Otter Update...

I just realized that I haven't posted the most recent otter sightings!

This one was about a week ago....

And this one was sometime before Christmas...it was the first time I've ever see three of them...all curled up and keeping warm on the dock next door to us...

I've been seeing them out fishing almost every day recently...and so has Carly!  Now she KNOWS there are monsters living under the dock next door...bark, bark, bark, bark...sigh.....

Enjoy!

Deb

Caught Up....

I spent some time in my little greenhouse yesterday morning and got caught up on my seed starting.  I made 4 trays of soil blocks (144!) and planted chard, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and more peas.

I was cruising through Johnny's Select Seeds web site the other day and watched a video on making soil blocks.  I realized that I wasn't getting the soil mix wet enough...and that I could space the blocks a lot closer in the tray (notice how many more blocks I got in the trays on the top two shelves).

I also planted some onions and leeks in my old wooden crates...

I'm trying a new bunching onion, Shimonita,  from Territorial Seed Company and a Summer Leek from Irish Eyes...

And a harvest update from the experimental winter bed:

Tatsoi, Joi Choi, Orange Mini Cabbage and some radishes all went very nicely in a bowl of yakisoba...

The recipe is on You Tube..." Cooking With Dog".... I really love this lady and her dog...great, easy Japanese recipes....

Enjoy!

Deb

I'm Incorrigible....

I admit it.  I just can't wait for spring...So I'm rushing things a bit and hoping that new "year round gardening" techniques will continue to work in cold, soggy Washington.  The experimental winter vegetable bed did well, so I am starting my first "spring" bed today...January 18.

 

Just a few pea plants and lettuces (and the herbs that were already in the bed).

I'm going to compare the growth rates of the plants put out into their covered beds to those left in the greenhouse longer and then transplanted out. 

And here's the bed with its' raincoat on....Mike will help me do a more permanent
job on the covering this weekend....

Enjoy!

Deb

Hurry Spring!

It's January 11 and we are expected to get more snow tonight and tomorrow here in Western Washington.  But that isn't keeping me out of my garden.  Mike built me a great plant cart for starting my seedlings in the greenhouse...

I saw a metal cart online...they wanted $899 for it!  Mike made this one out of wood and some old light fixtures.  I love it!

I'm really sold on the soil block maker I bought from Johnny's Selected Seeds last year...it makes transplanting the seedlings so much easier...and no extra cost or waste with the plastic pots!

This is a tray of lavender and chamomile about 5 days after planting...

 

The seedling heat mats really speed up germination time and keep my seedlings warm in my "cool" greenhouse...

...I do have a small heater in there but it only comes on when the temperature really drops; the heat from the mats and the lights seems to be enough to keep the plants happy.

 I've already transplanted some of the seedlings into wooden boxes to wait for it to be time to go into their covered beds...we go over 10 hours of daylight here about the middle of February, so that's my target date.

And an update on the covered winter beds is in order...

 This was the lakeside bed after our first snow just before Thanksgiving.  I'm using only one 40 watt light to keep the bed from freezing...and here's a picture of the plants inside taken today...

 They've come through sub-freezing temperatures just fine!  It's actually time to harvest some of them...

Enjoy!

Deb