…and now for something completely different…
At dawn
Canoe bow waves are quickly lost
on the shoreside
But go on out of sight
on the lake side.
-1986
The constant swish-swish of skis
On a day long ski.
The constant swish-swish of wiper blades
On a day long drive.
-1990
My dog, trotting barefoot
Steps on a garden slug
And thinks
Nothing of it.
-1999
Word spreads quickly
as I approach the pond.
All becomes quiet.
-1997
Hidden in the vines
a large warted cucumber
jumps out of reach.
A toad!
-1997
Delicate puffs
of marshmallow snow
carefully perched
on a branch,
await the trigger of my hat
to melt their way down my back.
-2010
Deep in the tomato jungle
Fruits of yellow, purple and red
Tell of their readiness
To go to market.
-2010
Sugarin' Chores
Snowflakes hurry through my flashlight beam,
As my boots knead new snow with spring mud,
On my nightly Hajj to keep the boil alive,
For as long as possible until the dawn,
To match the power of the flowing sap,
With my meager evaporator and will.
The prize at the finish line are jars of syrup
And Spring.
-2013
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Seeds &
Seedlings Feb. 19; snow date Feb.26.
Page 1 of 2 Presenter: Tom Roberts,
Snakeroot Organic Farm, Snakeroot Road, Pittsfield 04967, email:
tom@snakeroot.net
Remember: EVERY VEGETABLE HAS ITS OWN REQUIREMENTS,
for temperature, water, sun, fertility, days to maturity, picking
window, edible part, ability to transplant. Potato farmer who
decided to grow chickens.
Starting seeds - Direct Seeding vs.
Transplanting: Not every vegetable likes being transplanted and
some simply shouldn't be. Scheduling of different veggies &
herbs, planting depth, seed size, double transplanting. Advantages
of transplanting: Earlier harvest, crop is ahead of weeds,
instant garden, allows delay of garden preparation, buys you garden
time for succession cropping, no thinning in garden. Disadvantages
of transplanting: Need containers, potting soil, warm sunny
place to grow, slower and more work than direct seeding.
Timing is everything. Timing of
transplant starting is most common mistake. Too early or too late.
Every veg is different. Using transplants to gain time.
Non-seedy “seeds”.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion sets, garlic, shallots.
Plants, not seeds. Rhubarb,
asparagus, horseradish, most perennials. Take several years to
produce.
Potting soil. Should be
different than regular garden soil which has poor nutrient balance
for seedlings, likely to be weedy, poor water holding properties
compared to potting soil. Peat moss & synthetic fertilizer based
(sterile) or compost based (alive).
Seedling containers. Recycled plastic
containers, peat pots, tomato trays, or pro tray cell flats.
Starting vs Growing Temperature.
75-85° for germinating, then
60-70° for growing.
Problems. Damping off (soil too wet),
leggy (=too tall: too warm, not enough sun), no or low germination
(old seed, abused seed, too deep, dried out, too cold, variety
differences, just wait).
Growing your own vs buying
seedlings. If you don't have enough warm & sunny area,
buying some or all of your seedlings may be your best bet. Grow
lights. Buying long transplant-growing-time plants.
Hardening off. Easing the
seedlings into the garden slowly to reduce transplant shock. Think
of it as transplanting in two steps. Tenderness to cold varies with
vegetable.
Transplanting. Never break up
the rootball if you can help it. Exception: onion family. How to
tell when they are ready to be planted into the garden: look at the
roots, not the tops.
Direct Seeding Planting.
Remember your garden map? Placing the seeds. Depth. Succession
plantings related to days to maturity and overall garden
productivity. Thinning.
Cold frames. Old storm windows
or plastic sheet over a box on or in the ground. Opening on sunny
days and closing at night, especially early in the season, are
critical.
Hoop houses. Inexpensive low
greenhouses that can make your garden think it's in Maryland. Season
extension, winter production.
Greenhouses. Gardening fun all
year round, as well as a better place to start your seedlings than
the kitchen window.
Row covers. Slitted poly with
hoops or white floating row covers with or without hoops. Pest
barriers and temperature moderation.
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