant garlic for a contrast of flavors.  Garlic seed is pretty expensive, so we won't be eating any of it this year.  We'll plant everything we harvest.

Georgian Fire or Elephant garlic.  I can't remember which we planted where.

In other news, I got to see a Big Brown bat this morning.  I love bats.  My neighbor was cleaning out his basement when he found the guy.  We know it was a Big Brown bat because my neighbor is a member of the Bat Conservation Association.  I wish I had taken a photo, but I missed my chance.  The bat was still in hibernation mode when he was discovered, but he came to his senses and fluttered away into the forest in a matter of minutes.  One point for the Bat Conservation Association.